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Examples Of Distorted Love In Romeo And Juliet

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The Tragedy of Distorted Love From birth, man is taught to strictly adhere to the ethical, philosophical, and institutional criteria set forth by society. Although susceptible to change over extended periods of time, immediate and permanent change to society’s principles comes with fierce opposition and resistance. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the medieval community in Verona forbids the romance between two lovers, solely for its disparity from the expected nature of sexual relationships. Shakespeare suggests that a rigid alignment to societal expectations can distort one’s perception of love. The overuse of radical stereotyping: developed, encouraged and adjusted by society, can also encourage people to fashion their actions and …show more content…

Mercutio imparts a painful connotation with his ‘pricking’ suggesting that men indulge in love, simply for it sexual gratification. ‘Beating’ may even be taken literally to denote domestic abuse, connecting back to the sexually disturbing opening scene of the play, particularly certain remarks such as “They must take [in] what sense that feel it,” (1.1.28) (translates to - the women must be the ones who feel what I do to them). Mercutio perfects his jest with the sexual scorn on intercourse, representing the selection of a woman to empty his passions into. Similarly, Juliet, aiming to please her mother, describes the game-like formation of the idyllic doting: “I’ll look to like, if looking …show more content…

He references such examples to the point of overuse, immediately forming a link of matrimonial expectations, and its skewed perceptions among the Veronan families, which became a major factor in the development of the disaster central to the play. At the Capulet party, as Juliet asks for Romeo’s identity, she declares, “My grave is like to be my wedding bed,” (1.5.149) comparing burial rites to the sacrament of matrimony. Juliet challenges the ritualistic and meaningless constraints placed on the shoulders of young lovers in the 13th century society, lamenting over the necessary changes for matrimonial processes. Shakespeare takes this idea beyond the confines of the Capulet hall, suggesting that societal restrictions transform romantic relationships to resemble something as solemn and antithetical as death, challenging the reality of amorous relationships in this time period. He envisions Capulet as the epitome of this immensely exaggerated canonical guidelines; the perfect character to effectively illustrate the concerning atmosphere of this time period. He rants on “God’s bread!” fuming that “It makes me mad,” (3.5.187). Although ‘God’s bread’ literally refers to Communion, it further references marriage in this context, with ‘bread’ denoting a product, giving marriage an artificial tone and signifying that marriage is so limited - barred behind

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