Comparing Love In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most influential stories in the world because it centers on a love that is not only passionate, but also forbidden. Romeo and Juliet’s love is so powerful that it even blossomed from the seed of hate. While hostility and love both cloud people’s judgments in the story, love impacts the characters more to do things that are dangerous and unconventional. The ending of Romeo and Juliet shows that while the two lovers died, their love lasts on forever, because the feud finally ends. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet centralizes around the theme that love is the most powerful force of human nature and is therefore stronger than hate. The circumstances that Romeo and Juliet first fall in love shows that love can develop

The hate from the feud, along with Tybalt’s hostility towards Romeo, causes the brawl between Mercutio and Tybalt, a turning point in the story. “Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain,” (3.1.61-62). When Mercutio is slain, it is of the hatred from Tybalt rather than Romeo’s interference. When Romeo fights Tybalt, his decisions are clouded by not only his love for Juliet, but also his brotherly love for Mercutio. When he kills Tybalt, we realize that love is so powerful in the story that it compels Romeo to kill someone even though he is a lover and not a fighter. Romeo and Juliet’s love and passion influences them to even take their own lives and go against the hopes and traditions of their families. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet,” (2.2.46-47). Both Romeo and Juliet begin the story as obedient children to their parents, but as the feud heightens and their love deepens, they become more rebellious and make their own decisions. The power of love can morph and influence even the strongest of minds as told by the evolution of the two title

When they end their own lives, it is not a symbol of the weakness and dangers of love, but rather its power. The hate in the story is superficial and without reason, while the love is too powerful to be easily contained or understood, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite,” (2.2.140-142). When the Montagues and Capulets return, the lifeless bodies of their children are an agonizing sight. The bodies represent not only the tragic death of the young lovers, but also the pain brought on by the years of fighting. Romeo and Juliet's tragic ending inspired by a love lasting a mere three days is what finally ends the hate-filled feud that lasted for years. At the end of the play, the Prince proclaims, “A glooming peace this morning with it brings. The sun for sorrow will not show his head,” (5.3.316-317). This shows that while love and hate are both strong emotions, love is the strongest of all because while Romeo and Juliet died, they also took down the feud with