In 1940, an English nurse meets a German soldier. There is an immediate attraction between them despite their allegiance to their respective countries. The Soldier goes back to his barracks that night and decides that he cannot live without the nurse so the next day he decides to ask her to run away with him. As they are escaping the soldier is caught by his superiors. Still hiding in the woods, the nurse watches as her lover is executed. In response, she pulls out her pistol and pulls the trigger. Their impetuousness is what ultimately led to their demise. The story of the nurse and the soldier are akin to Romeo and Juliet as they both think their love is worth dying for despite only knowing each other for a short time. “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare explores love and infatuation between two young lovers. Romeo and Juliet do not have true love because their youth fooled them into mistaking infatuation for love. …show more content…
Just days before he was married to Juliet, Romeo emphatically professes his love for Rosaline calling her the “all-seeing sun” (1.2.98). Romeo bases his obsession, or love, of Rosaline on physical attractiveness. He calls his completely superficial infatuation love because he has not had the experiences to discern puppy love from true love. When Romeo met Juliet at the party he fell instantly in love with her, not unlike Rosaline, to him she has an allure “Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear— Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear” (1.5.53-54). After setting his eyes on Juliet, Romeo completely forgets Rosaline, the woman he claimed that he was in love with just hours earlier. Seeing as Juliet is more beautiful than Rosaline, Romeo decides to dump the supposed love of his life for a girl he has not even met. Romeo is unsure of his own affections, giving them to whatever woman he deems most
Romeo is a melodramatic 16-year old that lets his downheartedness over Rosaline take over when he sees Juliet. Romeo is unhappy, as Rosaline decided to stay chaste, and then he meets Juliet and he sees that she is looks attractive and wants to make irresponsible decisions. Romeo gives a perfect example of his irresponsible, lustful identity when he says this, “Did my heart love till now? / Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night”(Shakespeare,
One of William Shakespeare’s most renown plays, set in Verona where two young star-crossed lovers; Romeo and Juliet met in tragedy as their family feud bound their love within solemn hatred. The Montagues and the Capulets are two families of equal powers who’s prolonged bitter quarrel leads to the tragic death of these two lovers, and by their love reconciled the family’s hatred. Love is a predominant theme within this novel portrayed through the eyes of Romeo and Juliet, however, the maternal endearment between Juliet and her nurse can not be denied.
Prior to even meeting Juliet, Romeo is shown to have an immature view on love. The first time Romeo is seen, he is dejected because Rosaline refused his affections, “One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun never saw her match, since first the world began.” (Romeo, act one scene one) here, Romeo is putting Rosaline on a pedestal, he has become emotionally invested early, and set himself up for the disappointment he feels. Later in act one and two, Romeo again puts someone on a pedestal, when he sees Juliet, he immediately becomes infatuated, this infatuation led him to becoming emotionally invested once more, a show of his immaturity.
During some of part one, and two, we slowly learn about Romeo and his dilemma. He has fallen in love with beautiful Rosaline and all of his heart is crying out to her. He vows to never see a beauty as fair as her, and complains about the rudeness and pain of love. He allows himself to go to the party with Mercutio and his friends, but remarks he won't have a good time. "I'll go along, no such sight to be shown, But to rejoice in a splendor of mine own." That is until he sees Juliet. Instantly he forgets all of his lamenting for Rosaline love, and proclaims Juliet is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. "O! she doth teach the torches to burn bright. It seems she hangs on the cheek of night, like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."
Romeo is portrayed as an emotional and reckless character. His friend Mercutio and Fr. Lawrence comment on Romeo’s fickle attitude when he immediately falls in love with Juliet completely forgetting about Rosaline, his first love. Romeo quotes,” Did my heart love until now? Foreswear it sight, for I never saw true beauty until this night”. His love for Rosaline was superficial. Juliet transforms Romeo’s immature and erotic infatuation to true and constant love. After meeting Juliet he matures very quickly. Maybe Romeo’s love for Juliet is so intense because unlike Rosaline, Juliet reciprocates his
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet depicts the story of two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, from feuding families that fall in love, but the feud between their families drives them both to death. Many critics hold family members or friends of Romeo and Juliet responsible for the deaths of the two star crossed lovers. Despite these accusations, the Nurse and Friar Laurence are not at fault for the deaths in the play. The Nurse acts as the messenger between Romeo and Juliet, she protects them by warning them when people are coming, and Friar Laurence marries Romeo and Juliet to unite the families. The Nurse tries to keep the lovers in touch when they can not always see each other.
