Theme: The true nature and dangers of love





Is love only true when it is expressed in highly
structured language and involves much suffering?
Is love less about the person and more about being in
love with the idea of a great romance?
Is true, romantic love constant and simple in the way it
is expressed?
Is true romance merely a myth and pleasant disguise
for lust?
Is love a disease that blinds people to their
responsibilities and is consequently dangerous?
The True Nature and Dangers of Love
In the play Romeo and Juliet the true nature and dangers of love are
discussed by many characters. However, no matter what opinion the
characters have, they all seem to agree on one thing: it is an extreme
emotion that possesses the power to shape a person’s actions and destiny
because lovers are by nature obsessive.
The desirable yet potentially destructive nature of love leads to extremely
divided opinions about how a love affair should be conducted. In fact,
many characters are confused by their own mixed emotions: one minute love
seems the ultimate attainment of perfection and the next it is an illness that
blind them to their responsibilities.
Shakespeare examines these conflicting opinions through contrasting
characters who speak using differing levels of formality when discussing
love.
What do the characters in Romeo and
Juliet believe love is?









Here are some ideas put forwards by a variety of characters in play. Discuss and
decide which character or characters are shown to believe this. Try to pinpoint a
specific moment where they say something that directly or indirectly shows they hold
this opinion:
Love is most passionately expressed through the ‘rules’ of courtly love
Love requires suffering, both mental and physical
True love is mutual
True love is expressed through actions rather than words
Love is confusing because it always involves conflicting emotions
Fulfilling societal and familial duties is far more important that the pursuit of
romantic love
Lovers are generally more in love with the idea of being in love than the actual
person
Love is dangerous when acted upon suddenly without forethought
Love is a pleasant disguise for lust and is merely driven by physical desire
What is Courtly Love?
The phrase “courtly love” refers to a set of ideas about love that were enormously
influential on the literature and culture of the Middle Ages. Beginning with the
Troubadour poets of southern France in the eleventh century, poets throughout
Europe promoted the notions that true love:
only exists outside of marriage
may be idealized and spiritual
may exist without ever being physically consummated;
requires a man to become the servant of the lady he loves.

One of the main motifs in literature from this time period is that love is a torment or
a disease. When a man is in love he cannot sleep or eat; therefore, he undergoes
physical changes, sometimes to the point of becoming unrecognizable.
Although very few people’s lives resembled this ideal, the concept was extremely
popular and widespread in literature and culture, particularly amongst products
associated with the royal and noble courts.
The Stages of Courtly Love
1. Attraction to the lady, usually via eyes/glance
2. Worship of the lady from afar
3. Declaration of passionate devotion
4. Virtuous rejection by the lady
5. Renewed wooing with oaths of virtue and eternal fealty
6. Moans of approaching death from unsatisfied desire (and other physical
manifestations of lovesickness)
7. Heroic deeds of valor which win the lady's heart
8. Consummation of the secret love
9. Endless adventures and subterfuges avoiding detection
BENVOLIO
Why, Romeo, art thou mad?
ROMEO
Not mad, but bound more than a mad-man is;
Shut up in prison, kept without my food,
Whipp'd and tormented and--God-den, good fellow. (1.2.3)
What stage of courtly love is Romeo adhering to in this quote?
How is courtly love explored in
Romeo and Juliet?
Shakespeare knew about the code of courtly love and mocks it in Romeo and Juliet.
In Elizabethan times, the concept had changed somewhat and didn’t just apply to
affairs. However, the notions of suffering through devotion and using flowery
language to express desire were certainly still around. Many people now thought
courtly love was a little outdated or too ‘French’ to be considered serious.



