Analysis of Romeo and Juliet's Exchange in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

In the early stages of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare conveys love in many different ways. Love is shown as being imperfect, such as bawdy love, unrequited love and fatherly and maternal love, this contrasts greatly to Romeo and Juliet’s pure, perfect and requited love, and makes it seem all the more true before it is shown to be deadly.

Love is an important theme in most of Shakespeare’s play, including in Romeo and Juliet because love is a stronger force than all the animosity and forces of fate in Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s play, Shakespeare explores Romeo’s change in attitude to love between Rosaline and Juliet. In Act 1 Scene 1 Shakespeare introduces us to Romeo’s passionate desire towards Rosaline through the use of oxymoron, monologues and vivid imagery. In contrast, in Act 2 Scene 2, when Romeo is addressing Juliet, his language shifts through the use of light, religious and mythical imagery to reflect his newly found romantic love to Juliet.

The love expressed and communicated between Romeo and Juliet Is passionate, brave, and endearing. According to the play itself, when Juliet is having a word with Romeo, she states “Dost thou love me?... If dost thou love, pronounce it faithfully,” (Pg 17). At this point, early in their forbidden love, they are unsure about whether or not this emotion is authentic. Is their love as undeniable as each of them seem to believe? Soon, on page 16, Romeo says “O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art as glorious to this night, being o’er my head,” (pg 16). Here, Romeo speaks out with his love for Juliet, as he is already head over heels in love with her. During, these scenes, Shakespeare does an impeccable job of illustrating how amid such a brief lifetime, Romeo and Juliet fell for each other like no other, so deeply that they would be willing to die for each other for this passion.

True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice. This is the dominant theme in Shakespeare 's The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, a play is about two rival noble families from Verona, the Capulets and Montagues. Indeed, the two families have such an ongoing hatred for each other that they are constantly feuding violently without end. Having had enough, Prince Escalus, the Prince of Verona, one day decrees the penalty of death to be upon the person who disrupts the peace again. It is against this vicious backdrop that Shakespeare by contrast, accentuates love in Romeo and Juliet. Three different types of love are depicted: the infatuation of Romeo, the son and heir of Montague, with a woman named Rosaline; the arranged love between Juliet, the daughter of Capulet, and Paris, a kinsman of Prince Escalus, whom Juliet’s parents have chosen to be her suitor; and ultimately, the true love between Romeo and Juliet, whose families are each other’s worst and greatest enemies.

In this essay I will be looking at how Shakespeare presents love in Act 2 Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet from lines 18 through to 127. After reading the majority of act 2 scene 2 we are now able to understand and interpret Shakespeare’s language and language devices further. Act 2 Scene two is set in the shadow beneath Juliet’s bedroom window, with Romeo hiding in the darkness. Romeo listens on as Juliet speaks of her love for Romeo to what she thought was the darkness however as we as the audience know Romeo is able to hear everything she is saying. Once Romeo has revealed he is below Juliet in the garden the two begin to exchange expressions of devotion for one another, this is what we will be unravelling in this essay to understand and

Romeo’s series of rapid decisions begins when his love struck character is shown immediately upon meeting Juliet. After attending the Capulet party, Romeo notices Juliet and says, “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night / As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear - / Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear” (Shakespeare 1.5.43-46). Romeo’s reaction demonstrates how he is transfixed on Juliet when he first sets eyes on her. He believes that he never fell in love until this very moment, not knowing his feelings are lustful. This causes him to want to marry her, not taking into account the many consequences that might occur. Furthermore, this act that Romeo does, illustrates how Romeo is a sensitive, easily infatuated character that loves hard. Thinking that Juliet is the one for him, Romeo makes a reckless decision to marry Juliet. He then goes to the Friar

After the ball Romeo climbs up to Juliet’s balcony and sees her talking to herself about him and calling his name. he shows himself to her, this is her second stage of her disobedience, she talks to Romeo again they kiss and exchange quick words, she always keeps an eye out for her parents because if she gets caught talking to Romeo they will neglect her, she knows what she is doing is wrong done to her parents but she thinks this is love so she goes ahead with it. The audience of this time of when the play was written and preformed, would be in great shock, because Juliet has gone against her parents, and not just kissing him but then meeting him on the balcony of her room. The audience would be shocked at a young girl with her status to be doing this.

He spends his time mourning over the “loss” of his true love, Rosaline, miserable that she refuses to accept him. His interactions with Juliet only cause the Montague to continue showering [sappy] compliments upon compliments. Romeo starts, ends, and manages to maintain his lovesick composure for a large portion of the play, spewing words such as “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars” (2.2. 19), and other compliments comparing Juliet’s complexion to light. This bright and fluffy side of Romeo lightens up the impeding doom in the play. When Tybalt strikes down Mercutio, another side of Romeo’s personality is exposed.

I will be focussing on act 5. I think that in Shakespeare's play “Romeo and Juliet” , the characters were irrational and did not think of the consequences of their actions as most characters chose to think with their heart over their heart or passion versus reason. My first quote that I feel proves this is in Act V, Scene 1, Line 24 when Romeo says “Is it even so? Then I defy you stars!” Romeo says this after Balthasar (a servant) proclaims that Juliet has died (when in actuality she is in a deep sleep). Romeo says this to express that he is openly defying the destiny that making his life so miserable. Romeo believes fate (which plays a big role in this play) is trying to separate him from Juliet; his one true love. Romeo tries to oppose

I choose Act 2 Scene 4, when Romeo and the Nurse meet for the first time. I would make it a film and the setting would be in set in Geneva, 1792.

While Romeo fantasizes about how it would be with Juliet, he says, “It is my lady. O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were! She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that?

He tells her, “with love's light wings did I o'er perch these walls”. That being a hyperbole, which he’s used to blazon his own aching love for Juliet. Romeo has been known to mistake the slightest crush for love, so he shouldn’t have gave his feelings away until sure of their true meaning. This being so, Romeo should have waited longer to proclaim his feelings, by not doing so he has pushed the relationship to

Juliet did not make the correct choice in choosing to take the potion the Friar gave her because of her realistic fears and overwhelming desperation. She explains these fears in a soliloquy as she is just about to take the potion that Friar Lawrence has given her and supposedly fall asleep to be revived by her beloved Romeo in order to successfully trick everyone into believing that she is dead. Therefore, escape marriage with Paris. Some of the fears that Juliet considers are very possible. For example, Juliet states towards the beginning of her soliloquy ”What if it be a poison, which the friar / Subtly hath ministered to have me dead, / Lest in this marriage he should be dishonored / Because he married me before to Romeo?” (IV.iii.25-28).

Oscar Wilde, one of the most popular playwrights of the 1890’s, once said, “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.” In Shakespeare’s famous play, Romeo and Juliet, one night at a party Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, meet and fall in love at first sight. They get married in secret by Friar Lawrence, but after the marriage, Romeo is banished for killing Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a potion that will make her look dead as part of a plan to get her out of the city to Romeo, but when Romeo sneaks into the tomb, not knowing the plan, he kills himself because he sees Juliet and thinks she is dead. Juliet awakes and sees Romeo dead, so she stabs herself. Friar Lawrence should have stopped the marriage because it was so rushed. Also, Nurse betrays Juliet when she needs her most. Friar Lawrence and Nurse should both be held accountable for the death of Romeo and Juliet.

It seems like her eyes capture him, “two of the fairest stars in all the heaven”, and as he watches her place a hand upon her cheek, he wishes that he was that glove to touch her cheek, “O that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!” Romeo continues to describe her in a way that shows the strong feeing of love he feels towards her.