I consider myself a hopeless romantic. I have hopes and dreams of finding my true love. Although I would like for my true love to say he would die for me and would never want to live without me, and me the same for him, I know realistically that this would never be. There is no better example of this love than in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
In this tale, their love was true and they did give up their lives tragically, so as not to be without each other. In this play there are also forms of love between friends, and love for enemies, and I will explore all three. Two households both alike in dignity From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From froth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, Whose misadventure piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark love And the continuance of their parents rage, Which, but their childrens end, nought could remove, The which, if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. First, love for friends was, and is a necessity for the characters.
Romeo was in love with Rosaline, a girl who didnt feel love the same way he did. Consequently, Romeo was distraught over his love and felt that no woman could be as fair as Rosaline. For beauty stared with her severity cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair, to merit bliss by making me despair. She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow do I live dead, that live to tell it now. (I, I, 217-222).
Romeos friend, Benvolio, encouraged him to go to the Capulets feast and predicted that he would find other girls more attractive than the fai Rosaline. At this same ancient feast of Capulets sups the fair Rosaline, whom thou so loves, with all the admired beauties of Verona. Go thither and with unattained eye compare her face with some that I shall show and I will make thee think the swan a crow. (I, II, 84-89).
Later, when violence was prevalent, Benvolio watched out for his friends and family by encouraging peace. I pray thee good Mercutio, lets retire; the day is hot, the Cables are abroad, and if we meet we shall not scape a brawl, (III, I, 1-3).
The nurse is Juliets best friend, or more appropriately as Juliets foster mother. Unlike Juliets own mother, Lady Capulet, the nurse cares for Juliet, knows when she was born, and holds fond memories of her childhood. The nurse aided Romeo and Juliet with their plans for marriage by acting as a messenger between them.
After the slaying of Tybalt, the nurse gives Romeo the ring of he and Juliets marriage, signifying Juliets love for him. The love of friends was imperative for these two lovers. The next is the love for enemies. The hatred between the house of the Capulets and the house of the Montague’s is the driving force between Romeo and Juliet. The two families would never have approved of the relationship for these two young lovers. In act I, scene V, the fact that Romeo and his friends were uninvited, but still attended the Capulets feast, added to Tybalt anger.
Tis he, that villain Romeo… It fits when such a villain is a guest: Ill not endure him. (I, V, 63, 74-75).
This constant anger and hatred between the two families lead to the destined, however accidental, killing of Mercutio by Tybalt. Mercutio, in his last minutes, realizes the errors of their families fades, A plague O both your houses, they have made worms of me. I have it, and you soundly too.
Your houses! (III, I, 108-110).
In a fit of hatred and rage, Romeo took revenge on Tybalt. This revenge caused Romeo to be banished from Verona and separated from his only true love, Juliet. Lastly, however, most importantly, is the love between lovers. Romeo and Juliet were victims of cupids arrow. Through assailing eyes their love was bound, and then sealed with a kiss.
Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purge… Sin from lips O trespass sweetly urged. Give me my sin again. (I, V, 106, 108-109) Ironically, at the feast of the Capulets, where Juliet was to meet her intended husband, Paris, she meets her future husband, Romeo. Their unfortunate fate is that they have fallen in love with the enemy.
Knowing this fate of loving the enemy would cause much sorrow between their families, being without each other was more pain than they could take. My only love sprung from my only hate. Too early seen unknown, and known too late. Prodigious birth of love to me that I must love a loathed enemy. (I, V, 137 – 140) In an act of impulse and love, Romeo and Juliet were secretly married by Friar Laurence. This marriage is quickly discolored by the killing of Tybalt, and Romeo is soon banished from Verona.
In their last night together, Romeo and Juliet make love for the first and only time. Their final moment together is ended with the sun, morning, and fear of loosing each other. Yond light is not daylight, I know it, I. It is some meteor that the sun exhales to be to thee this night a torchbearer and light thee on thy way to Mantua. Therefore stay yet: thou needs not to be gone They both knew that staying would mean death. Their is irony spoken in their last words to one another, they both have seen each others death…
O God, I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, as one dead in the bottom of the tomb. Either my eyesight fails, or thou looks pale… And trust me, love, in my eye so do you. Dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu, adieu. (III, V, 54 – 59) In the mids of her pain for loosing Romeo, her mother comes to tell her the news that her father has set the marriage for her to marry Paris on Thursday.
In desperation she calls to Friar Laurence to help her in this desperate situation. He devises the plan for her to drink a potion that will make her appear dead, but will awaken later in the arms of her true love Romeo. Romeo never received the letter from Friar Laurence, telling him of their plan for them to be together, so when he hears of Juliets death, he returns to Verona to find her. There she lay in her tomb, cold and dead to Romeo. In his pain and sorrow for loosing his love, he drinks a poison that will reunite him and his lover forever. Juliet awakens, looking for her true love only to find him lying dead at her bosom.
Juliet stabs herself, O happy dagger. This is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die. (V, III, 167 – 168).
Suicide was the only way Romeo and Juliet could be together eternally. A glomming peace this morning with it brings: The sun for sorrow will not show his head.
Go hence to have more talk of these sad things. Some shall be pardon d, and some punished, For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.