Romeo and Juliet are the main protagonists of William Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy. Romeo, a descendant of Lord and Lady Montague, falls in love and secretly marries a young girl called Juliet, a descendant of Lord and Lady Capulet, whom of which happen to be the rival family.
Romeo is a well-respected young man in Verona. At the start of the play Romeo is portrayed as a romantic, he feels he is as good as dead without Rosaline’s love; “I live dead” (Act1, Scene 1, 215) he tells Benvolio who is Romeo’s cousin and friend. Romeo implies to Benvolio that he loves Rosaline and could love no other. “One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun, never saw her match since first the world begun”. (Act 1, Scene 2)
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Romeo sees Juliet and instantly falls in love, this shows Romeo’s immaturity as a lover in two ways, first he is able to instantly switch from Rosaline, which he swore he was in love with, to Juliet, who he doesn’t know. Secondly, it could be suggested that Romeo bases his love on physical qualities. He instantly forgets about Rosaline, and falls in love with Juliet, on first sight.
However, this is the opposite with Juliet as her character changes drastically. She begins to talk in sentences with hidden meanings. “I'll look to like, if looking liking move”. (Act 1, Scene 3) Throughout the play, she is forever maturing, becoming a strong-minded, loyal and a capable woman every man’s wish.
The couple’s relationship started when they first met at the Capulets Annual Ball and it became love at first sight. Romeo says “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” (Act 1, Scene 5) This illustrates Romeo’s understanding of love as physical attraction, Juliet also does the same. “My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words of thy tongue’s uttering, yet I know the sound.”(Act 2, Scene 2) This demonstrates to the reader that, these two know absolutely nothing about each other, they are from opposing families, yet they believe they are in love.
Although they both believe they have found true love, Juliet doesn’t allow love to blind her as she is still able to point out, and criticize Romeo’s actions and decisions. In Act Two Scene 2 where the famous balcony scene takes place, Juliet says to Romeo “It is too rash, too unadvis’d, too sudden.” (Act 1 Scene 4) Whereas Romeo is completely blinded by love. For example, the deep feelings force him to sneak onto the grounds of a sworn enemy risking his life just to catch a glimpse of her. Juliet states this to Romeo by saying “The place death, considering who thou art… if any kinsmen find thee here.” (Act 1 Scene 5)
Juliet’s reaction to this dreadful event was “My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain; And Tybalt’s dead, that would have slain my husband. All this is comfort.”(Act 3, Scene 2)Juliet demonstrates loyalty towards Romeo as he has just killed her cousin, however, Juliet defends her husband, she even praises him, using metaphors that present his honour, someone who is above shame, even though Romeo has killed a man. Juliet is upholding her vows of true love, here once again Juliet is able to remain strong and confident in this Scene. Juliet’s loyalty for Romeo gets tested once again once her father forces her to marry Paris, but for the first time in her life, she speaks back to her parents causing a huge fight.
Even at her worst time when she felt most isolated, after the nurse turns her back on Juliet telling her to forget about Romeo as he is gone, she still tried her best to be with him no matter what the cost. “Romeo is banish’d, and all the world nothing That he dares ne’er come back to challenge you;”(Act 3, Scene 2) So she told the nurse that she would go to see Friar Lawrence, the man who wedded the couple, to make confession because she has caused her parents pain by disappointing them, but she was actually going to see him so they could hatch a plan so the “star crossed-lovers” (prologue) could be together.
In conclusion, I feel Juliet shows more courage than Romeo does. Romeo killed himself with a painless poison, which wasn’t hard to do as he simply drinks it, however, there is something sad and heroically self-sacrificing about Romeo’s suicide. The reader is made to suffer by knowing that his suicide is completely unnecessary; Juliet is about to wake up.
Juliet woke from her ‘unnatural death’ to find her husband dead, she doesn’t kill herself out of feminine weakness, but out of true love, the intense desire to be with Romeo forever. Though Juliet initially tried to kiss some poison off Romeo’s lips, which didn’t work because there was an insufficient amount, she drew his dagger and pierced it in herself.
Juliet’s choice of death was an instant choice, a decision which proves her love and desire to be with Romeo regardless of the consequences required strength and determination. Again, this demonstrates to the reader the stronger character of the two. Juliet was the one who matured, the one that made the sacrifices for their future. While the outcome of William Shakespeare’s play does not offer values as ideal, it proves the need for intensity and sacrifice to change people’s attitudes.
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