Romeo and Juliet Critical Essay
Envision the moment when a young man meets eyes with a beautiful girl and falls in love right there and then. When his life is only worth living if she is eternally by his side. This is the love that Romeo feels for Juliet in the play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. This play shows many reasons why the “love” that Romeo and Juliet have for each other, isn’t real. The play teaches the audience several themes about young love throughout the play that are still relevant today.
In the first place, Romeo’s love for Juliet is no different than his desire for Rosaline because Romeo is in love with the idea of being in love. This means that he would feel like he’s in love no matter who he ends up with. Before Romeo meets Juliet, he is convinced that he is in love with Rosaline. Romeo’s love for Rosaline is exampled by a meaningless teenage crush in which she does not love him back. Romeo doesn’t take the time to get to know Rosaline, for her looks are good enough for him. Romeo is depressed with the fact that Rosaline dumped him.
Romeo, being a handsome young man from a rich family, would have been a tremendously qualified bachelor in Verona. Any father besides one (Capulet) would have been thrilled to have Romeo dating his daughter, so Romeo can get any girl he wants. Romeo chooses to fall in love with the one woman in town who won’t have him or any other man, the girl who wants to live as a nun, Rosaline. Then one day he sees Juliet and completely forgets about Rosaline and begins the hunt to steal Juliet’s heart. In this case Romeo doesn’t actually end up truly loving anyone, and just wants a partner for the sake of having a partner.
Sexuality spreads throughout all parts of the play, through obscene jokes and in the way that Romeo and Juliet anticipate perfecting their marriage, but it does not define their love. Instead their youthful lust is one of many reasons why their relationship grows so deep so quickly. In the hormone-charged atmosphere of Romeo and Juliet it seems that pretty much everything is about sex. Romeo and Juliet live in Verona, where sexual and dirty remarks are constant. In this atmosphere it can be easy to interpret the protagonists’ young love as mainly sexual.
Although it may seem like they’re in love, the sexual attraction stimulates the feel of want and need for one another. This makes them believe that they are in love. As Romeo is 16 and Juliet is 13, these teens are simply at a hormonal age where they crave attention, sex, and the feeling of trust. In the play, Romeo says; “And stay, good nurse, behind the abbey wall: Within this hour my man shall be with thee and bring thee cords made like a tackled stair; Which to the high top-gallant of my joy Must be my convoy in the secret night” (2. 4. 22).
Romeo is planning his night with Juliet, and at the same time he plans the wedding also. Sex and marriage work well for him. This demonstrates that teenagers in this day and age try to get in a relationship with whoever they can so they can have sexual interaction and have trust at the same time. Despite the so called “endless love” for Juliet, Romeo speaks as though he knows more about love from books other than actually being in love. He lures Juliet by saying; “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes; Being vex’d a sea nourish’d with lovers’ tears: What is it else?
A madness most discreet, A choking gall and a preserving sweet” (1. 1. 7). These are very mature verses coming from a teenager. All this intelligent language to resemble love as “fire,” “smoke,” “madness,” and “sea”. Juliet is a bit less desperate than Romeo, but as soon as he speaks, the words hit her like a rock. These words that Romeo speak are so unusual and beautiful, it grabs her attention automatically. Juliet is drawn to such compliments, just as any girl would be. If Romeo had said this to a different girl she would have done the same thing as Juliet.
It’s not just words that contribute to true love, its body language, knowing the person inside and out. Romeo and Juliet rush to get married way too quickly. This could affect the way that they die, or if they even end up dying. There is a possibility that if they get to know each other more they can have an accurate presumption of how much they will risk for each other. But unfortunately they don’t end up knowing each other very well and miscommunicate which is the main cause of their deaths.
To conclude, all of these points are seen in the time frame of Romeo and Juliet and also can be very relevant today. True love isn’t just about looks, or what you say. True love is knowing every flaw about someone and still love them just as much or even more. Romeo and Juliet do not understand the real meaning of “love” and neither does more than half of the teenagers who think they know what it is. The message of the play “Romeo and Juliet” is, almost everyone will have a first love. For most people, that love will not be their genuine love and could ends up hurting them in the end.
