Theme Of Lust In Romeo And Juliet

Across the Capulet’s ballroom, a girl with the name Juliet catches the eye of a boy named Romeo. Little do both Romeo and Juliet know that the relationship of what they thought was love would cost them their lives because of lust. Romeo and Juliet were said to have fallen in love at first sight, but as the story proceeds it spirals downwards into a pit of lust. In reality they were just looking to fill a missing part of their own broken heart. Love is where a person will take a bullet for one, where someone would jump in front of a train or even in the most extreme case, lay down their life for someone who means the world to them. However, lust is the exact opposite of love. Lust is just for looks and the pleasure of the eyes and flesh. It is selfish and only focuses on the benefits someone might receive from their so called significant other. Romeo and Juliet's fast paced relationship was not based on a strong
foundation of love, but rather built off the unstable foundation of lust.
Romeo Montague, a young heartbroken teenager who was managing to get over the love of his life, recently discovered a new outlook on life. Not knowing what he is about to get into, Romeo makes an impulsive decision unknown to his knowledge at this time. He chooses lust instead of love. Romeo goes to a party to fill an empty space in his broken heart. He soon sees Juliet Capulet in his eyes the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, but in his family's eyes she is frowned upon. An ancient grudge held between these two families has restricted all contact with one another. Later Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence and tells him all the drastic events that had happened that night with Juliet. Friar Lawrence replies with, “Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” (Shakespeare 2.3.103). Friar Lawrence is wise in his words toward Romeo and Juliet. He confronts Romeo telling him that he just loved Rosaline his past lover, and now all of a sudden he loves Juliet, a girl he had not even known for a whole day. Then he clearly tells Romeo that he does not love Juliet for her personality or character because he doesn't know anything about her, but instead he loves her for her looks. When Romeo heard this he did not agree with Friar Lawrence. This is an example of a careless attitude towards true love and instead of looking forward to see the consequences of the fast paced relationship he was in. There is a saying that goes “It's beauty that captures your attention, personality which captures your heart”(Gilson). The outside can appear to be beautiful, but on the inside it could be completely different and filled with unexpected twists and turns. The audience sees multiple times when Romeo is looking at the outside appearance of Juliet rather than her inside character. After an exaggerated fit Romeo throws about having to attend the party hosted by the the frowned-upon Capulets, he goes to the event. The minute he steps into the great ballroom filled with his family’s enemies he spots Juliet. He quietly says to himself, “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night” (Shakespeare 1.5.65). Romeo is talking about Juliet's appearance instead of getting to know her first. Romeo makes his way over to her and immediately asks her to kiss him. Juliet plays along with it, without having any clue of who he is or what he could do to her future. Romeo realizes this and takes advantage of Juliet, still not knowing anything about her or what she is like inside. This bold action shows that Romeo was most likely trying to take advantage of Juliet to fill the void in his heart from his past lover, Rosaline. He had not gotten to know her yet, so it could not have been true love. The inside character speaks louder than the outside appearance, but not always at first.
A relationship that is not strong and stable can turn into a hurricane of disaster quickly.
Romeo and Juliet's relationship may have seemed like a dream at the beginning, but Friar Lawrence had warned them countless times that it can quickly turn into a nightmare. He says to Romeo and Juliet in a cautious way, “These violent delights have violent ends” (Shakespeare 2.6.133). Friar Lawrence is telling Romeo and Juliet that it might be just passionate. He tells them their relationship may seem amazing, but he is giving caution saying that the passionate love Juliet feels will soon burn into flames with a bad ending. At the end of the novel, the consequence of not listening is evident. Romeo and Juliet both took their lives and caused heartbreak for their families. They became selfish showing the real side of their relationship which was lust, and once it pierced through the outside appearance it would not just wipe away easily. Romeo and Juliet should have listened carefully to what Friar Lawrence’s counsel because it a foreshadowing that became
true.
The core of Romeo and Juliet's relationship was simply lust that initially may have been coated with what seemed like love. The tragic ending showed that it was anything but love. Romeo started off heartbroken, and in a few days he had fallen for a totally different girl. Their relationship was rapid and could not be stopped for anything, due to selfish desires. When someone wiser than them told Romeo and Juliet to be cautious, they ignored it and later paid the consequences. Death because of lust became of them while true love could have still be waiting for them if they had acted with caution and wisdom.