What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the Theme of Love Essay Example

What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the Theme of Love? Essay From the beginning of the play, namely the prologue, it is evident that Romeo and Juliet will revolve around two themes: love and tragedy. In Act 1 Scene 1 Romeo says, Heres much to do with hate, but more with love. The chorus also introduces us to the idea of a pair of star crossed lovers taking their life. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to allow his audience to concentrate on the events leading up to the tragedy, rather than the actual tragedy itself. In this case, we are warned of the fearful passage of their death-marked love. This dramatic irony also allows the audience to focus on the other main theme of the play, love, and to contrast very different forms of love with the one main passion, that of Juliet and Romeo. The prologue is written in the form of a sonnet, traditionally a love poem. This serves to create a romantic atmosphere from the opening scene. Thus it is unexpected that the first reference to love in the play is entirely sexual. The first two characters we meet are Sampson and Gregory, two Capulet servants. They are vulgar and crude, making many sexual references and innuendoes. They do not see love as involving emotions or desires, but as a purely physical commodity, sexual not emotional. Sampson tells of how he will rape the maids of the Montague household: Women being the weaker vessels are ever thrust to the wall I will push Montagueà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. Both Sampson and Gregory have petty and narrow perceptions of love. Neither of them appears to have ever experienced true love. They talk in a crude and coarse manner, brag about their own attributes and see women as objects not people. They are shallow and insensitive, reflecting the uncouth people of society. We will write a custom essay sample on What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the Theme of Love? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the Theme of Love? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the Theme of Love? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The next form of love we see is Romeos infatuation for Rosaline. This is completely based around her beauty, as Romeo has no knowledge of her personality. She is rich in beauty He mentions nothing, however, of her character, apart from her disinterest in marriage. Her rejection has caused him much misery, and therefore he sees love as cruel and unkind. Love is a smoke made from the fume of sighs. This metaphor compares love to unpleasant sensations caused by smoke pollution such as suffocation and loss of vision. Romeos language is elaborate and eloquent. However his language does seem a little too elegant, suggesting fabrication. He illustrates what was expected of a pining lover by staying in sycamore groves and shutting himself away from light. This is too melodramatic to appear realistic. Romeos overuse of elaborate metaphors makes his love seem artificial and flustered. Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers eyes, Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers tears. This presents two different sides of love, happiness and misery as a consequence of rejection. He also tries to express these two conflicting states with the use of oxymoron. Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! The second form of infatuation less focused on in Romeo and Juliet is Paris feelings towards Juliet. When he first appears in Act 1 Scene 2, he seems a caring, gentle character, expressing his regret that the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets has lasted so long. Indeed, Montague refers to him as Gentle Paris. When he talks to Juliet in Act 4 Scene 1, he seems still caring and friendly, saying first Pour soul, thy face is much abused with tears, but possesive over Juliet, claiming that by crying she has vandalised his property, Thy face is mine, and thou hast slandered it. He is also very confident that she returns his feelings, although he has had no direct affection from Juliet herself and she is acting coldly towards him. He says,So will ye, I am sure, that you love me. Like Romeo, he behaves in the ways of a mourning lover after Juliets death, laying flowers at her tomb and speaking of his grief poetically: Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew, O woe, thy canopy is dust and stones, Which with sweet water nightly I will dew. Later, he begs for Romeos mercy to lay him with Juliets body in the tomb to die. Another, contrasting form of love, which undergoes many changes throughout the play, is love shown by parents for their children. The Montagues, having a very small part in the play, often talk of their love for their son. Lord Montague expresses his concern at Romeos odd behaviour when he says: Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow We would as willingly give cure as know. At the end of the play, when the bodies of Romeo, Juliet and Paris are