What Happens to the Lovers in Romeo and Juliet: Love, Tragedy, and Fate

Love and its Overpowering Force

A theme I see that comes in Romeo and Juliet is love. According to Merriam-Webster, it is a “strong affection for another arising kinship or personal ties.” In the play, love has the overpowering force of emotions. When reading this novel, love can be overwhelming. Love can overwhelm a person. The two characters are linked with their passionate love from first sight and to death.

Romeo and Juliet are obsessed with each other by committing themselves together and going against their families.

In Act Two, Scene Two, Romero says, “By a name, I know not how to tell thee who I am. My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself. Because it is an enemy to thee, had I it written, I would tear the word.” Love is dangerous. Act One, Scene Five, Juliet says, “Prodigies birth of love it is to me. That I must love a loathed enemy.”

The Tragic Fate of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet are two teenagers who fall in love, but their families do not like the idea. As kids, they don’t listen. Usually, people unite families after a while. However, in this case, it did not happen. It was not a goal. They were deeply in love, and they couldn’t be broken up.

Romeo liked Rosaline but did not love her. He never had an intent to marry her. Romeo is at Capulet’s, and this is where he meets Juliet. He falls in love and wants to secretly marry her; however, he feels like Capulet and Montague would never allow this. The turning point happens when Romeo kills Tybalt and is ordered to leave the city. After this, Juliet decides to fake her own death. Capulet did not know about the secret marriage. Juliet uses a portion to fake her death.

Then Romeo is told about the death. She is not really dead but asleep. Romeo really takes the poison and dies. Juliet wakes up and learns what Romeo has done. She kills herself with a knife. After both deaths, the families decide to get along.

Family Feud and Rebellious Love

Both families of Romeo and Juliet did not get along. This caused them to go against their family’s wishes and, in the end, was fatal for both of them. After both of their deaths, the family made a decision to get along. They were rebellious and loved each other very deeply. In Act Three Scene Five, Juliet is talking with Capulet about marriage. “Not proud you have, but thankful even for hate that is meant love.” She was not happy that Capulet had selected another man for her to marry. Anyone who was human would not like this. That is how they did it in the old days.

Romeo hated his last name. He loved Juliet so much that he was willing to change his name. If the two families were not fighting, they would have been able to have a love together. Since they were feuding, they had to secretly marry, and they killed themselves as a result of the family feud.

Challenges and Transformations of the Lovers

There are many challenges that Juliet faces in her life, but the most important change is that she is supposed to marry Count Paris; however, she is already secretly married to Romeo. She does not love Count Paris and loves Romeo. Juliet did not see another option, so she had to fake her own death. “Do not deny to him that you love me.”

Another challenge that Juliet went through was the hatred between the two families. This feud went back for centuries. Both families were against the two marrying each other because of their bad blood.

Figurative Language

There is a lot of figurative language used in the novel. They are metaphors, similes, and personifications. An example is the balcony scene when Juliet is alone on her balcony, and Romeo declares his love for her. It is dangerous to be there. They plan their secret marriage, tell each other they love one another, and say good night.

“It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” Act two is a metaphor when it compares Juliet to the sun. Act Two uses personification on ‘who is already sick and pale with grief that though, her maid, art far more fair than she.” This gives human qualities to the moon. “I have a soul of lead, so stakes me to the ground I cannot move.” Romero talks about his feelings for Rosaline. This makes the audience wary because he has feelings for Juliet.

Time and Place

The story takes place in Verona, Italy, around the 14 century. The story takes place in Juliet’s house. The families in the play are rich and dress well. They lived in fancy homes, and we were elegant. I think the setting took place in the summertime. “For now, these hot days is the mad blood stirring” Act three. Verona was hot in the summertime.

Tone

The tone that comes across in this novel is tragic and heartbreaking. The two are deeply in love. The heartbreak comes in the end when they both die. This happens now in today’s society where families don’t approve of their child’s love interest. Parents know best, they say. Another tone that is used is hopeless. They knew that the families would not approve because of the family feud.

Juliet was worried about falling in love so quickly with Romeo, but the tone came across as the two were serious lovers. Juliet was only thirteen years old. In the novel, she wants to be with Romeo.

Text Structure

The text structure of the novel is a whole form. It has an opening, a middle, and an end with scripts. In the end, Juliet fakes her death by drinking poison and then falls asleep. However, Romero does not know this and kills himself. This is sad. This is called dramatic structure, using comedy and tragedy to help with the tension.

Perspective

In the novel, it shows us Juliet’s point of view and Romeo’s. It is shared between the two lovers. The novel focuses a lot of time on him. In the beginning, he wants to get back with Rosaline. The novel tells us about each character before they meet at the party. It shows us how much love can change them.

Juliet then becomes the focus of the novel. She is coming up with a plan to secretly be with Romeo and get married to him. She does not want to be with Count Paris.

Movie vs. the Novel

In the novel, the characters are taken seriously. They are young but taken seriously. The mood is very different from the novel and the movie. The movie makes them seem like two young kids who are in love, and no one takes them seriously. All they do is laugh. The audience knows that they are very real and mature. In the mood, they come across as two kids who are not mature.

References:

1. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Love. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love

2. Shakespeare, W. (1597). Romeo and Juliet. Retrieved from https://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/romeojuliet/

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