William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet - 2673 Words

Explore the ways in which romantic love is presented through the character of Romeo in comparison to the attitudes of speakers in a selection of Renaissance and Metaphysical poetry by Donne, Marvell and Shakespeare. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is considered to be one of the most distinguished love stories ever to be told. The classic idea of love is embodied throughout the play particularly centralizing Romeo and Juliet as both of their personas shape and develop around the powerful and poignant theme of romantic love. Shakespeare presents this as a force of nature, so strong that it transcends societal conventions; their love can overturn the social boundaries of ‘fair Verona’. The normality, in contrast to the type of love that Romeo and Juliet†¦show more content†¦These values are more familiar in modern society today, where a couple marry because of the spiritual love they share and not because of the more customary views of this time. If this were to happen in the 16th of 17th century, it would generally be considered as unconventional and bizarre. (281) 49 Immediately in the first scene of the play, the audience see how love can have such a severe effect on a person’s emotions when the love is unrequited. Although this love may be the least convincing romantic love in the play, Shakespeare still manages to use the excessive affection to fill the scene with tension in the two-part exchange. This exchange is between Romeo and Benvolio. Romeo’s emotions consume Benvolio because the love which he is very willing to give to Rosaline isn’t being returned. The audience share Romeo’s anguish and mental sickness because he expresses his emotions almost in riddles during the exchange. As the exchange starts, Romeo wishes to be alone and isolated from everyone around him. The length and distribution of turns communicate Romeo’s solitude. Both Romeo and Benvolio use very short lines because Romeo has no desire to speak to anyone and Benvolio is cautious; he is aware of Romeo’s unstable state. This volatile state is also expressed with the use of the long vowel sounds and monosyllabic phrases. Phrases uttered by Romeo such as