found dead, Lord Montague reports that his wife has died because she grieved for Romeos exile. The Montagues show love and protection for their son. The Capulets parental love for Juliet changes many times. At the start of the play, Lord Capulet in particular shows a strong paternal care towards her, considering her feelings about marrying Paris. He speaks of her very highly, Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she, She is the hopeful lady of my earth My will to her consent is but a part However, in Act 3 Scene 4, Lord Capulet does not seem as considerate as before. He tells Paris Sir Paris, I will make a desperate tender Of my childs love. I think she will be ruled In all respects by me; nay more, I doubt it not. Firstly he said that he would consent to the marriage if Juliet did, and in Act 3 Scene 4 he claims she should have no say in the matter, that she will obey him. By Act 3 Scene 5, he shows no consideration of her thoughts whatever, and uses extreme insults against her. We have a curse in having her.He also uses language to attack her looks. As Juliet has not actually done anything drastically wrong, Lord Capulet has nothing to accuse her of, so he insults her image with offensive, violent accusations which do not relate to the cause of his anger, such as You green-sickness carrion, out you baggage, You tallow face Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch. His feelings for Juliet change again, after he thinks she is dead. His language contains much repetition. He has two short speeches in which he lists many words relating to death and hate and repeats the words murder and child, showing his disbelief and distress at such a young death. Despised, distressed, hated, martyred, killed To murder, murder our solemnity? O child! O child! My soul and not my child. Dead art thou, alack my child is dead. Accursed, unhappy, wretched, hateful day. Lady Capulet is a lot colder towards Juliet. She does not seem to have much part in Juliets life, apart from in Act 4 Scene 5 when she sees Juliet dead. She cries O me, O me, my child, my only life. Revive, look up, or I will die with thee This contrasts completely with her attitudes towards Juliet in the rest of the play. After the argument between Juliet and her parents about marriage to Paris, Lady Capulet does not express much anger or disappointment, but dismissal and disconcern, which I think is even colder than Lord Capulets hurtful insults. Talk not to me, for Ill not speak a word, Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee. Lady Capulet and Juliet talk to each other very formally, Juliet addressing her mother as Madam, whereas she addresses her father as Good father. Lady Capulet thinks of love as marriage a social accessory. She therefore thinks Paris is an ideal match for her daughter as he is rich, popular and has a high place in society. It is this type of quality that she values in her lovers. Like the nurse, she thinks it is highly important that marriage improves social status and probably does not actually love her husband. She does want Juliet to be happy, but believes that having a wealthy husband is the only way to do this. She is quite shallow and does not see behind social lines, believing that image given to outsiders is more important that comfort. The Nurse sees love as an importance that defines ones future happiness and social status, somewhat like Lady Capulets views. However, like Mercutio, the Nurse refers often to sex. She plays with the phrase, women grow by men, taking it in two meanings, that women grow by means of social status, a woman becomes more honourable once she is married, and women physically growing, in pregnancy. The nurses character is one of the humorous aspects of the play. Shakespeare uses this humour to lift the ominous atmosphere. The nurses character, and especially Mercutios character, uses crudeness in their jokes. I am the drudge, and toil in your delight/ but you shall bear the burden soon at night. This refers to the consummation of Romeo and Juliets marriage. The crude parts of the play would have appealed to the lower class and less cultured members of the elizabethan audience. An crucial character in Romeo and Juliet who provides a humourous but crude attitude to love is Mercutio. His humour is mostly crude and insulting. He makes jokes at the expense of Romeo, the nurse, and Tybalt, which proves fatal. He sees love as an excuse for acceptable sexual activity. In many of his scenes he makes frequent sexual references, for example in Act 2 Scene 1. Mercutio is calling out to an imaginary Romeo (thinking Romeo is at home), using language that would infuriate him. He pretends to conjure up Romeo as if he were a spirit, by talking in a sexual manner about Rosalines features. The ape is dead, and I must conjure him. I conjure thee by Rosalines bright eyes, By her high forehead and her scarlet lip, By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh, And the demesnes that there adjacent lie. Mercutio is also openly crude about the Nurse. When she asks to speak with Romeo alone, he