ROMEO AND JULIET Kate Sbaa Tirath

Introduction William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a tragic drama featuring two star crossed lovers who take their lives in desperation to be together eternally. The drama’s central concern is romantic love, especially the intense passion that transpires at first sight between Romeo and Juliet. Their love is initially an ecstatic and overpowering force, later developing into a violent and desperate relationship that supersedes all other values, loyalties and emotions.

Sampson and Gregory  Throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays different ideals of love, one of which is the smutty and bawdy view of love displayed by Sampson and Gregory in the opening of the tragedy:  “Therefore women being the weaker vessels are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall.”  Sampson and Gregory’s conversation is full of crude sexual references. Their language has violent connotations with rude undercurrents. Although they have not had sexual experiences with women, they appear misogynistic and enjoy fantasizing about them in the crudest terms. This contrasts with the pure, powerful love that Romeo and Juliet feel for each other.

Romeo’s Love for Rosaline  In contrast, Romeo’s view of love is far more elaborate and dramatic. An impulsive and immature character at the beginning of the play, he wallows in self-pity highlighting his overly romanticised view:  “O brawling love, O loving hate, O anything of nothing first create”  This shows Romeo’s fickle and narcissistic attitude towards love. He uses oxymoron's which suggests that Romeo’s love is artificial whilst highlighting his confused, emotional state. His over-emphatic language further emphasises that Romeo’s feelings of love are artificial.

Romeos Love for Rosaline 2  Romeo’s true intentions aren’t as pure and honest as they initially seemed as it is revealed that he is merely in lust:  “She will not stay the seige of loving terms, nor bide th’encounter of assailing eyes, nor ope her lap to saint- seducing gold.”  Although Romeo later develops a more mature and spiritual view of love, here he only craves the physical benefits that come with love. Romeo exaggerates his feelings of despair and anguish over Rosaline's rejection towards him. He seems to have no real experience with love as he uses over the top vocabulary that he has been taught from books and poems that he uses as guides to identify his emotions.

The Nurse  The nurse is a vulgar, long-winded, and sentimental character. Unlike previously, the Nurse’s view of love does not fit into categories: her view is neither over romanticised like Romeo’s nor is it full of bawdy, sexual innuendos like Sampson and Gregory’s view. Her depiction of love is somewhere in between:  “Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age”  She provides a contrast with Juliet, given that her view of love is earthy and sexual, whereas Juliet’s is idealistic and intense. The Nurse believes in love and wants Juliet to have a good-looking husband but her vocabulary throughout this act is extremely coarse and crude.

The Nurse 2  However, the Nurse’s priority is ultimately Juliet’s happiness:  “Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days”  Although she does not understand Juliet’s ideals on love, she compromises her views and encourages Juliet to make her own decision without enforcing her bawdy and lustful opinions.

Mercutio's View  Mercutio believes that love is purely a physical act as he describes to the audience his portrayal of Rosaline:  “By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh, and the demesnes that there adjacent lie”  Mercutio’s view is similar to Sampson and Gregory’s. It is very lascivious and vulgar. He does not see love as an act of affection and devotion, he sees it in a much more cynical light.

Lady Capulet  Lady Capulet’s view of love is more pragmatic than romantic. This is clear when she advises Juliet to marry Paris because of the financial benefits:  “So shall you share all that he doth possess, By having him making yourself no less.”  Unlike the nurse, Lady Capulet appears distant and cold towards Juliet and when she breeches the topic of marriage, she does not consider Juliet’s happiness. In fact, the only reason that she wants Juliet to marry Paris is because it will raise the families status and wealth. This shows Lady Capulet’s warped view of love: she sees love as a business agreement and not an act of adoration.

Romeo and Juliet’s Love  The love shared between Romeo and Juliet is by far the most strongest and powerful version of love in the entire play. This is shown through the celestial imagery used during the entirety of the sonnet:  “For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.”  The meeting of Romeo and Juliet dominates the scene, and, with extraordinary language the excitement and wonder that both protagonists feel is captured. Romeo’s language here now takes on a richness and beauty which was missing from his earlier, strained and insincere words about his love for Rosaline, convincing the audience of his real and profound love for Juliet. The spiritual nature of their love is conveyed through the extended Christian metaphor which suggests that Romeo worships Juliet with religious devotion.

Conclusion  William Shakespeare’s tragic play “Romeo and Juliet” effectively portrays the many representations of love through his use of dramatic irony. Although the play does not make a specific moral statement about the relationships between love and society, it reinforces the chaos and passion of being in love, combined with the themes of violence, death, religion, and family in an impressionistic rush leading to the drama’s tragic ending.