Love in Romeo and Juliet Free Essays

Essay topic: how love is treated in one of the plays (Romeo and Juliet) – Not sure if maybe the order of characters should be changed around ? – Ex putting room and Juliet’s part first. William Shakespeare has written many brilliant pays over his literary career. One of his most famous love stories of all time although is Romeo and Juliet. We will write a custom essay sample on Love in Romeo and Juliet or any similar topic only for you Order Now Naturally love is the plays most dominate theme. Throughout the play love is treated and seen very differently by the various characters of the play. Romeo and Juliet are seen as young adolescents who do not understand or know what true love is, but are very passionate. Capulet see’s his daughters love as being something that he can control, and is only concerned with honoring the Capulet blood line and economic advancement of the Capulet family. The nurse is seen as being nieave in her parenting as well as guidance and at times appears to be pimp like. While Mercutio believes that Romeo is simply just Horney and not in fact in love. Do Romeo and Juliet really experiencing love or is it just an infatuation and an erge to have sex. Are two people so young able to comprehend what love really is and means at such as very young age. I don’t believe they could and with the misguidance and surrounding views of love this play has turned from a comedy to a tragedy. Capulet: as we look at the role of love from Capulet’s view we see a very dominate and controlling figure over his daughters love. Like lady Capulet Juliet’s father dose not play a big part in Juliet’s every day life, but in relations to his daughters love he is a very big factor. Capulet portrays the love and marriage of his daughter as something that he will be decided by him. Although when discussing marriage with Paris at the beginning of the play he realizes that Juliet is young and needs more time to develop, portrayed in the quote â€Å" My child is yet a stranger in the world, She hath not seen the change of fourteen years; Let two more summers wither in their pride Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride. † When Paris purposes to marry Juliet, her father points out that she is young and is not even fourteen years. He hastily demands that Juliet marry Paris after Tybalts death. This marriage to Paris is something that Juliet did not want from the start but was put upon her from the start of the play. Capulet is infact looking out for his daughters best interest but dose not stop to think of what Juliet wants or discuss the matter with her. When Juliet defies her fathers wishes, Capulets true feeling on her love and Marriage are revealed. In the quote â€Å" Thank me no thankings, nor proud me no prouds, But fettle your fine joints ‘gainst Thursday next To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither. Out , you greensickness carrion! Out , you baggage! You tallow –face. † ACT 3. 5 lines 153-158 it is made clear that he will make the final decision in her daughters marriage and although she dose not want to marry Paris it will happen on the next Thursday weither she likes it of not. The father is more concerned with status level of her suiter and the honor of his blood line then the wishes of his daughter and In the end of the play we see that with a little understanding on the part of Capulet the dramatic double suicide concluding the play, maybe could have been avoided. The Nurse; the nurse plays a very important role in relations to love in romeo and Juliet. As we can tell at the beginning of the play Juliet’s fraternal mother lady Capulet is not portrayed as any more than just that fraternal. The true loving relationship between mother and daughter is played by the nurse and Juliet. The Nurse has been with the Capulet family for at least fourteen years,or since Juliet was born. We are told that The Nurse had had a daughter but tragically it did not make it through child birth. The nurse also was juliets wet nurse and the mother daughter bond has been very stong sine then. In this quote â€Å"this is the matter-nurse, give leave awhile, We must talk in secret. Nurse, come back again; I have remembered me, thou’s hear our counsel. Thou knowest my daughter’s of a pretty age† ACT 1. 3 line 7-10 . Lady Capulet involves the Nurse in her discussion with Juliet about her possible marriage to Paris. It is extremely evident that lady Capulet dose not feel comfortable with her daughter alone and it is shown through out the play that they not spend very much time together while Juliet and the nurse do. Although the nurse and Juliet’s love for each other is very strong there is another more important factor in terms of Juliet’s love for a man and the guidance the nurse gives her in picking a match for marriage. When Romeo and Juliet first meet it is love at first site and the nurse warns Juliet that he is a Montague. â€Å"His name is Romeo, and a Montague, The only son of your great enemy. † ACT 1. 5 lines 137-138 although Juliet is still very young, being the age of 14 and nieve in her knowledge of love, the nurse helps her in her persuit. From this point the nurse is seen as more of a pimp then a mother figure who should be wiser. The nurse gossips with Juliet about Romeo â€Å"though his face be better than any man’s, yet his leg excels all men’s, and for a hand and a foot and a body, though they be not to be talked on, yet they are past compare† ACT 2. 