Romeo and Juliet

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” (Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2). One of the best known lines in “Romeo and Juliet”, a play written by the famous William Shakespeare. One of the most distinct themes in the play, is about the different types of love. There is the puppy love that Romeo has for Rosaline in the beginning of the movie, the friendly love between Juliet and the nurse, and the romantic love seen between Romeo and Juliet. The play simply would not be the same if any of these relationships were to be omitted.

In the first scene, Romeo is crushing over Rosaline. He is convinced he is in love with her, although the love is not returned. “Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit with Cupid's arrow.” (Romeo, Act 1, Scene 1). Cupid is known as the God of love, the symbol of love and romance. Romeo is saying, Rosaline has not felt cupid's dart, the dart that would cause her to return Romeo's love. Therefore, Romeo is depressed over the lack of love felt from Rosaline.

Juliet does not seem to have any friends. The one person she was able to talk to and confide in, was her nurse. “I must another way,
to fetch a ladder, by the which your love
must climb a bird's nest soon when its dark.” (Nurse, Act 2, Scene 5). As seen in this quote, she spends her time teasing Juliet. She is telling Juliet, she might as well go fetch a ladder to make it easier for Romeo to climb up and see her. She uses the term, “climb a bird’s nest” referring to them having sex. For the most part, the Nurse helped and kept quiet about Romeo and Juliet’s romance. That is, until Juliet’s parents were planning an arranged marriage for her.

As a friend, the nurse also offered Juliet some advice, after the arranged marriage was announced. “Romeo is banish'd; 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 gentleman! 
Romeo's 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.” (Nurse, Act 3, Scene 5). The Nurse recommends Juliet forget about Romeo, after all he has been banished from Verona. She advices her to go through with the marriage to Paris. Romeo will have no way of coming back and challenge her marriage to Paris, therefore nobody will ever know Juliet and Romeo had already been married. Although, it is quite apparent Juliet has no intentions of following through with the arranged marriage, as she is head over heals in love with Romeo.

The love between Romeo and Juliet is like no other. “Did my heart love till now? For swear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.” (Romeo, Act 1, Scene 5). Romeo has fallen in love at the first sight of Juliet. Romeo and Juliet share the type of love where nothing can tear them apart. Even though, there is a feud between their families, they will not let that keep them apart. “Love give me strength, and strength shall help afford.” (Juliet Act 4, Scene 1). Love will give Juliet the strength she needs to complete the Friar’s plan to be with Romeo. She was not going to let anything stand in their way of being together.

The Friar gave Juliet a potion to make it appear as though she was dead. She needed to somehow get out of marrying Paris. Romeo never received the Friar’s message, explaining their plan. When he heard of Juliet’s death, he immediately went to her side, where he too took a potion to kill himself. When Juliet awoke and saw that Romeo was dead, she too took her own life.

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” (Prince, Act 5, Scene 3). This quote is spot on. Romeo and Juliet had to go through so much secrecy and pain in order to be together. In the end, they end up both killing themselves, because the thought of living without one another was unimaginable.