The power of love in Romeo and Juliet
| Subject: | 📚 Literature |
| Type: | Analytical Essay |
| Pages: | 4 |
| Word count: | 977 |
| Topics: | 📗 Romeo and Juliet, 📗 Book, 🧔 William Shakespeare |
essay ASAP?
Table of Contents
Introduction
In the play “Romeo and Juliet,” William Shakespeare expresses that love is a strong feeling that can persuade a person into performing acts they would not do otherwise. Love goes well beyond the physical attraction between two lovers and holds enough power to affect the love between parents and children. Such power can create eternal love and long-lasting hatred between two respected families. Moreover, the author wants his audience to notice how love pushes people to obey those around them.
How Juliet chooses obedience instead of rebelling for her love
A great example of obeying her parents’ wishes is Juliet. The young woman complies immensely with her parents’ perception of her future. This trait could easily influence her to overlook the decision to marry Romeo and instead walk down the aisle to marry Paris, just like the Capulets wanted. Therefore, she never talks back to her parents, openly disobeys them, or calls them out for being entitled. Once Juliet’s mother starts discussing the wedding idea, the heroine gives a submissive response: “I’ll look to like if looking liking move; But no more deep will I endart mine eye Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.”
Most of Juliet’s responses grant her parents full power to decide her future. Therefore, when Lady Capulet assures Paris about Juliet’s readiness to be wed, Juliet has no choice of escaping this, as she wasn’t the one making this life-changing decision.
The Capulets deem Paris as a great suitor for their daughter. He is a friend of Juliet’s father, a relative of the Prince, and a respected person in Verona. The girl’s father forces her to wed Paris by saying: “But, and you will not wed, I’ll pardon you! Graze where you will, you shall, you shall not house with me”, leaving Juliet no choice but to marry Paris.
Even though the girl has no desire to marry Paris, she has no choice but to obey her parents. Her heart and mind convince her that being disowned by her family is worse than being left abandoned by her husband, Romeo. So, as the girl is afraid of her parents’ anger, she is submissive to their wishes.
How Romeo is captive by his heart and emotions
While Juliet’s actions are predecided for her, Romeo is completely controlled by the romantic sides of his heart, mind, and desires, which turn him into an emotionally unstable individual, completely existing on pure emotion. Throughout the story, he chases skirts and falls head over heels for every beautiful girl on his way. Every time he gets his eyes on some girl, he explores his romantic side and the inevitable suffering love brings into his life. At the story’s beginning, Romeo is deeply in love with Rosaline despite knowing that the girl has no real interest in what the character has to offer. Yet, as Romeo and Benvolio arrive at Capulet’s party, his eyes wander until landing on a different young lady. The force of love in this classic tragedy flips Romeo’s heart from fixating on one lady to completely forgetting about her existence.
At this point, Romeo has an obsessive fixation on Juliet, as though everything on the planet had stopped existing around him, and he has to amorph into this fairy tale of being with her. Romeo would be a tragedy in his own hands without attention because he quickly becomes disappointed in himself.
Romeo easily becomes a man of heart and nothing else. Despite obstacles, he only wants to win affection from a girl of his heart. Disregarding the future outcomes, Romeo is not thinking straight; thus, he doesn’t make wise adult decisions. Overall, the character lacks stability and is a slave to his emotions.
Love is a strong matter that can deepen the hatred between the two families. With love controlling all of the young Romeo’s actions, he becomes an emotionally unstable character. At some point, Romeo enunciates his love for his new cousin Tybalt by saying: “But love thee better than thou canst devise, Till thou shalt know the reason of my love”). Almost immediately, Romeo notices the growing rivalry between his house and the Capulet family. When Tybalt murders Mercutio, Romeo’s heart changes direction, filled with more hatred for the man than ever before. Romeo realizes that his family is more important than winning the sympathy of the man who hates his guts. The tension fueled by love grows deep inside Romeo’s soul. Tybalt killing Romeo’s best friend turns the main character obsessed with revenge. When Tybalt turns to Romeo after killing Mercutio, Romeo can not condemn his rage and yells: “Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again. That late thou gayest me; for Mercutio’s soul.” Confused and heartbroken, possessed by emotion, Romeo kills Tybalt because power of adoration that prevails in the protagonist’s heart. Feeling as if he failed, a boy has no other choice but to escape far away from peaceful Verona.
Conclusion
Throughout the iconic play, love is used as a driving force between individuals that explains all of their decisions, good or bad. This type of authority can go above and beyond all of the regular bonds between individuals and can control a human’s mind, body, and well-being. It will persuade young men to make absurd choices that they would be able to justify. The power of love can also be a tool to change one’s way of thinking, influence their priorities and test one’s life philosophy. By following the vision of someone of higher authority, one’s opinions and views can easily change. Shakespeare illustrates these phenomenons to his readers through the life stories of different characters met through the tragedy that is the love story of young Romeo and Juliet. In conclusion, the genius playwright persuades us that love can push people to obey those around them to get a chance at being happy.
- Shakespeare, W. (1993). Romeo and Juliet. Dover Publications.
Offered for reference purposes only.