cries A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! So ho! Accusing her of being a brothel keeper and wanting to be alone with Romeo for this reason, when in fact she has come to arrange the marriage between Romeo and Juliet. She later speaks of Mercutio with I pray you sir, what saucy merchant was this that Was so full of his ropery? Expressing her thoughts that Mercutio was rude and impertinent. The main focus of the play is the love shared by Romeo and Juliet. It is very different from the other attitudes to love shown in Romeo and Juliet, as it is the most valuable, and most real. Romeo shows us that he would do almost anything for Juliet, even hating his name because It is an enemy to thee (Juliet). Aftre spending the evening at the party and a very brief amount of time with Juliet, he has decided he would rather be dead than without her. My life were better ended by thy hate, Than prorogued, wanting of thy love. His love for Juliet makes him ecstatic, in total contrast with his supposed love for Rosaline, which made him drained and miserable. Heaven, light, falconry and religion are some of the images used to show their love is eternal. Romeo mentions flight often, With heavens wings did I eer approach these walls, and when he speaks of falconry. This gives the impression that Romeo and Juliets love has no boundaries, and no limits. Like birds, they have few restrictions. In Act 1 Scene 5, when Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulets party, they first converse through a sonnet, which shows their immediate love for each other: Romeo: If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this, My lips two blushing pilgrims ready stand, To smooth that rough touch with a tendre kiss Juliet: Good pilgrim you do wrong your hands too much Which mannerly devotion shows in this For saints have hands which pilgrims hands do touch And palm to palm is holy palmers kiss. In the balcony scene, Act 2 Scene 2, a large amount of imagery is used to make the love between Romeo and Juliet seem heavenly, and not down to earth, as are many other characters and their perceptions of love. Juliet compares Romeo with a hawk, suggesting that Romeo has fallen instantly in love with her, the same way that a hawk springs upon its prey, and that she cannot escape his love, just as the prey of a hawk cannot escape its talons. O for a falconers voice To lure this tassel gentle back again. Both Romeo and Juliet refer to Gods and heaven many times in their love speeches. In Romeos soliloquy, he talks of Juliet using heavenly language, showing that he thinks of her as godly. What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is hte sun. Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon. Juliet also used godly vocabulary to describe Romeo, The God of my idoltry. Juliet mentions speed and vows regularly, as she is the most practical of the lovers. This is a constant reminder of how quickly everything is happenning. Although I joy in thee I have no joy of this contract tonight. It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden. She is aware of the dangers of Romeo being a Montague, and does not want to rush into anything. Romeo and Juliet both tend to share the same imagery when they talk together, suggesting that they are well connected, sharing even their choice of language. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses imagery to show his views on the different types of love. His choice of characters reflect the different types of people of everyday human life, and most people of the Elizabethan audiences, of various classes, could probably have related to one of them. With Mercutio, he uses sexual, crude and imaginative imagery to show his charcters perceptions of love. With Lady Capulet, he emphasises marriage and status in society, showing how she loves her reputation more than she loves her own daughter, and with Romeo and Juliet, he uses imagery of heaven, showing that the two are lucky to experience this sort of love, and that it is rare. He brings humour into the play with the characters of the Nurse and Mercutio, and the joking seems to diminish after Mercutios death, the turning point in the play. The contrast between Romeo and Juliets love, and the other types of love evident in the play, is used to emphasise the strength of Romeo and Juliets love for each other. For example, Romeos infatuation with Rosaline causes him to shut light out of his bedroom, and pine under sycamore groves. His ornate, and over elaborate language is excessive, and his overuse of oxymoron and metaphor shows that Romeos love for Rosaline is not genuine. This contrasts with his love for Juliet, in which Romeos language is ornate but not excessive. It is decorative, romantic and genuine. He believes what he says. Scenes in which Mercutio or the Nurse express their sex based attitudes to love are either before or after a scene in which Romeo and Juliet share special love. Shakespeare uses these contrasting attitudes to love to remind us of how special, heavenly and romantic the love shared between Romeo and Juliet is.