Love And Infatuation In William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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Have you ever been in love before? Many would say that love is hard to come by, and even harder to maintain, while some would say the opposite. In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, he explores similar concepts related to love and infatuation. Although the reader never directly hears from Shakespeare, one could infer that his own thoughts are similarly mirrored in his characters, with the play serving as a warning tale of sorts, and the various roles echoing different dangers when it comes to love, which of there are many. More specifically, Romeo Montague and his actions in the play are very intentional, as they help explain Shakespeare’s intentions and his own personal thoughts on the topic of love and its hazards, as well
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
It’s obvious: Romeo and Juliet come from vastly different families with a strong distaste for each other, often fighting and speaking poorly about the other. However, this does not prevent Romeo and Juliet from falling in love: if anything, it makes their relationship more intense as they sneak behind their families’ backs to be together, which is shown in many ways, with the most well known being the balcony scene in Act II, in which Romeo replies “..Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.” (II.2.73) after Juliet asks if he is a Montague. He is willing to do anything for the girl he just met (again, touching on the theme of infatuation), and the fact that their two families don’t get along only makes the stakes higher for Romeo. He wants to please Juliet, and their families’ intense rivalry plays a part in their relationship as

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