Romeo And Juliet: A Biblical Definition Of Love

Among the multitudinous biblical references to love, the most comprehensive and decisive assessment of true love comes in St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. He begins by stating that despite all of his faith and gifts from God, "if I have no love, I am nothing." (I Cor. 13:2) Clearly, Paul recognizes the importance of love. He goes on to define love in very explicit terms, telling both what love is and what it is not. Paul begins, "Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs." (I Cor. 13:4-5) The Apostle continues with the declaration that "love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth." (I Cor. 13:6) Recall here the biblical prohibition of cross-dressing (Deut. 22:5) and lying (Deut. 5:20) Disguise and deceit are far from the truth that makes love happy. The exhortation continues:

Loyal, Lasting Love For centuries, both William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and the New Testament’s 1 Corinthians 13 have been considered some of the great works of literature on the subject of love. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare tells the greatest love story of all time consistent with St. Paul’s description of true love in 1 Corinthians 13. Romeo, the heartbroken Montague, and Juliet, the innocent thirteen year-old daughter of the rival Capulet family, truly experience love at first sight when they meet at her family’s ball. As they fall in love with each other, they quickly realize there are many obstacles to overcome for their relationship to work.

Love is something everyone feels, and is different for everyone. It can make people do things that they could never see themselves doing. It impacts everyone in their day to day lives. In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, love is shown in a variety of ways and can make people do crazy things. Love can be friendly, forced, or romantic.

Love is considered one of the purest yet most complicated feelings in the world. There are different types of love, friendship love, romantic love, even sexual love. We humans have evolved over time, but the concept of love has not evolved with us. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare about two young passionate lovers whose deaths unite their feuding families. Although no single character deserves all of the blame for the tragic ending in the play, Friar Lawrence can be considered partially responsible because of his decision of immediately agreeing to marry Romeo and Juliet, trusting a 14-year old with a highly dangerous potion,

Love may be perpetual, and love may be temporary. It may be rewarding, and it may be deadly. Love may be predetermined, and love may be forbidden. Love is a complicated matter, where one must execute each detail to perfection; when the least bit flawed, it spirals towards unfortunate situations. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, he uses hyperboles to establish the idea of forbidden love.

One of the overarching themes that spanned over the many books we read over the semester, was the nature of love and the search for meaning. Love is an inherent aspect of humanity, and while it is an often inexplicable and complex sentiment, it is intrinsically connected with mankind's search for meaning in life. Love often leads a person in directions that they do not expect, and this is obvious in the very different applications of love in different books. However, one common idea about the relationship between love, suffering, and wisdom, can be argued for based off the ancient texts that we read. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Antigone, and The Tale of Genji, love is used as a vehicle for wisdom through suffering and loss.

Love is defined as the intense feeling of deep affection. In the play, Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, the attraction between the two protagonists, Romeo and Juliet, does not factually classify as true love. Meanwhile, lust is a concept in which is commonly mistaken for love, which is very apparent throughout this classic “love story” of Romeo and Juliet. While others could debate that Romeo and Juliet’s love, was love at first sight, it is debateable that their feelings towards one another were pure lust. Romeo and Juliet are too immature to fully understand the concept of love as they are too young and hormone-driven, they were both in search for escapism from their present troubles, and they had an excessive amount of

Love is an overpowering force that dominates and influences the thoughts and actions of many individuals. Some make good decisions, while others make poor decisions due to love. These choices are made because of several types of love: romantic love, platonic love, and familial love. William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet showcases all the categories of love. In the play, many characters make hasty decisions as they are caught in the storm of Romeo and Juliet’s love lives.

Siegel examines this and says “Love is an all-powerful god, that he exercises his dominion particularly over the young, that his rule is a law of nature- are used to justify and exalt passionate love, and how at the same times orthodox Christian ethics are used to condemn it” (Siegel 3). The idea that Christian ethics are used to condemn the young love of Romeo and Juliet shows how Romeo's disobeying of Christian beliefs through idolatry causes the ultimate doom of him and Juliet. The portrayal of love in Romeo and Juliet serves as a challenge to Christian beliefs. The Christian idea of selfless and patient love is not shown through Romeo and Juliet as their relationship is based on physical attraction and desires. Romeo strives for Juliet especially when he says, “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls,/for stony limits cannot hold out love,/And what love can do, that dares love attempt./

Love is defined and expressed in many ways. The word love is used in our culture to express many different types of emotional connections. According to Roman Kiznaric, the ancient Greeks used six different words to define love. There was a different word for each of the following types of relationships: sexually passionate, deep friendship, playful with friends or new romantic interests, love for mankind, long relationships, and of the self (Kiznaric).

We cannot love God as we ought. Finally to dwell with the Father as his child is to love the Father with all of our hearts, and to have his love dwelling in us. We must ask God to help us realize the expanse of our Father's love, for it is great. We must call out in sincerity and dependence, "Abba, Father." Chapter 7: "The All-Comprehensive Gift" Text: Luke 11:13

Love is seemingly the only pure emotion a person can feel, but the idea of it is far too appealing to the human mind, thus the word is thrown around with so little meaning. What meaning does it truly hold anymore? A “love” can arise within minutes and thrown away in even less. Then one is left questioning whether it was truly love or simply a fling. It seems impossible to escape the allure of “love,” yet with so many claiming to be in love only to be left, it is extremely necessary.

In life, one of the most baffling motifs that presents itself is the feeling of love. Whether you take it when you have it or be scared and back away is up to you. However, when you decide to take it and embrace it freely, this is when is when people finally decide to open up and be their true self. In the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, the author portrays a contrasting theme between how life and death relates with how dramatic their love can be.

Love is taken in many directions in the New Testament and Old Testament. The way God and Jesus Christ present this emotion throughout the bible, shows a better understanding of unconditional love to others. Love is one of the characteristics of God and an important part of His nature. Therefore, I will bring forth explanation of how well the word “Love” is used from translation to translation. My research will be coming out of the New Testament and Old Testament, even though there are many other books I could talk about for the word love.

An emotional myth? A rollercoaster of fleeting affection used to describe a moment of sensual self-esteem? What is this blindly used word, love; what does it mean? The Bible has a contrasting definition of love.