6 lines 39-42 When she should be stressing the fact that Romeo is a Montague and not the right person for Juliet’s love given the current situation. Yet the nurse still goes behind the backs of her employers and guides Juliet in her secret marriage to Romeo. She is seen in as a pimp in many ways such as meting to discuss marriage with Romeo and taking Juliet to Friar Laurence’s cell to be wed. In act 4 the nurse’s views on marriage and love are also shown to be skewed. After Tybalts death, When confronted by Juliet with the problem of a quick marriage to Paris under the orders of her father Capulet, the nurses thoughts on the matter are very prudish saying â€Å" Romeo is banished; and all the world to nothing that he dares ne’er come back to challenge you; Or if he do, it needs must be by stealth. Then, since the case so stands as now it doth, I think it best you married with the county. O, he’s a lovely gentlemen! Romeos a dishclout to him. An eagle, madam, Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an eye As Paris hath. Beshrew my very heart, I think you are happy in this second match, for it excels your first; or if it did not, your first is dead- or ‘twere as good he were as living here and you no use of him. † Saying that she should marry Paris just because Romeo is now banished and can not tend to her needs for sex. But if he dose still come around to do it under the nose of Paris and cheat on her new husband. So in so many words have the best of both worlds. The nurse not once thinks of Juliet’s heart and the idea of true love. The nurse just see’s the physical aspects of attraction such as a man’s looks, and just thinks of sax. The nurse has been a pimp throughout the play and although she is in so many ways Juliet’s parental figure she succeeds in leading her in the wrong direction and giving Juliet bad advice on love. Romeos Friends Romeo’s friend and also the cousin of the Prince is Mercutio. Unlike Romeo and most of the other characters in the play He has a extremely different view on love. He suggest that love is like an ‘open arse and poppering pear’ and that simple sexual gratification will fulfill the desires for love. This may be because Mercutio has been in love previously and understands what love is and how complicated it can be at times, or perhaps because he has not experienced it himself. In my opinion he dose understand love and sees how fast Romeo is jumping into things and not thinking rationally. He believes that Romeo is not in fact in love, he is just feeling the desires to make love. Mercutio creates irony in the play because if Romeo had listened to his advice and convinced Juliet to act just on her sexual desires rather than moral desires or getting married first then Romeo and Juliet, as well as Mercutio may possibly still be alive. Mercutio’s death is also what turns the play from a comedy into a tragedy, which with Mercutio dies his advice, and potentially condemns the lovers. Romeo Juliet It is shown early in the play that Romeo is foolish and thinks he is in love very easily. When it comes to love Initially Romeo had fallen in love with Rosaline. He believed that Rosaline is the girl of his dreams and that he can not live without her but those feeling where not mutual. Although Rome was heartbroken, I believe that Romeo has no idea what real true love actually is. This relationship is merely an example of infatuation, a foolish attraction. Even though Romeo had thought he had found his ‘true love’ in Rosaline, when he saw Juliet for the first time he believed he was in love again. Juliet also believed the first time she saw Romeo she was in love. But can love at fist site really exist? I believe it can not, although you may feel physically attracted to someone when u first meet, there is much more than just looks needed to make a relationship work and truly be in love. You cannot just meet someone and fall in love, it just dose not happen like that. Romeo and Juliet are far to young to understand the depth of feelings involved in a real, meaningful relationship. Even if they are able to understand with the little experience they have in love being so young, I believe it takes more than a couple of hours or a couple of day, as the play takes place over just a fue days to fall into love and truly understand it. These to lovers sexual ergs took over to the fact that every decision they would make from the fist encounter, at the beginning of the play would be clouded by this thought of being in love. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet was similarly so powerful that personal values and loyalties towards family and friends were of secondary importance. â€Å"Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I’ll no longer be a Capulet†. Juliet in effect is willing not only to deny her own family name but take the name of a Montague, the family which hers has been in disputes with for many years. And she is led in the wrong direction with these ideas by the nurse. Romeo also denies his friend Mercutio and goes ahead and marries. Juliet. Romeo and Juliet both defy their families and friends. Their feelings for each other ultimately cost both of them their lives. The love that they felt for oneanother has blinded them in seeing the right path, and unable to realize the misfortunes that lay ahead for them. Throughout the play It is evident that their are many views of love and how it should be treated. At such a young age as Romeo and Juliet where, some good advice and knowledge of love was need but never found. Romeo and Juliet where so blinded by so called love for one another that they could not see the right path. With exception to Mercutio, I believe the other characters in the play did littlie to help the couple and only blurred the truth. These two should not have wed and engaged in a loving relationship. They where to young, did not know what love was, and where clearly not a very good match being members of an opposing rival family. With the misguidance of many characters if the play the story turns from a comedy to a tragedy and we see that love is treated very differently by many people. How to cite Love in Romeo and Juliet, Papers