Love is an overpowering force that can supersede rational thought and loyalty toward one’s family. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet, it is explored that love can bear unwanted effects while in Dire Straits’ song “Romeo and Juliet,” it is explored that love is beautiful and that just the timing is wrong for soulmates with bad circumstances. Both Shakespeare and Dire Straits similarly intend to express that rushing into love can have woeful repercussions.
The first piece of evidence that conveys the theme that rushing into love can have woeful repercussions is the intent of both Dire Straits’ song and Shakespeare’s play is Romeo’s portrayal. Both in the play and the song, Romeo is portrayed as an emotionally over-the-top character.
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Throughout the play and the song, Juliet often is hesitant towards loving Romeo, as they come from different backgrounds. She considers the realistic approach towards their love, while he takes the highly emotional route. The differences of Romeo and Juliet’s way of thinking is portrayed through when Juliet says, “Prodigious birth of love it is to me/That I must love a loathed enemy” (I.v. 156-157). This portrayal is similar to that of the song, where Juliet says, “You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that.” In the play, Juliet realizes who Romeo is and comes to terms that her love for him is forbidden. In the song, Juliet considers the realistic consequences of Romeo sneaking onto her lawn and serenading her. Although these cover different aspects of the story, they both illustrate Juliet’s thinking process before she goes forward, in contrast to Romeo. The second piece of evidence that conveys that Juliet understands her love for Romeo is forbidden in the play is, “Belonging to a man. O’ be some other name!/ What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet” (II. ii. 45-47). This text in the play is similar to that of the song where the Dire Straits says, “Come up on different streets, they