Introduction
Romeo and Juliet is really an overwhelming play by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet has been categorized as a tragedy by William Shakespeare which has been ranked above most of his other plays. The play revolves around two young star-crosses lovers, Romeo and Juliet whose deaths ultimately fasten together their feuding families.
Romeo and Juliet is a fascinating and interesting story among Shakespeare’s most popular archetypal stories. Shakespeare has addressed the issue of love among teenage and long lovers. The relationship of young lovers has been of great focus in Romeo and Juliet. The play is rated highly among other tragic romantic plays of traditional times. Across the play, the issue of love has been manifested.
It is with no doubt that love is the main theme addressed by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. Various forms of love have been evident across the play. This is evident from the relationships between the various characters in the play. In this paper, the different types of love portrayed in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will be discussed.
Different types of Love
The concept of love has been identified as one of the most misconceived elements in human relationships. This is in relation to the different types of love among people. Basically, love refers to an emotion of strong affection which leads to personal attachment. Love can be identified as a virtue which represents human compassion, kindness, and affection. Love is unselfish and loyal concern for other.
It is imperative noting that love can be identified as the actions towards other people which are based on compassion. Actions to other people based on affection and kindness also signify love.
On the other hand, attitudes, states, feelings, and interpersonal attractions contributing to pleasure are also referred to as love1. As noted in the play “Romeo and Juliet”, the concept of love has been outstanding. This is demonstrated by the interactions between the various characters and more specifically Romeo and Juliet.
There are different types of love in the human society. Some of the commonly known forms of love are romantic love, platonic love, and religious love. Romantic love is the passionate attraction or intimacy between two people basically driven by sexual love of eros. Platonic love on the other hand refers to familial love or emotional closeness to people within a person’s family members or close friends.
Religious love is the form of love explained by the desire for devotion and oneness2. Other forms of love include eros love, Ludus, Storge, Pragma, Mania and agape love. To begin with, Eros love refers to passionate or romantic love. This is a form of love which is driven by ideal or physical beauty for intimacy. Ludus love on the other hand refers to relationship based on deceit and un-commitment.
Storge is a friendship-based love whereby the parties engage in a long-term relationship in which sex is not very passionate or intense. Pragma refers to practical, pragmatic or mutually beneficial relationship which is not basically romantic.
Mania is also a key form of love whereby the parties are possessive or obsessive to one another. Extreme, crazy and jealous behaviors are commonly expressed by people in mania love. Agape love on the other hand is a caring, gentle, brotherly and giving type of love3.
Different Types of Love in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
In Shakespeare’s perspective, the concept of romantic love has been adopted to explain love between the characters. In the entire play, the characters are overwhelmed by romance. Romeo and Juliet are key characters in the play who have been identified with a high sense of intimacy between the two. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet is very romantic thus characterizing the entire story as a love play.
Both Romeo and Juliet are intimately in love with one another. This is evident by the strong passion and compassion for one another. It is worth noting that the two characters has down looked all other factors surrounding them and fell in love. The concept of sex, romance and intimacy overwhelms their relationship. This scenario definitely demonstrates the sense of romantic love between Romeo and Juliet4.
Pure or agape love can also been identified in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play revolves around two hormone-driven teenagers, Romeo and Juliet who down looks their families’ long-standing feud. They decided to risk everything together. The point whereby Romeo and Juliet enter into a relationship in contrary to their families’ feud is a manifestation of true love.
The two characters went contrary with their families’ disputes to execute their objectives. It is worth noting that true love is unconditional and honest and is not hindered by personal differences. This is very evident between Romeo and Juliet who enter into an unconditional love. Romeo and Juliet is categorized as the greatest love story. This is based on its high regard on the issues of love between the characters.
The relationship between Romeo and Juliet in contrary to their parents’ objection is a bold move which can only be explained by true love. It is only true love that can lead to people with different backgrounds together. With this in mind, the aspect of true love is evident in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet5.
Ludus love which entails deceit and un-commitment is also evident in the play. As observed in the story of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was in great desire to enter into a romantic affair with Juliet. He was much driven by his sexual desires and wanted to have Juliet’s virginity. Through the use of metaphors and polite language, Romeo was in much love with the young girl and was after seeking pleasure from her virginity.
