“Take away love, and our earth is a tomb”, a popular quote from an English poet and playwright Robert Browning, that best describes the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet felt that they should be together and they did not care what it took. They were willing to give even their lives. Their love ended in death. The play Romeo and Juliet showed that the ruling passion of true love surpasses the three other kinds of love shown in the play; physical, courtly and family love.
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart”, a quote by Helen Keller, stating that the things you see and touch aren’t the most beautiful things until you love them with all your heart. When Romeo first fell in love with Rosaline, even with Juliet, he only sees them as being the most beautiful girl in his eyes. At first, Romeo thought that Rosaline was the most beautiful girl in Verona that he has ever seen, so he was deeply in love with her even though she doesn’t love him back, but this eventually vanishes after she sees Juliet. Romeo says, “Did my heart love ‘till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night,” (1.5.52-53) it was really ironic since he said on the first part of the play that he is also in love with Rosaline. This proves that physical will not last because there will always be a girl who is more beautiful than the other. True love based on physical appearance without a deeper understanding doesn’t exist. Physical love is best shown by the character Mercutio, his view of love is very coarse and bawdy. He only thinks of woman in sexual way. Examples are when he said, "O Romeo, that she were, O that she were An open-arse, thou a poperin pear!" (2.1.37-38), referring to a man’s (Romeo’s) private part, and “I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes, By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh, And the demesnes that there adjacent lie, That in thy likeness thou appear to us!” (2.1.17-21) he only thinks about love as intercourse between two people without emotion.
Paris’ courtly love for Juliet comes not from his heart but from what she is, the daughter of old Capulet, and head of the house of Capulet. Paris was only in love with Juliet’s name and title. This kind of love is a common spark in arranged marriages. During those times, arranged marriages were normally practiced among families of higher classes, so Shakespeare was trying to show that true love can transcend traditionally accepted practices of showing love.
Family love is so evident during the time of the novels writing that Shakespeare wanted to explore its limits and show its flaws. Romeo a Montague and Juliet a Capulet are from feuding families, but it didn’t stop them from loving each other. They get married without their parents’ permission and disobeyed their parent’s rules. When Lady Montague suffers deeply and dies due to being separated from her son it showed that she really loves his son. Capulet parents, Montague parents, and even the nurse show that they love either Romeo or Juliet in different ways. Friar Laurence showed deep concern for Romeo. He believes in paternal love. He showed care for Romeo when he says “That’s my good son…” (2.3.47), he loves Romeo as a son but this love of family is sacrificed when Romeo and Juliet fell in love for each other.
Romeo and Juliet were victims of unkind fate, they happen to be in the centre of ill fateful events.
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