Theme Analysis Essay
Romeo and Juliet is a classic play by William Shakespeare about a pair of star-crossed lovers whose passion eventually drives them to their unfortunate deaths. Since the theme in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is Love as a Cause of Violence, it is easy to see why Shakespeare uses that thematic focus to show how Romeo and Juliet’s love for one another affected the outcome of their relationship. Most of the time, being in love makes people very over dramatic. When they lose someone they love, certain people tend to think that their lives are over and they can’t go on. This happens a lot in Romeo and Juliet. For example, when Romeo is exiled from Verona, he overreacts completely and goes to complain to the Friar. He says that being banished is just saying death by another name. He whines and utters that he would rather die than be away from his dear Juliet. Also, after Romeo is rejected by his first love Rosaline, he thinks that there is no one else in the world that can ever compare to her, even though he falls in love with Juliet shortly after. Another example of this over dramatic behavior was when Juliet heard news of Romeo’s banishment. She considered Romeo’s banishment even worse than her own cousin’s death! Over dramatic behavior is just one of the things that makes love turn into violence. This play also demonstrates the effect love can have on decision making. Love can be very blinding especially in Romeo and Juliet’s case. They both made many rash and dangerous choices because their love clouded their ability to think wisely. An example of one of these rash, terrible decisions was when Romeo bought the poison from a pharmacist/apothecary. He should have considered all of his options before immediately jumping to the conclusion that he had to kill himself. This theme also came up when Juliet stated, “I long to die if what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.” (Shakespeare, Act IIII Scene I) She