Romeo and Juliet Essay - Grade: A+ PDF

Preview

Summary

Essay on Romeo and Juliet...

Description

William Shakespeare once said, “The course of true love never did run smooth”. William Shakespeare, an illustrious poet, actor, and playwright, knew all to well about the deficiencies that have tormented humanity and frequently would subsume these inborn human characteristics and qualities into his famous plays. Romeo and Juliet, arguably the greatest love tragedy play of all time was written in 1594 by the great William Shakespeare. This renowned play focuses on two teenagers (Romeo and Juliet) who are born into families that have deep-seated aversion for one another. Despite knowing that their relationship cannot exist due to their families extreme loathing for one another Romeo and Juliet meet and quickly fall in love. Some people wonder if the play is about love or lust. Understanding the mayhem, many people have debated whether this play’s focal point is about lust or love. The only obvious theme for Romeo and Juliet is that love is something that is inherently free, as it cannot be purchased nor sold. An individual cannot prevent love nor can anyone force love. Love can cause heartbreak and trouble down the road. This theme is applicable and relatable to Romeo, Juliet, and the Nurse. Romeo is one of the characters that portrays the theme that an individual cannot prevent nor force love as this theme is displayed through his actions. In Act 2 Scene 2 Romeo is talking to Juliet about how he was able to overcome staggering odds such as climbing over a stone wall while being quite enough to sneak past the Capulet guards and finally find Juliet. Romeo utters, “With love’s lightwings did I o’erpech these walls, / For stany limits cannot hold love out, / And what love can do, that dares love attempt. / Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me” (2.2.7174). Romeo is saying that he was able to fly over the walls that bordered Juliet using the light wings of love. He also adds that stone walls and Juliet’s relatives are no obstacle for him as they cannot prevent or block his love for Juliet. This shows that Romeo is dealing with love because he expresses how his love for Juliet has enabled him to defy such astronomical odds such as

climbing over a stone wall while simultaneously sneaking past high profiled Capulet guards just to spend time with the love of his life. Romeo strictly believes that whatever a man in love can do, his love will make him at least attempt the given task. In Act 5 Scene 3 Romeo drinks a poisonous potion that ultimately leads to his death and is describing his affection for Juliet in his final words of his short and brief life. Romeo says, “Here’s to my love! O true apothecary, / Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die” (5.3.119-120). Romeo is giving a toast to Juliet’s life and legacy by practically saying his death is for Juliet. He also preaches that the pharmacist whom he bought the potion was honest with his word as the drugs were in affect in a matter of seconds. He ends of by saying with a kiss I die. This quote clearly shows that Romeo is contemplating with love because through his actions he displayed that he cannot live a life without Juliet. Romeo was devastated and heartbroken by the death of Juliet. If Romeo was only attracted to Juliet because of her physical appearance, it’s hard to defend that Romeo would have committed suicide. For example, with lust it is really easy to just move on and find a new lady as Romeo had done previously when he forgot about Rosaline and moved his focus to Juliet at the beginning of the play. Not only does Romeo exhibit Love, Juliet also endures a similar situation. Juliet, through her actions in the play also experiences the theme that love is something that is inherently free, as it cannot be purchased nor sold. In Act 2 Scene 2 Juliet is speaking to Romeo about how their relationship and their affection for each other is comparable to the sea. Juliet adds, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, / My love is as deep. The more I give to thee, / The more I have, for both are infinite” (2.2.140-143). Juliet is saying that her generosity and love for Romeo is as deep and limitless as the sea. She also states that the more love she gifts to Romeo; she receives more affection from Romeo as their love can be considered infinite. It is in this part of the play that she displays her love for Romeo by comparing their relationship to

the sea. Later on it that very scene Juliet is chatting with Romeo about a making big sacrifice in disregarding and changing their last names in order to make their relationship a reality. Juliet notes, “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? / 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” (2.2.36-39). In this particular part of the play Juliet tells Romeo to forgot about everyone including his father and also suggests him to change his name. Then Juliet states that if Romeo chooses not to change his name, she wants him to promise that he will always love her and she will just forget and stop being a Capulet. If one individual just had lust for another instead of true love which an emotional connection and attachment, they would not sacrifice something like a last name. Given that Juliet is willing to disobey her family by hooking up with a Montague, it shows the readers the love that Juliet has for Romeo. The theme of love is also shown throughout Romeo and Juliet by the Nurse. Through the Nurse’s actions the audience is able to identify that the obvious theme is that love is an emotional attachment between two people that is not forced nor bought. In Act 1 Scene 3 the Nurse is talking to Juliet and Lady Capulet about the emotional connection that she has with Juliet. The Nurse utters, “Thou wast the prettiest babe that e’er I nursed. / An I might live to see thee married once, / I have my wish” (1.3.65-67). She is basically saying that Juliet has been the best baby that she had nursed by a mile. The Nurse also declares that if she is able to see Juliet get married one day, all of her dreams have become a reality. Despite being a servant in Capulet household she regarded Juliet as her own daughter. She wanted Juliet to be happy and always wanted to do whatever it took to make Juliet’s life better. With that being said, the Nurse showed her emotional attachment to Juliet with some strong words. Soon after that encounter, in Act 2 Scene 5 the Nurse once again is speaking to Juliet about her excitement for Juliet’s

wedding day. The nurse says, “I am the drudge and toil in your delight, / But you shall bear the burden soon at night. / Go. I’ll to dinner. Hie you to the cell” (2.5.81-82). The Nurse is saying that she will do the drudge work for her happiness while also reminding Juliet that within a couple of hours she will be doing what a wife does all night long. Due to the fact that the Nurse is willing to do the dirty work for Juliet’s pleasure it really shows the audience the love and affection that she has for Juliet. If a person is not emotionally attached to someone it is very unlikely that the person will do whatever it takes to bring happiness to the other individual. But, since the Nurse loves Juliet like she is her daughter she does all this labor to make Juliet happy and when Juliet is satisfied she is also pleased. It is clear that all three characters endure the theme of Love (which is something that one cannot prevent nor force upon another person) throughout the play, which is why Shakespeare chose to incorporate this idea throughout the story of Romeo and Juliet. Some readers argue that Lust is the clear theme of Romeo and Juliet due to the way Romeo and Juliet describe each others physical beauty and appearance. Those who believe Lust is the central theme often justify their position with Romeo saying to Juliet, “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night” (1.5.59-60). Romeo is questioning whether his heart had ever loved before that moment. He also accuses his eyes for tricking him all along, because he states that he had never seen beauty till that exact moment. Unfortunately for those who believe that the story is about Lust, they are proven to be inaccurate because it is obvious that this play is about Love because there is much more than just physical attraction between characters. Each character has an emotional attachment with another character. For example, Romeo’s love for Juliet is not just a physical attraction. If it were to be a physical attraction he would have moved on from Juliet like he done with Rosaline previously.

In Romeo and Juliet the theme is clear: Love is physical and emotional connection between two people that can lead to unexpected situations. The theme is obvious through many events throughout the play, such as when Romeo is giving a toast to Juliet’s life by committing suicide. Love is also displayed when Juliet compares her relationship with Romeo to the sea, and also when the Nurse displays her affection to Juliet by expressing her excitement about Juliet’s wedding day. Clearly, the theme of Love was portrayed in Romeo and Juliet. If Romeo and Juliet had never met, liked each other, and got married there it is highly likely that most of the characters would have survived.

Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juiliet. Woodbury, New York: Barron’s. 1985. Print....