This is an aspect of Ludus love which is based on un-commitment and lies to benefit someone. Despite that Romeo was committed to marry and move on with the relationship, the desire to have sex overwhelmed him. This is a key manifestation of Ludus love. This was not a mutual relationship but rather a relationship driven by hormones and sexual desire. Romeo was a key player in the relationship and looked forward to satisfy his ego6.
The concept of romantic love is clearly evident across the play. From the first meeting, the two characters demonstrate a sense of passion and romance between them. The use of metaphor by Romeo and Juliet in their communication was aimed at enhancing intimacy between them.
Romeo was after testing Juliet’s feelings by using metaphors. This is a polite and non threatening communication which enhances romance. By using metaphors, a man will be able to invite and create attention to a lady with little or no harm. Pretence by a woman not to understand will also not cause any harm to a man. With this in mind, the sense of romance is magnified between Romeo and Juliet.
It is worth noting that the communication between Romeo and Juliet clearly demonstrated romance. This is enhanced by Juliet’s response who also uses metaphors. Juliet uses the metaphors of pilgrim, shrine and saint to respond to Romeo. In regards to this communication, the issue of romantic love between Romeo and Juliet is highlighted7.
The play by Shakespeare has clearly highlighted the concept of romantic love. This is based on the playwright’s ability to go contrary to rules of normal sequence of courtship. Shakespeare has clearly highlighted the interactions and communication between Romeo and Juliet in their first days. In this case, Shakespeare highlights how Romeo overheard Juliet’s Soliloquy.
Shakespeare brings Romeo into the scene to eavesdrop thus breaking the sequence of courtship. This is a clear demonstration of romantic love which goes beyond the traditional sequence of courtship. The aspects of shyness and modest which were required of a women were not demonstrated by Juliet. It is imperative that the shyness and modest of a woman was a vital aspect to ensure that the man was sincere.
This element of courtship was overcome in the play thus speeding up the plot and illustrating romantic relationships. People in romantic love like Juliet and Romeo are able to skip the length part of wooing and proceed to the plain talk of their relationship.
Romeo and Juliet are a key example of partners who are overwhelmed by romance and go contrary to the normal courtship sequence. It is interesting to note that Romeo and Juliet jump to make agreements on their marriage only after one night thus illustrating the strength of romantic love8.
The timing of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is a manifestation of how young people are infatuated by one another. The entire relationship between the teenagers can not be attributed to true love but rather mania love. Mania love is a form of love which is highly possessive and obsessive.
This occurs instantly and with little or no consultations or reasoning. The kind of love or relationship between Romeo and Juliet can be attributed to this from of Love. Meeting only in a ball and agreeing to marry the same night raises questions on the authenticity of their love.
The two teenagers are only driven by crazy feelings and infatuation rather than true love. It is worrying to note that Romeo instantly fell in love with Juliet and moved on to discuss on their wedding. The quick invitation of Friar Laurence to oversee their wedding is also unreasoned.
It is imperative to note that the decisions by the two teenagers are crazy, unreasoned and childish. Romeo and Juliet should have been patient with their feelings and even take time to consult their parents. However, this never happened and they continued to their wedding. Based on this scenario, mania love is manifested9.
The relationship of Mercutio a friend to Romeo and Tybalt who is Juliet’s cousin is also a sign of teenage infatuation. This engagement also happened in the day of the ball organized by Capulet family. This is a special manifestation of mania love which is not properly thought. The issues of romance and sexual passions are the main drivers of this form of love.
Being a friend to Romeo, Mercutio should have informed his friend of the engagement. After spotting Tybalt, Mercutio should have taken time to think of her and follow the normal courtship sequence. It is unfortunate that Mercutio only rushed to satisfy his feelings by engaging to Tybalt. This scenario signifies mania and romantic love which is not properly thought of (McKeown 36).