If you’re trying to find success at love at first sight, you might have a greater chance playing Russian roulette with an extra bullet locked, loaded and ready to go. Love is a hardcore drug and even though it satisfies that empty feeling, it comes along with a great deal of active side effects; some more extreme than others. The Shakespeare written play, Romeo and Juliet, is about two “love” blinded teens from the feuding Montague and Capulet family, fighting for their star-crossed love. Shakespeare uses many sets of character foils to show the numerous amounts of different people that are total opposites, but they still interact on a daily basis; He also uses it to emphasize the feuding of the two family names. A foil is a character that contrasts another
However, beauty is the only trait Juliet seems to possess, while Juliet’s maturity and wit are completely disregarded. Despite this, he claims that he is in love with Juliet before they even speak to one another. Notably, he says to himself directly after he sees Juliet, “Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear/…/ Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!” (1.5.46-51). This attraction that Romeo feels is solely based on Juliet’s aesthetic appeal, which to a young teenager may seem like love. Romeo had earlier said about Rosaline that her beauty will go to waste if she does not marry soon, signifying that by swearing to celibacy, she is useless as a human, and eventually, Juliet will reach the same fate when her physical beauty
He is desperately in love with Rosaline until he lays eyes on Juliet and marries her less than twenty-four hours later. “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night” (I.v.50-51). Romeo said that he was in love with Rosaline, but at the party he lays eyes on Juliet and says that he has never seen a women so beautiful as Juliet.
Moreover, Romeo through his infatuation with Rosaline learned valuable lessons that help him come to appreciate and understand the feelings he experiences with Juliet. Romeo felt rejection, sorrow, and misery from his infatuation with Rosaline which is seen when he is talking to Benvolio, “In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman” this particular quote shows the sadness or sorrow he feels from the feelings for Rosaline (1.1.201). Also when he says “She hath forsworn to love”, the words Romeo speaks allow it to be inferred that his feelings for her have been rejected (1.1.220). “At the opening of the play [Romeo] is maundering about like an erotic woman novelist, sighing and groaning because Rosaline will not listen to his tenders of affection” revealing that Romeo’s love was rejected and was upset because of this, allowing him to learn these feelings and what it is like to be rejected by the one he had feelings for (Northwood 19). Due to having felt these emotions from his infatuation, when he finds his love for Juliet and receives love and acceptance from her. Since he went so long, feeling sorrow and rejection when he finally finds Juliet, he can fully appreciate the love and acceptance he is given which intensifies his love for her and does the opposite of weakening the credibility of his love. Through his infatuation with Rosaline, he was able to grow as a person and become able to fully commit to his love for Juliet.
In Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers wish to become married although they have only known each other for a day. They do this without asking their family or friends first. I believe that true love is not worth sacrificing your family and friends for. A few reasons I believe this is because family should come first, and there are many fish in the sea. First of all, I don’t think that true love is worth sacrificing your family and friends for.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – popularly considered by many to be the quintessential love story of all time – is a play that we are all familiar with in one way or another. Whether it be through the plethora of portrayals, adaptations and performances that exist or through your own reading of the play, chances are you have been acquainted with this tale of “tragic love” at some point in your life. Through this universal familiarity an odd occurrence can be noted, one of almost canonical reverence for the themes commonly believed to be central to the plot. The most widely believed theme of Romeo and Juliet is that of the ideal love unable to exist under the harsh social and political strains of this world. Out of this idea emerge two
The word love can mean many things. Love can be an object, emotion, and a life. However, love could lead to a loss of power, prosperity, and status. In the literary work “Romeo and Juliet” written by William Shakespeare, the readers are introduced to a tragic love story. In this play, readers are also shown the different perspectives of love and the many downfalls it could lead to. The central theme of this work is the recklessness of love. The theme is significant because it is shown throughout the whole story and it’s a strong force that takes place of all the other emotions and values. In this play, Shakespeare uses characters to present different aspects of love. In addition, Nurse, Mercutio, and Romeo completely show what actual love is and what it is like to lose it due to their experiences.
William Shakespeare was a playwright and author in the 16th and 17th centuries, with at least 37 plays and 154 sonnets to his name. His many works span in genre and form, from the tragedy of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to the poem of a father’s unconditional love and eventual acceptance of a loved one’s death. Through a vast variety of linguistic and structural techniques, he is able to promote, develop and explain his personal ideology of love. Evidence of this is seen through the character of ‘Romeo’ in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and the narrative voice in a selection of sonnets.
Romeo and Juliet, one of William’s Shakespeare most famous classic works, is a heart-wrenching tale which is composed of passionate love and anger. It is a timeless piece of literature that has lasted to this century. The beautiful story is set in the remote town of Verona. This play recounts a tale of two star-crossed lovers, forbidden to pursue their inescapable love due to the long history of a violent family feud. Passion is strongly represented in Romeo and Juliet’s undying romance. As the story continues, passionate and uncontrolled anger is clearly expressed, fuelled by the noxious hatred of the family’s feud, intensifying as the plot progresses.