Romeo and Juliet
Essay by Harrygorringe • April 11, 2017 • Research Paper • 713 Words (3 Pages) • 1,035 Views
Theme of love
Love is portrayed as…
o Impure or (Act 1, scene 1) at the beginning
o Socially defined at the end – Act 1 scene 5
o Pure (the middle)
o Impure love
CONTEXT – This is the conversation between Benvolio and Romeo where Romeo is ranting about love and Rosaline
- ‘Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy,’(Romeo) (Act 1, scene 1) – This is typical of a Petrarchan lover making this phrase very cliché. This shows how the love is not real as it is mocking the solemn serious Petrarchan lover. Petrarch was a poet who wrote about his solemn loves, in a melodramatic way in the 1300’s; this made this type of poetry a very popularized form of poetry. This quote contains themes of a Petrarchan lover as it uses oxymoronic phrases, which implies the love with Rosaline is contradictory, and confusing as love cannot be both heavy and light etc. meaning they cannot be together. It is very melodramatic hinting at a one sided solemn relationship as the words heavy and light imply Romeos love is a lot for Rosaline but Rosaline’s love is little (light) in return. Also it is a rule of three =? Another example in scene 1 is when Romeo ‘makes himself an artificial light,’ in his chamber (with his curtains). The artificial light suggests a fake night which reflects and mocks on the common Petrarchan melodramatic theme of sleeping through the pain of love. The closing of the curtains emphasizes this as it suggests Romeo is shutting himself out from the world and the love is fake made.
- ‘Love is smoke made’ (Romeo)
- Structure point - We know the love between Paris and Juliet is not pure but the love between Paris and Juliet in act 1 scene 2 is similar to that of Rosaline. Both Romeo and Paris are depressed and they are told to go to the party to take their mind off a girl.
o Pure love
CONTEXT – This is when Romeo and Juliet first meet
- ‘Profane’, ‘holy shrine’ and ‘pilgrims’ – These are religious words, showing the love between them is holy and pure. Profane is a sin to god = Juliet is sacred. Holy shrine was a catholic religious icon; all these are references to catholic religion and most of the country were catholic so it has significance as it is telling a religious country Juliet is god like and the love is as pure as religion. Furthermore, the word Pilgrim shows
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