The death of Mercutio who was killed by Tybalt also explains the absence of true love in their relationship. It is unfortunate that Tybalt killed her fiancée Mercutio. This is really an unfortunate scenario which signifies the absence of agape love between the two characters. Tybalt could not control her anger and thus goes forward to execute her emotions. This only led to more grief to herself.
This form of relationship can be identified to be based on Ludus love which is based on un-commitment and deceit between the partners. If TyBalt really loved Mercutio, she could not have thought of killing him. True love is patient, caring, kind and honest.
By having true love, Tybalt could have engaged Mercutio into a discussion which would have helped in solving their issues. Alongside having a relationship based on true love, Tybalt as an individual should have love within her. By so doing, she should not have executed her to other people and not going to the extent of killing Mercutio10.
Romeo has also characterized himself as uncaring and intolerable. This is based on his emotions and actions by slaying Tybalt who had killed his friend. This is an action of hate and lack of love. Romeo should have been tolerable to some extent in resolving the case of Tybalt and his friend Mercutio rather than killing her. This demonstrates an aspect of mania love whereby Romeo acted in a silly manner.
Nevertheless, Romeo and Mercutio had real love. This is evident through the actions of Romeo who could do anything to save and fight for his friend. With this in mind, the issue of true love between Romeo and mercutio is demonstrated11.
The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a great work which has demonstrated Shakespeare’s expertise in playwriting. The play has been classified as the greatest love story based on the playwright’s high concern on the issue of love. The highlight on the different forms of love across the play is of great importance in ranking the story.
Romeo and Juliet is unmatched based on the playwright’s ability to bring together various scenes addressing the issues of love. The play has positioned Shakespeare among other playwrights. In the world’s literature, Romeo and Juliet has also taken a good position among the world’s population. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a vision of uncompromising mutual love which perishes of its own intensity and idealism.
The time frame of courtship and the life of the love between the characters are raising a lot of issues. This scenario manifests the issues entailing love and more specifically teenage lovers who have less concern on what happens beyond the relationship12.
Romeo and Juliet has a fancy Pedigree and can be considered Shakespeare’s most accessible work. This is in comparison to other heroes such as Othello, Hamlet, or Macbeth. The Tragedy of Macbeth has been famous for addressing the commitment of man to power as contrasted to Romeo and Juliet which revolves around love. In this play, the relationship between kingship, tyranny, cruelty, masculinity and violence has been demonstrated.
The Tragedy of hamlet and that of Othello have also demonstrated the commitment of man to what one loves. In the tragedy of hamlet, the issue of revenge is demonstrated thus illustrating the strong conviction in human actions. In relation to Romeo and Juliet, these plays manifest the expertise of Shakespeare in literature writing. Romeo Juliet has however remained the most outstanding as far as love is concerned13.
Romeo and Juliet has impacted significantly on world literature. It is worth noting that it is typically the first of Shakespeare plays to be studied by western students. The adoption of this play in western literature introduces the children to the convections of Elizabeth Theater.
The play is also rich and appealing in its style, tone, and characters. This makes it offer a healthy dose of love poetry to students. The peppers and insights by Shakespeare are felt across the play, Romeo and Juliet. With this in mind, the authenticity and significance of Romeo and Juliet in world literature is demonstrated14.
Nevertheless, the play, Romeo and Juliet has also faced a lot of criticism. Some critics like Samuel Pepys, who is a seventeenth century journaler has classified the play as Shakespeare’s trashy blockbuster. In his arguments, Samuel Pepys categorizes Romeo and Juliet as the worst acted ever. The countless performance of the play by renowned theater companies has also led to fading of the play.
It is however notable that Romeo and Juliet remains an audience favorite across the globe. It has also been identified as one of the most adapted plays in the contemporary society. The theme of love which has been magnified in the play has made it appealing to many people. This is a universal theme and has yielded the play unprecedented fame15.
Romeo and Juliet has clearly explained the real nature of love. The play demonstrates how young people are infatuated by love. Shakespeare explains how getting what one want from young love is not what it is made to be. This is manifested by Romeo and Juliet who instantly fall into love and proceeded to get married. The story has a lot of moral teaching to its audience.
Firstly, the play enlightens the audience that many times love is doomed to fail. In this case, people falling into love should be fully prepared for any outcome.
