“Romeo & Juliet”, the tragedy by William Shakespeare
tells a story of two star-crossed lovers where he
demonstrates the theme of love; portraying various
characters’ views and perspectives about it.
•
Sampson and Gregory have very crude, bawdy views on love. To them, love
is only a sexual, physical feeling.
•
At the very beginning of the play, we are introduced to the theme of love by
the crass, adolescent views of these two characters.
“My naked weapon is out”;
“I am a pretty piece of flesh”;
“I will be civil with the maids.”.
- Sampson Act One Scene One
•
It is very obvious from the start that Sampson and Gregory have a very
immature, sexual perspective upon love.
•
They make various innuendos and joke about raping the Montague family
women.
•
Many characters in the play have this bawdy view on love, this is contrasted
with the two protagonists, Romeo and Juliet.
•At the start of the play we see Romeo deluded by his love for Rosaline.
•We find him using poetic language while sulking about his “love”.
•When Romeo finds out Rosaline will not marry anyone he uses
dramatic language:
“She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow
Do I live death, that live to tell it now.”
•Romeo portrays himself as dead now, having nothing to live for as he
will never be with Rosaline.
•Shakespeare creates the effect of Romeo being a passionate character
but one that dramatises and rushes into things to easily.
•Similar to Sampson and Gregory, the nurse has a very bawdy view on love.
•She makes many sexual innuendoes and jokes throughout the play.
•Unlike Sampson and Gregory, it appears that the nurse is actually experienced
in true, romantic love and that her views on love are more well-rounded.
•Although the nurse makes several sexual jokes, she does not use them in the
same vulgar sense as characters like Mercutio.
“Thou wilt fall backward when thou come’st to age; ”
“Must climb a bird's nest soon when its dark.”
“Seek happy nights to happy days.”
“No less! Nay, bigger women grown by men.”
•Mercutio is a good representation of most of the character’s views on
love in the play.
•Mercutio has a very sexual, physical perspective on love. Much like
the nurse, Mercutio often makes sexual jokes and innuendos.
“If love be rough with you, be rough with love;
Prick love for pricking and you beat love down.”
•When Romeo is melancholy about Rosaline, Mercutio says to Romeo
that if his “love” is getting him down, he should cheer up by having sex.
•For Mercutio, sex is all that there is to love, he doesn’t seem to believe
in romance.
“By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,
By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh
And the demesnes that there adjacent lie,
That in thy likeness thou appear to us!”
•Her view of love is based on property, reputation and wealth
•She believes that females either belong to their father or husband
•Lady Capulet wants the best for Juliet in her view by marrying her off at a
young age
•Lady Capulet wants to do this by marrying Juliet to Paris so she has a
“happy” and wealthy life.
•According to her love is about prosperity not happiness and joy
“The gallant young, and noble gentleman,
The County Paris…Shall happily make thee a joyful bride”
“Talk, not to me, for I’ll not speak a word.
Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee”
•In their early relationship, Romeo & Juliet have a spiritual
love between them.
“This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims”
•After their love grows their relationship becomes increasingly
passionate.
•Soon, the couple is engulfed by their love, making them
desperate for each other.
•Romeo and Juliet now love each other violently.
This is foreshadowing the end of the play and links to suicide.
“These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder
Which, as they kiss, consume”
Throughout this tragedy Shakespeare depicts different
characters and their view of love; from Sampson and Gregory
with their crude and bawdy attitudes, to Romeo and Juliet; At first
their spiritual love grew but soon it developed into desperate
love, resulting in their tragic deaths as a consequence of being
separated by the “ancient” grudge of the Capulet's &
Montague's.