ipl-logo

Platonic Love In Romeo And Juliet

1079 Words5 Pages

Love can be an amazing experience filled with joy and delight, but in this story, it shockingly leads two “stars-crossed lovers” to take their life. In the classic play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, love is shown to be detrimental to many characters’ lives. Romeo’s filial love for Tybalt and Lord Capulet’s filial love for Juliet both result in the deaths of major characters. If it were not for Romeo’s strong platonic love that he shared with Mercutio and Friar Lawrence, many tragedies would have been prevented altogether. Additionally, the profound romantic love between Romeo and Juliet themselves leads them to take their lives and those of others. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the filial, platonic, and romantic …show more content…

If filial love was not as confusion, anger, and deaths would have been prevented.

Platonic love is also responsible for many catastrophes in the story. For instance, when Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo begins to get defensive and wants to avenge him because he and Romeo were very close friends who felt true platonic love for each other. Romeo says, “Alive in triumph, and Mercutio slain! / Away to heaven, respective lenity, / And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now.” (3.1.127-129). He proceeds to kill Tybalt in retaliation for killing Mercutio, and is banished to Mantua. This separates Romeo and
Juliet, making both of them more desperate to see each other and they soon become suicidal. Another example of how platonic love between two characters caused a disaster began with the close friendship between Friar Lawrence and Romeo. Though hesitant,
Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo to Juliet when he asks. He answers, “In one respect I’ll thy assistant be, / For this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households’ rancor to pure love.” (2.3.97-99) While the fact that he believes …show more content…

As a result of the platonic love Romeo shared with Mercutio and Friar Lawrence throughout the play, a variety of tragedies occurred.

The profound romantic love that Romeo and Juliet surrounded each other with was not beneficial to either of them and ironically was what most directly lead to their deaths and also that of another. Firstly, when Romeo comes back to Verona from Mantua after hearing news from Balthasar that Juliet had died - he visits her corpse and encounters Paris who also is coming to grieve for Juliet’s death. When this happens,
Romeo gets angered and defensive because he believes that Paris has come to her grave to mock her, and orders him to leave. He says, “Put not another sin upon my head / By urging me to fury. O, begone!” (5.3.62-63). When Paris refuses to leave, he fights him and kills him in Juliet’s defense because of his true romantic love and care for her. Finally, following this scene, Romeo, who believes Juliet is dead, prepares to drink the poison he obtained from the apothecary in Mantua to take his life. His last words are, “Here’s to

Show More
Related
1805 Words | 8 Pages

In his play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare sets quite a high standard for romance and tragic novels after his time. The two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, have a secret, forbidden affair due to the fact that their families are long-time rivals. They seek Friar Lawrence to marry them. Shortly after their marriage, a brawl erupts between Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt with the final result of Mercutio being slain by Tybalt, who is then slain by Romeo. As a punishment, the Prince then publicly announces Romeo’s banishment.

Read More
589 Words | 3 Pages

As well as, how hatred is born of love. Resentment is presented in the text of Romeo and Juliet during the first act of the third scene. Romeo, now a husband of Juliet, encounters Mercutio and Tybalt in a duel. Romeo attempts to separate them, getting Mercutio killed. Romeo’s thirst for revenge overshadows his determination to love the Capulets and Romeo kills Tybalt.

Read More
914 Words | 4 Pages

The story of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare revolves around Romeo and his troubling love life. Romeo overcomes many obstacles and broken hearts on his journey to find the love of his life with his best friend Mercutio by his side. A young Juliet walks into Romeo’s life leaving him speechless and amazed, but their parent’s rivalry will end up being the reason why Romeo and Juliet kill themselves, so they won't have to live a life without each other. Although Romeo and Mercutio are best friends, they are both very different in the way they live their life. Although they both are very friendly and caring people, Mercutio and Romeo differ in their feelings about love and how serious they take life.

Read More
694 Words | 3 Pages

What is expected of two young lovers whose families despise one another, but are determined enough to stay side by side, even if it destroys their families and themselves? Such actions are shown through the characters in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the play, it shows the reader the irrational impulses associated with love that Romeo and Juliet make. Particularly, in Act two, scene two, Romeo’s reckless behavior helps the reader realize the fact that his preference of death over separation from Juliet is caused by him being head over heels in love with Juliet. In the story, when Romeo is hiding in Capulet’s orchard, he disregards the fact that he and Juliet’s families are enemies.

Read More
1005 Words | 5 Pages

However, nothing can be done to avoid the inevitable end of the two, as fate has already decided for them and they both commit suicide after the Friar’s plan is poorly executed. Although Romeo and Juliet took their own lives, fate and the family feud are the root cause of their tragic demise. The family feud triggers a chain reaction of events that lead to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. During an encounter between members from both families, Tybalt kills Mercutio, a close friend of Romeo. A vengeful Romeo then confronts Tybalt and says, “Staying for thine to keep him company./ Either thou

Read More
451 Words | 2 Pages

It was expected for Romeo to be a devoted husband, but instead he turned out to be an accomplice in his loves own death. A tragedy written over 400 hundred years ago by Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet is still widely discussed today. There are many characters in this phenomenal play, but who is to blame for the fated deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Many might prattle that all of the characters facilitated in this tragedy, but some are more to blame than others. Many different actions contribute to this somber ending of this play, such as Romeo and Juliet resolving to marry even though there families are involved in a feud and then deciding to commit suicide.

