Comparing Romeo's Speeches in Act One Scene One and Act One Scene Five
What changes in Romeo’s language, feelings and opinion of love can be
noted and what conclusions can be reached about the nature of his love
for the two women?
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare was written around the 16th
century. Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a love-tragedy about two
people who fall in love from two feuding families. The intended
audience was for Elizabethans who visited the theatre regularly.
An Elizabethan lover was very different to a typical lover nowadays.
An Elizabethan was a deeply pious person and was typically married at
a very young age. This can be illustrated by Juliet who is only 13 or
14 and yet she marries Romeo despite the fact that he is also quite
young. The lover would attract the opposite sex by the use of poetry
and various romantic words.
As well as different characteristics, a typical Elizabethan lover also
held different moral values. Society at that time believed strongly
in maintaining high moral values and trying to set good examples for
the rest of their community. For instance, if two people fell in love
with each other, but they were not married at the time, (or were from
two feuding families), it would be frowned upon by other members of
society for those two people to act upon their emotions & feelings of
love. Instead, people believed one should actually obtain permission
from their parents before subsequently formalising their love in the
sanctity of marriage.
The main characters in Act 1 scene 1 are: Romeo (Lord & Lady
Montague’s son), Benvolio (Romeo’s cousin); and in Act 1 scene ...
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...o becomes an entirely
different person. He speaks in an appropriate way; he becomes more
mature and does not say things unnecessarily. His language becomes
more sophisticated and he describes Juliet with a contrast between
‘light and dark’ with powerful imagery. He also describes Juliet as
being ‘holy.’ The reader is given the idea of her being pure and
beautiful.
Romeo was not in love with Rosaline as at that time, he did not know
the meaning of love and he was in love with the idea of being in love,
so behaved in a childish manner. Romeo’s love for Juliet is clear and
distinguishable. Lastly, Romeo is a quick and indecisive character at
the start of the play; he acts childish and talks in an illogical way.
During the play, when he first sees Juliet, he becomes more mature
and begins to act like an adult.
1. Romeo is so love struck that he compares Juliet to many things that show contrast to one another. For example he says that she stands out against the darkness like a jeweled earring hanging against the cheek of an African. “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear.” He also says that she is like a white dove in the middle of a flock of crows; “So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows.” At this point it clear that Romeo has fallen out of love with Rosaline and fell deeply in love with Juliet.
In this tragedy, we see Romeo lose all sense of empowerment and hope went Rosaline doesn’t like him back because she is "committing to celebesay". Romeo gives a lack of living and shuts himself away.
decides to gate crash it the party in hope to see the girl he loves
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s impulsiveness contributes to the tragedy of the play. There is no doubt that Romeo rushes into love throughout the play. One example of this is when he falls in love with Rosaline. Although Rosaline is not a major role in the play, it shows the sorrow and uncertainty Romeo goes through after not being loved back. Marilyn Williamson said “During the time in which he was infatuated with Rosaline, he was … withdrawn into darkness” (6). The fact that Rosaline never shares the same feelings with Romeo, shows how quickly Romeo is to fall in love. “Out of her favor, where I am in love” (Rom. 1.1.158). Ironically, Romeo falls in love with Juliet during his plan to get closer to Rosaline. He is at a Capulet party when he first sees Juliet and
and Juliet when she was at a young age. She fall over oh her face and
Juliet’ due to the fact that his film work was about youth and how its
Romeo had unrequited love for Rosaline, who is mentioned, but doesn’t appear in the movie or the original script. But those feelings are dead the second he sees Juliet.
Out of his love for you, he came to that party, and at this party, he met Juliet, his future wife.Now, we cannot put the blame for them falling in love on you. However, it is of the opinion of the court that you, Rosaline, tendered Romeo's heart, making him prone to fall in love easily. This may also have caused his easiness to slip in and out of moods. This is shown when he, at first was against all fights and was trying to keep the peace between his friend Mercutio, and enemy Tybalt. Soon after Tybalt slay Mercutio, Romeo suddenly had a change of heart and avenged his friends death, and for this reason was banished from his hometown Verona.
