Themes of Love and Hate in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet were two star crossed lovers who were inseparable from the second they met. Their love for each-other fueled countless arguments, family members to be killed, and in the end brought people closer than they would have ever imagined. I agree with the analysis of Romeo and Juliet from Analyzing the love between Romeo and Juliet (UK Essays). The two lovers caused clashes of love and hate which made the two families rival with each other more than they did before.

Romeo first laid eyes on Juliet at the Capulet’s masquerade. The two weren’t aware that they were from rival families, so they mingled. You can argue that love at first sight isn’t true, but in the case of Romeo, he fell in love with Juliet the instant he saw her. Him falling in love with Juliet not only got him to forget about Rosaline, but it ushered him to do unthinkable things. The love that Romeo and Juliet have for each other makes them willing to do anything for each other. Later, after the Capulet masquerade, Romeo snuck into the Capulets mansion to seek out Juliet. This scene is usually quoted as the balcony scene . Juliet appeared on the balcony, where Romeo was stalking her. Juliet stated that if Romeo had a different name, she would be perfectly fine with dating/marrying him. The only thing that is holding them back is their names; if the two were from rival families, they would be fine with marrying each other. Romeo makes a promise to Juliet, but is abruptly stopped by Juliet who states, Do not swear at all; Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, And I’ll believe thee. [Act 2, page 17]. The two agree to meet the next morning to talk more. The next day, Romeo appears at Friar Lawrence’s cell, and asks him to marry him and Juliet. Friar Lawrence agrees to marry the two because he believes that the marriage of the two will ease the discord between the two families [UK Essays]. Romeo is marrying Juliet the next day because he does not want to waste any time with her. Their abrupt marriage shows the love that they have for each other, and how their relationship together will play out. Friar Lawrence references Romeo as his son, because of the connection that he has with Romeo. Romeo shows his love to Juliet by sneaking off into her house many times, and the two getting married a day after they got together. I feel that the early marriage is foreshadowing for the short amount of time that the couple will be alive. Even though they just met each other, they feel as if they already know so much about each other. Romeo is always leaving to go see Juliet, which is making a couple family members suspicious, such as Benvolio and Mercutio.

Love is the most prevalent theme in act two since Romeo married Juliet within 24 hours of meeting her, and after that he went to see her daily. Love plays a crucial role in the foreplay of the story; not only does it push the plot of the story on, but it is the backbone of the entire play. This act / scene is what determines the end of the actual play. Not only did Romeo and Juliet’s love cause people to fight each other, but it also brought people together. In act 2 scene 3, Tybalt sends Romeo a threatening message. Romeo receives this message because Tybalt finds Romeo unwelcomed at the Capulet ball. Tybalt was challenging Romeo to a fight, which was utterly pointless because when they were going to fight, Romeo and Juliet were already engaged. The fight led to two deaths; both Tybalt and Mercutio are slain after the fight. At the very end of the play, after Romeo and Juliet commit suicide (Juliet commits suicide because she believed that Romeo was dead, and since she loved him so much, she believed that it would be best if she committed suicide alongside Romeo), the Montagues and Capulets come together and stop fighting. These deaths could have been prevented if the two families had put aside their differences and come together. It took five people dying for the Montagues and Capulets to realize that their qualms were pointless. Romeo and Juliet had a love that was able to cause the deaths of multiple people.

To conclude, love is the most present theme in act two of Romeo and Juliet. Not only did they marry in the same day, but they also died together (later in the story). The two star crossed lovers filled the text with their love. They would have gone through it all for each other. Their love was the prime source of fuel for all the conflicts, friendships, etc. that occurred throughout the course of a week. The inseparable couple met one night at a masquerade, and ever since their lives have been lived to basically serve each other, which as I previously stated, caused more fights and conflicts than anything else that happened during their age. Love and hate are thrown around like a hot potato during act two. Shakespeare uses the day as a buildup for what happens during the nighttime. Their relationship goes by in a heartbeat because of this. As seen in act two scene two, JULIET: At what o’clock to-morrow Shall I send to thee? ROMEO: At the hour of nine . This is the buildup for the actual events that are going to happen during the day. Later on, Romeo is going to ask Juliet to marry him, but they sadly commit suicide after a lack of good communication kept Romeo from receiving a letter about the plan that Friar Lawrence had composed.

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