Constraints In Romeo And Juliet

Shakespeare frequently and poignantly portrays the tension between individual desires and societal constraints through the characters of Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo is constantly struggling against the expectations of his family and Veronese society. He defiantly disregards the Capulet-Montague feud and follows his heart's impulse to pursue love at first sight with Juliet, even though she is the daughter of his family's sworn enemy (Petrarchan lover.) His vision of love as transcending the bounds of family loyalty and social customs brings him into constant conflict with the mores of Veronese society. As Romeo proclaims, "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! / For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night" (I.5.52-53). Similarly, Juliet is trapped between her duty to her family and her passions. Although her

Deny thy father and refuse thy name. And I'll no longer be a Capulet." (2.2) Here she is essentially asking Romeo to give up his name to be with her, and if he will not, she will give up her name. Juliet also goes against society by disobeying her parents in faking her own death. She foreshadows her death here "Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing." (2.2.183). This indicates that her love will end with his death, and "sweet sorrow" is an oxymoron describing a lovely sadness. The concept of killing someone with love is a common theme in Romeo and Juliet, echoed in its many oxymorons. We also see Juliet create tension here, "What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man." (2.2) This quote highlights how Juliet views her love for Romeo as transcending all earthly or physical bounds (which is not typically done by a female in Elizabethan literature). To her, her passion is not defined or constrained by any physical attributes of her being but