Through his motivation to find love, Romeo, a dynamic character, changes from a subdued individual, into a jovial lovesick character. In the early sections of the play, Romeo is in love with a woman named Rosaline who does not reciprocate those feelings. This leads him to drone on about, “sad hours “ (I.i.146) and how he would, “rather weep” (I.i.167) because he is, “out of her favour” (I.i.154). The importance of Romeo’s affection for each of his women is essential to address. The feelings that Romeo possesses inevitably leads him to become sorrowful over rejection but then, optimistic for Juliet. Later on in the play, once Romeo meets Juliet, he is quick to forget the love that he had for Rosaline and the grieving that he had underwent. After meeting her at Capulet’s ball Romeo states that she is, “my
Rosaline feel the way that Romeo does for her. He talks of her as wise
When Romeo meets Juliet, he claimed to be immediately in love. Although he has been sulking over Rosaline, when he met Juliet, he states, “Did my heart love till now? forswear it sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night” (Act 1.5 Lines 51-52). The entire time as he envisions love with Rosaline, it was all incoherent. Romeo’s impulsive attitude causes him to fall head over heels with Juliet, which begins the drama in this play.
Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous love tales, but what if the play is not actually a tale of love, but of total obsession and infatuation. Romeo has an immature concept of love and is rather obsessive. Romeo is not the only person in the play who is obsessed though. Many people throughout the play notice his immaturities about love. Very rarely was true love actually shown in the play. attention. Romeo childishly cries to his friend, Benvolio because Rosaline will not love him back and says " She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow/ Do I live dead that live to tell it now" (I i 219-220). Romeo is stating that he's ready to die for loving Rosaline. This is exactly the same attitude Romeo had towards Juliet a little later in the play. During Scene I, Act ii, Romeo's friend, Benvolio tries to get him to go to the Capulet's party to help him get over Rosaline and meet other women Romeo gets very angry and emotional when he suggests this. “Now Romeo is beloved and loves again, / Alike bewitched by the charm of looks” (II 5-6). The chorus expresses Romeo’s juvenile way...
It’s often said that love at first sight is what occurred in this dismal story but you can not truly be in love until you have gotten to know the person and actually talked to them. When Romeo first saw Juliet he was already saying he was in love with her and didn’t even speak to her, “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!” (I.V.52). When in actual, true love you must know the person. Juliet had just learned his name and she was already calling him her love, “My only love, sprung from my only hate!” (I.V.138). On top of that, they were just teenagers. Majority of all teenagers suffer from mood swings due to the hormones raging through their body. One day they’re angry the next they’re sad, so how could they have truly known what they have wanted? Yes, it is possible for teenagers to be in love, but it’s hard to tell whether it’s actual love. “One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun” (I.II.96) In that line he was talking about a girl he met before he met Juliet, Romeo was claiming he was in love with her, Rosaline, and he was really down about that sitatuion. “Is Rosaline that thou didst love so dear, / So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies / Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” (II.III.66-68) Friar Lawrence even pointed it out; if he was able to get over Rosaline that quickly then he did not love her. If he could get over her that fast then he could find somebody else and get over Juliet
Romeo has an obsessive personality. The morning before he meets Juliet, he is obsessing on Rosaline. To see Rosaline, Romeo snuck into a Capulet’s party; once there, he meets Juliet and instantly he forgets his obsession of Rosaline, thinking Juliet is the most beautiful creature on earth. Friar Lawrence even acknowledges this when he states, “Young men’s love then lies / Not truly in their hearts but in their eyes” (II iii 67-68). Romeo’s affection is easily swayed from Rosaline to Juliet.
Even before Juliet is introduced, Romeo considers himself to be in love with Rosaline. Although he says that it is true love, stating “..Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes..” (Shakespeare, I.1.23), it is clear that his obsession with Rosaline is purely surface-level-- later on in this same scene, it is revealed that Rosaline is taking a vow of chastity, and after that, it could be inferred that Romeo does not know Rosaline well at all. He is simply interested in the concept of her, rather than being in true love with her. After he pursues Rosaline, and quickly gets over her at the masquerade party, Romeo moves on to Juliet, the two immediately “fall in love”, even though they are meeting for the first time. Romeo experiences the same thrill, speaking of Juliet in poems and flowery adjectives, for example, saying that “..It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.” (II.2.69) There are many other incidents where he speaks similarly about the two women, even though they are different. His similar fixation with the two different girls tells us something about Romeo: he is not in love with them specifically-- moreso, the idea of being in love and its caveats, a strong theme that Shakespeare