What does shakespeare have to
What does shakespeare have toWhat does Shakespeare have to say about love in the play
'Romeo and Juliet'?
We are introduced to many different aspects of love
throughout the play 'Romeo and Juliet'. Shakespeare does this
by expressing his own views through his characters and their
opinions. As the play unfolds we begin to see several themes
evolving, although some of Shakespeare's views appear to
contradict one another. For example, the Nurse and Mercutio
believe that love can only be sexual whilst we see the
complete opposite of this in Romeo and Juliet's powerful love
for one another. Why does Shakespeare do this? Is it to confuse the
reader so that they think more about the play and what it is really
saying? Or is it because Shakespeare believes that love can be very
different for different people? The way in which his characters think
about and view love in many different ways means that Shakespeare is
not trying to prejudice us to believe that love can only be one thing, he
is simply presenting to us many different versions so that the audience
can see love in it's many forms and levels of intensity. It is then up to
the audience to judge the different characters and their different
beliefs themselves.
However, Shakespeare does try to influence his audience to think
certain things about his characters through their use of language. We
see this happening in our first meeting with Romeo when his use of
oxymorons, 'feather of lead' and 'cold fire', whilst talking of Rosalind
and his love for her lead the audience to believe that Romeo is in love
with the idea of being in love and therefore the only love he feels for
Rosalind is puppy love and not true love. We can also see innocence and
unawareness of what can feel like in the character of Juliet when
she tells her mother that she will not 'endart mine eye' until her parents
consent gives the relationship the 'strength to make it fly'.
From the moment the two 'star-crossed lovers' meet we see their
attitudes to love change dramatically, in a very short space of time as
the love they feel for each other blossoms. Romeo's language changes
from being full of oxymorons to a manner in which he speaks of Juliet
as a 'rich jewel' and someone who would 'teach the torches to burn
bright'. This comparison of Juliet to shining light in the darkness is
carried through into the balcony scene where we hear Romeo tell us
that 'Juliet is the sun' and that she would 'shame those stars'.
Shakespeare begins to introduce a theme of the stars and heaven into
Romeo's language. By doing this he is perhaps trying to express the
awe Romeo feels for Juliet as her 'beauty is too rich for use'. So his
language begins to reflect this, using words and phrases such as 'her
eyes in heaven' to show that he feels...
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