Romeo And Juliet No Greater Love - 892 Words

No Greater Love? Ah! Romeo and Juliet! It is widely regarded as a classical story of true love, but is it really? And why should we care about something written over four hundred years ago? Shakespeare’s representation of true love in Romeo and Juliet is still relevant today, because he manages to portray the complex, multi-faceted ways that humans display love in. This is particularly important to young people today, because like Romeo and Juliet, they can be led astray by their emotions, by physical appearance and selfish desires. Shakespeare clearly shows us that Romeo and Juliet are not truly in love; their love is based on emotions. In one of the most quoted lines from the play, Romeo says, â€Å"Did my heart love till now? Foreswear it, sight, / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.† (1.5.59-60). Romeo’s rhetorical question encourages the reader to think deeper about his words, and it begs the question: if Romeo was so sure that he was in love before, but has now changed his mind, how can he truly be in love now? Romeo’s affections are powerful but short-lived, as shown by Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony in Act 1. In Scene 2, Romeo declares how unchanging his love for Rosaline is. â€Å"When the devout religion of mine eye / Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires; / And these who, often drowned, could never die, / Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars!† (1.2.95-98). But only three scenes later, he shows how meaningless his word is. â€Å" Did my heart loveShow MoreRelated Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet - Friar Laurence Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet - Friar Laurence Friar Laurence plays a most intriguing role in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. He is a priest, and a friend to Romeo. With the absence of Montague parental scenes, Friar Laurence also becomes like a surrogate father to Romeo. Romeo seeks him out to marry him and Juliet, obviously assuming that the friar would without parental permission. The friar greets him and addresses Romeos past love. He even tells Romeo that he mistook what he felt for RosalineRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Essay On Death1548 Words   |  7 Pagesthe play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows Romeo’s infatuation with two things: death, and Juliet, one overpowering the other. Romeo is suicidal; everything related to eternal rest peaks his interest. Juliet causes Romeo to die which reveals that Juliet did what death itself could not. She helped Romeo forget about the harsh realities of the world, whereas death allowed Romeo an option in the end where he could be alongside his one and only true love. Wheth er it be in hell or heaven, Romeo would haveRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1595 Words   |  7 Pagesfamilial love as harmful and, as a result, 1950’s parenting guides, mother’s associations and medical experts rang with warnings against showing affection toward children, they stated that doing so spread disease and caused mental health issues. Government-issued brochures advised mothers and fathers to â€Å"never kiss a baby† and to not â€Å"rock or play with children†. The director of the American Psychological Association warned â€Å"when you are tempted to pet your child, remember that mother love is a dangerousRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet987 Words   |  4 Pages William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is centered around the tragic story of two â€Å"star-cross’d lovers†. A tragedy is a dramatic story that chronicles the downfall or death of a tragic hero. Tragedies usually depict the causes of a tragic hero’s downfall, which are most commonly a tragic choice or a tragic flaw. There is often some sort of greater power at play in tragedies, like fate. A key aspect of tragedies is both fate and free will leading to the downfall of a tragic hero. In William Shakespeare’sRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Character Analysis1434 Words   |  6 PagesRomeo and Juliet a Tragedy of Fate and Character There is no doubt that Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of young love. What is in doubt is what contributes to the tragedy. The story of Romeo and Juliet’s love contrasts greatly with famous Greek tragedies such as Oedipus the King and The Odyssey in which the source of tragedy is the main protagonists struggle against fate. Rather the source of tragedy in Romeo and Juliet is both the character flaws that exist within in Romeo and Juliet themselves andRead MoreEssay On Fate In Romeo And Juliet1271 Words   |  6 PagesThe play â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is a story of romance and conflict, the two lovers stuck in the middle of their families’ feud, their love for each other and their families’ hatred to one another, causes both of them to lay dead on a Thursday night. But, there is a huge question on what led to the lovers’ fate. In fact, this question does not just appear in Romeo and Juliet, but in everyday life. What if everything you ever loved was d ependent on fate? Maybe you have the free will to change that? CouldRead MoreDifferent Types of Love in Romeo and Juliet1204 Words   |  5 PagesThe theme of love is predominant throughout the entirety of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Many forms of love are incorporated throughout the play and displayed through the relationships of different characters. Romantic love between Romeo and Juliet is contrasted by a sensual perception of love in the play, while themes of familial love and friendship are discussed with regards to the superficial and unrequited love Romeo experienced with Rosaline. The theme of superficial love is firstly discussed throughRead MoreRomeo and Juliets Responsibility for Their Own Fate Essay574 Words   |  3 PagesRomeo and Juliets Responsibility for Their Own Fate In Elizabethan times when the play Romeo and Juliet was written people believed as much in the stars and planets as they did their God. They believed that stars and the way they were positioned meant different things. For example if they saw Halley’s Comet it would mean disaster but if they saw a shooting star it would have been considered very good luck. In the play Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare refers to fate fromRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay1399 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet According to the dictionary, fate is the â€Å"inevitable destiny or necessity destined term of life; doom.† This means that fate can be described as a pre-planned sequence of events influencing ones life. Romeo and Juliet would have been performed to an Elizabethan audience who believed very strongly in â€Å"fate† and â€Å"fortune†. Fate was destined to happen and no one could alter it. Throughout the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare constantlyRead More Theme of Fate in Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare Essay1321 Words   |  6 Pagesplay, Romeo and Juliet has fate as an exceptionally crucial element which makes fate as important as any character in the production. The events leading up to and during the party were definitely caused by fate. The moment that Romeo and Juliet meet is the exact incident that leads to their death, however unaware these star-crossed lovers are to that fact. Thus, fate is undoubtedly the most responsible influence for the couples tragedy. It is not merely a coincidence that Romeo and Juliet meet