Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare is a tragedy involving two young star-crossd lovers. The bounded love between them comes to an end, as their tragic deaths will mend the quarrel between their two families, both alike in dignity (prologue), which has a long-running family feud.
In the beginning of the play, we are acquainted with a scene of violence between the Capulets and the Montagues. The prince stops the fight. Romeo, before he meets Juliet, was in love with someone who didnt love him back. Romeo is therefore sad because his love was not returned. A civilized, cautious man of a social class to the capulets, Paris, had come to speak to old capulet to ask for Juliets hand in marriage. Lady capulet tells Juliet that Paris wants to marry her and that they are holding a feast that night so that the two can meet. Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, and a few others, dresses up (not to be recognized) and goes to the feast at the capulets. Romeo then meets Juliet.
Romeos idea of loving a woman is similar to admiring her from a distance without getting too close and he sees a woman as a creature from heaven, too good to do anything wrong.. Romeos words, It is the east/and Juliet is the sun (2, 1, 46), shows that he compares Juliet to the sun which he can watch and admire from a distance. When Romeo says, O, speak again, bright angel (2, 1, 69), he compares Juliet to an angel from heaven. This is one of several references where he compares Juliet to something from heaven. Therefore, when he loves a woman, he sees her as something that is pure and innocent.
Romeo loves Juliet; therefore he shows her that he would change for her. When Romeo says, My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself (2, 1, 98), he shows her that if she were unhappy with his name, he would hate his name too, in order to please her. When Romeo says, Had I written it, I would tear the word (2, 2, 100), he shows Juliet that he is devoted to her and he loves her so much that he would give up his name for her. He would defy his own unique identity if it made her unhappy with whom and what he is.
Romeo would risk his life to be with someone if he loved her, and love to him is a positive thing.Juliet asks Romeo how he got there, and Romeo replies that Stony limits cannot hold love out (2, 1, 10), meaning that even though those walls are high to get over, he would still climb those walls and risk his life to be with the one he loves. When Romeo describes what love is to Benvolio, he says it is a preserving sweet (1, 1, 190); loving someone and the one he loves will always be a sweet and pleasant thing.
Juliet thinks that a woman should be hard to get and love should be stable and continuous. When Juliet says, Or if thou thinkst I am too quickly won/Ill frown, and be perverse, and say thee nay (2, 1, 138-9), she tells Romeo that if he thinks that she is too easy to get, then she will play hard to get. When Romeo swears his love for her by the moon, she tells him not to swear by thinconstant moon/that monthly changes in her circled orb (2, 1, 152-3), because the moon is a symbol of change and therefore his love for her will change. He must swear by something that is constant.
Juliets idea of love is something that happens naturally and slow and lasts forever. When Juliet says, It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden (2, 1, 161), she shows her perspective on what pace falling in love should happen. She sees falling in love as something that happens slowly and not fast. Juliets words, My bounty is as boundless as the see/my love is deep, the more I give to thee (2, 1, 176-7), shows that love to her is infinite, never-ending, and something that she will always give.
Juliet will not marry someone unless she loves the person. Juliets words, If that thy bent of love be honourable/Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow (2, 1, 187-8), shows that to find out whether Romeo sincerely loves her or not, she looks at his intentions, and therefore makes a decision on whether she can trust him or not.. When Juliets mother asks her if she will be able to love Paris, she replies, Ill look to like, if looking liking move/But no more deep will I endart mine eye (1, 3, 99-100), showing that she cannot marry someone, unless she loves him.
Romeos idea of loving a woman is to admire her from a distance and is a creature from heaven which does no wrong. Romeo loves Juliet so much that he would change for her. Romeo would risk his life to be with someone if he loved her, and love to him is always a positive thing. However, Juliet thinks that a woman should be hard to get and love is stable. The pace at which love should happen is slow and lasts forever. Juliets idea of marriage, cannot take place unless there is love between the two people. Romeo and Juliet therefore have two different ideas of what love is about.
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