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Romeo And Juliet Sacrifice

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The ability to maintain the purity of love is a difficult idea when addressed through the love of allies, family, or lovers. No other work of William Shakespeare more accurately conveys this concept than Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy with numerous types of love and examples of impurities. Through the love of family and the love of allies, the reader sees how love is not respected in its own purity; instead, it is mixed with selfish purposes, thereby creating conflict. Although Romeo and Juliet manage to isolate their romantic love from their environment, they are ultimately unable to overcome its corruption.
Shakespeare illustrates how love can become impure through the love of allies. Through their relationships with the young lovers, both the …show more content…

Lord Capulet consistently uses his familial love for Juliet to sate his hunger for power. This selfish use of love is apparent in his first conversation with Paris, who asks for the girl’s hand in marriage: “She is the hopeful lady of my earth./But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart;/My will to her consent is but a part.” (I, ii, 15-17). Here, Shakespeare establishes how Capulet’s inclination for competition, as well as his hunger for power, interferes with his ability to purely love and care for his daughter. Capulet may be defending Juliet’s right to a romantic marriage, but the phrase “hopeful lady of my earth” suggests matters of the Capulet inheritance, as “my earth” implies that she is his property. Despite his political and monetary goals, Capulet’s love for Juliet is apparent; his use of the words “woo” and “heart” suggest that he desires romance and happiness in marriage for his daughter. In contrast though, he asks Paris to “get” her heart, an unromantic and greedy word. Capulet’s word choice, therefore, reveals the tension between business and love throughout their conversation. Unfortunately, this tension becomes palpable through Capulet’s eruption at Juliet’s refusal to marry Paris: “Having now provided/A gentleman of noble parentage,/of fair demesnes,…./And then to have a wretched pulling fool…/to answer “I’ll not wed, I cannot love,” (III, v, 188-195). Here, …show more content…

Juliet, the more capable of the two lovers, is no stranger to impure love; she has experienced it with her father, the Friar, and the Nurse. The young Capulet girl knows that love cannot survive when invaded by outside influences. Juliet’s desire to keep her love with Romeo pure is apparent in her pleads to the Montague: “Romeo, doff thy name;/And for thy name, which is no part of thee,/ take all myself.” (II, ii, 48-50). Juliet knows that Romeo’s name “is no part of thee” and that he is not defined by his allegiance with the Montagues; however, for their true love to survive, the two teenagers must rid themselves of the impure influences on their relationship; specifically, their families’ feud. By saying, “take all myself,” Juliet establishes to Romeo that she cannot fully commit herself to their love until it has been wiped of the corruption of their families—but she is prepared to give Romeo everything once the love is pure. Another example of Juliet’s efforts to isolate their relationship from lecherous influences appears subsequently in the conversation, when she states: “Do not swear at all;/Or if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self.” (II, ii, 116). Here, we see how Juliet’s efforts to keep their relationship pure have increased. By saying “Do

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