Romeo is first consumed with an infatuation for Rosaline and this love is expressed in
the language typical of courtly love. Soon, however, this is replaced by true love
when he meets Juliet. Shakespeare seems to define true lovers as being mutually in
love. Romeo and Juliet’s love is shown to be genuine when it is contrasted with other
characters:
Juliet’s parents see love as a practical business arrangement that can increase social
and financial status when planned well. Love is not a meeting of minds: it is a
meeting of “two households, both alike in dignity”.
The constant crude sexual innuendos flowing from Mercutio, the Nurse and some
servants suggest that romantic love is just a polite disguise for lustful intent.
Romeo’s first ‘love’ seems to follow the rules of courtly love and therefore lacks any
true connection between the pairing. He seems more in love with the idea of being
in love than actually acting upon any genuine emotion. Courtly love seems to be
exaggerated, often one-sided and therefore false.
How do we know Shakespeare is
mocking this type of love?
Romeo is initially a parody of a love-sick courtier with undeveloped poetic abilities. As his love for Juliet
grows, so too does his poetic skill. In fact, Friar Lawrence teases Romeo about his expressions of love: “Thy
love did read by rote, that could not spell” (2.4.88). Basically he is telling Romeo that his poetry is
predictable, clichéd and possibly written by someone else.
Romeo’s exaggerated lines regarding Rosaline at the beginning of the play suggest that he is not to be
taken seriously. He has an understanding of the conventions of courtly love, but is too young and
inexperienced to demonstrate sincere feeling in his verses. Look at these examples:
“Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health” (1.1.183), is similar to a line from Philip
Sidney’s Astrophil and Stella: “Of living death, dear wounds, fair storms and freezing fires” (6.4. 461). Romeo
is just taking lines and copy patterns from other poems but even then doesn’t do a very good job.

When Romeo laments the distressing effects of being in love he overly self-absorbed and doesn’t consider
Rosaline’s point of view very much.

Romeo cannot create a full sonnet for Rosaline. Expect for the sestet in the “devout religion of mine eyes”
lyric (1.2.91-96) Romeo can only manage heroic couplets.

Elizabethan audiences, well versed in the language of courtly love, would have recognized
Romeo’s borrowed patterns and mistake sregarding structure. In early scenes of the play, he
would have been seen as a comical or adorable character; a boy that is far too young for the
evils of love.
How does Romeo’s language change
after he meets Juliet?
After this initial meeting with Juliet, the imagery in Romeo’s poetry also begins to change and mature:
But soft! What light from yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art far more fair than she (2.2.2-6).
The comparison of Juliet to the sun is far from original and continues to use the conventions of courtly love, yet his tone has
changed; Juliet is now the focus of his lines and for the first time, there is genuine feeling. Technically, Romeo’s poetry has also
evolved from short couplets to advanced blank verse containing enjambments and mid-line breaks with fewer end-stopped
lines:
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region steam so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night (2.2.19-22).
Why is it necessary to appreciate this development in language?
In order for the tragedy of the play to take shape, audiences must believe that Juliet is Romeo’s first and only true love. It is
necessary, therefore, in the opening scenes, to portray Romeo as an inexperienced parody of a love-sick courtier with
undeveloped poetic abilities. Dramatically, Romeo grows from a young, self-indulgent victim of love, to the passionate, poetic
adult in love. This is achieved through the evolution of Romeo’s skill and versatility with language.
Now look at the development of Juliet’s language before and after her wedding. Can you see a maturity developing?
Why is it necessary to appreciate this development in
language?
In order for the tragedy of the play to take shape,
audiences must believe that Juliet is Romeo’s first and only
true love. It is necessary, therefore, in the opening scenes, to
portray Romeo as an inexperienced parody of a love-sick
courtier with undeveloped poetic abilities. Dramatically,
Romeo grows from a young, self-indulgent victim of love, to
the passionate, poetic adult in love. This is achieved through
the evolution of Romeo’s skill and versatility with language.
Now look at the development of Juliet’s language before
and after her wedding. Can you see a maturity
developing?
Conventions of language associated
with courtly love
Sonnets are
A soliloquy is a speech in which a character reveals his or her
thoughts to the audience, but not to the other characters; it is
usually longer than an aside and not directed at the
audience.

Shakespeare uses soliloquies to reveal the conflicts
various characters struggle with, such as Romeo’s lovelorn
state, or Juliet’s conflict over whether or not to “kill” herself.

These soliloquies also show how character develops over
the course of the play. For example, Romeo’s soliloquy
before killing himself in the Capulet tomb shows how love
has changed for him and become more real.