Full confidence in success of a love affair will ultimately lead to frustrations. From the play, it can be learned that failure in a relationship or love can occur at any age or time. This is a real moral lesson from the story which calls upon young people entering into relationships to be cautious16.
The story by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a cautionary tale to people who are ever in love. By being in love and breaking up, an individual will definitely expect the same from other couples. This is however not the same, since the forms of love are different. An individual should not really expect much from young love.
Shakespeare outlined that an individual should not kill himself simply because love has not worked out. Many young people are hereby cautioned to reason properly and take their time when thing of love.
A key aspect of strong relationships and marriage is love. In the play, Shakespeare reminds people that communicating through church representatives or lack of communication between couples definitely leads to troubled situation like suicide17.
Conclusion
Analysis of Romeo and Juliet demonstrates that it is tragedy rather than romance. The two teens, Romeo and Juliet are hit by love and go own acting rashly which end up costing their lives. It is sad to note that the relationship between the two teens can not be said to be based on love rather than infatuation. This has led them to live fraught with tension and no point of resolution.
The high opposition from the odds around them challenges the existence of love in their affair. Romeo and Juliet is a special lesson that love can not conquer all. The failures and loss experienced by Romeo and Juliet as well as their friends Tybalt and Mercutio is a clear evident of the weaknesses of love. The play is a lesson to all individuals and more specifically the youth who think that love can solve every problem.
The issues of poignant speeches, great sex, and good strategizing should not be viewed as what is entailed in love. In regards to the play, the various types of love have been noted. These include romantic love, true love, erotic love, love, ludus love, mania love and eros love.
In the case of Romeo and Juliet, romantic, mania and eros love have been evident. The concept of true love is no where to be seen in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. In summary, the analysis of the play of Romeo and Juliet shows that the play is a tragedy rather than romance.
Works Cited
Baer, Greg. Real Love: The Truth about Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.
Beal, Duncan. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.
Granville-Barker, Harley. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2003, Print.
Lamb, Mary et al. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.
Lewis, Clive. The Four Loves. London: Routledge, 2001, Print.
Masuccio, Salernitano. Romeo and Juliet: Original Text of Masuccio Salernitano, Luigi Da Porto, Matteo Bandello, William Shakespeare. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992, Print.
McKeown, Adam. And Fiore, Peter. Romeo and Juliet. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.
Shakespeare, William and Furnass, Horace. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009.
Shakespeare, William. The works of Shakespeare: The Text Carefully Restored According to the first editions. London: Prentice hall, 1999, Print.
Singer, Irving. The nature of Lover: Plato to Luther. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009, Print.
Footnotes
1 Baer, Greg. Real Love: The Truth about Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.
2 Lewis, Clive. The Four Loves. London: Routledge, 2001, Print.
3 Singer, Irving. The nature of Lover: Plato to Luther. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009, Print.
4 Shakespeare, William and Furnass, Horace. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009.
5 Masuccio, Salernitano. Romeo and Juliet: Original Text of Masuccio Salernitano, Luigi Da Porto, Matteo Bandello, William Shakespeare. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992, Print.
6 Shakespeare, William. The works of Shakespeare: The Text Carefully Restored According to the first editions. London: Prentice hall, 1999, Print.
7 Baer, Greg. Real Love: The Truth about Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.
8 Masuccio, Salernitano. Romeo and Juliet: Original Text of Masuccio Salernitano, Luigi Da Porto, Matteo Bandello, William Shakespeare. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992, Print.
9 Shakespeare, William. The works of Shakespeare: The Text Carefully Restored According to the first editions. London: Prentice hall, 1999, Print.
10 Beal, Duncan. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.
11 McKeown, Adam. And Fiore, Peter. Romeo and Juliet. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.
12 Lamb, Mary et al. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.
13 McKeown, Adam. And Fiore, Peter. Romeo and Juliet. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.
14 Beal, Duncan. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.
15 Granville-Barker, Harley. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2003, Print.
16 Lamb, Mary et al. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.
17 Shakespeare, William and Furnass, Horace. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009.