Read More
1094 Words | 5 Pages

One time the hatred between the two families effected Romeo and Juliets love was when Romeo reacted to his anger in a bad way which caused Tybalt to die. Tybalt wants to fight Romeo but Romeo refuses as they are related now. Mercutio answers Tybalt's insults on Romeo's half which leads to Mercutio and Tybalt to draw their swords, which ends in the result of Mercutio dying. Romeo out of anger agrees to fight Tybalt, “Thou wretched boy, that didst consort him here, /Shalt with him hence” (3.1.126-127). Romeo kills Tybalt in a duel to get revenge for Mercutio’s passing.

Read More
1975 Words | 8 Pages

Till thou shalt know the reason of my love… / This gentleman, the Prince’s near ally, / My very friend, hath got this mortal hurt / In my behalf” (3.1.69-71, 114-116). As a member of the Montague family, Romeo is supposed to fight Tybalt practically for fun, as an act of violence and hate towards the Capulets. In addition to his familial requirements, Tybalt just murdered Mercutio, the man who has been by side as long as he can remember and is an essential part of his life.

Read More
994 Words | 4 Pages

In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the story revolves around the miscommunication and continuous, unfortunate events that evoke readers’ compassion and condolence by using dynamic irony. Although the story is hundreds of years old, it still contains universal ideas such as love, grudge, and friendship that can be related to modern readers and listeners. Shakespeare wanted to convey love as a powerful, bold emotion that suppresses other emotions, and people can still love each other even in the worst situations. In addition, grudges between families make the lives of others miserable. However, the play ends tragically with Romeo and Juliet’s death.

Read More
1005 Words | 5 Pages

As a result of his new familial connections, Romeo reevaluates his perception of the fiery Tybalt, who is his new cousin. When Tybalt kills Romeo’s friend, Mercutio, however, Romeo is forced to partake in the brawl that Tybalt and Mercutio started. Romeo lashes out at Tybalt by proclaiming, “Either thou or I, or both, must go with [Mercutio]” (3.1.131). A vengeful vow exemplifies the guilt Romeo feels for getting involved in the duel between Tybalt and Mercutio. Holding Mercutio back, Romeo causes his friend to die and must kill his murderer despite his kinship with Tybalt.

Read More
1702 Words | 7 Pages

As a result of Romeo’s strong love for Juliet, he explains to Friar Lawrence that he wishes he would be killed as his punishment rather than being banished and forced to be separated from Juliet. Romeo’s sadness can be related to Medieval Courtly love where he will always want attention from his love Juliet, but now that she is far away from him, Romeo is filled with deep sorrow. Therefore, Romeo establishes a massive turning point between his and Juliet’s happiness as Romeo now develops suicidal thoughts which may cause Juliet to soon share the same fate as Romeo due to their separation. In addition to sadness, Juliet has felt this emotion as well. In Act 5 Scene 3, Juliet is seen awakening in her tomb where she sees a deceased Romeo and Paris lying near her.

Read More
1737 Words | 7 Pages

He yearned to do something and decided to wed Romeo and Juliet immediately after he saw this opportunity without consulting their families. However, the consequences of such a wedding would be drastic: punishments such as banishment, disownment, execution, or public humiliation might have stemmed from this, but his isolation compelled him to help Romeo. Before being exiled, Romeo decides that his “...fire-eyed fury be my conduct now. / Now, Tybalt, takes the "villain" back again,” (Shakespeare 3.1.120-121) and kills Tybalt, avenging Mercutio. Because Romeo wanted revenge, he received the sentencing of banishment even though Tybalt would most likely have been executed or exiled for the murder of Mercutio; additionally, this sentencing demonstrates the development of his isolation affecting himself where Romeo is now hasty, vengeful, and careless; furthermore, the personification of his anger enhances his recklessness and carelessness for punishment or consequences.

Read More
493 Words | 2 Pages

Despite being members of feuding families, Romeo and Juliet's love transcends the hostility and prejudice that surrounded them. Their love defies the constraints imposed by their social status and challenges the divisions of their society. “These violent delights have violent ends, and in their triumph die like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume”(2.6.9-19). Friar Lawrence saying this quote shows how Shakespeare suggests that love has the potential to bridge divides, fostering empathy and understanding between individuals regardless of their

Read More
1146 Words | 5 Pages

In reference to the bold statements of the younglings throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet, it could be said that they were willing to ‘risk it all’, despite the circumstances they were under. These two lovers, being described as “star-crossed”, propelled the storyline in a way that was facile for conflicts to form, all of which were a result of their forbidden love (Prologue 5). Over the short course of time during the period in which their story had taken place, Shakespeare asserted the impression that all these conflicts were caused by a cruel overwhelming fate, sheer accident, and by their own willfulness. All these facets of the plot coalesced and attributed to the bringing about of Romeo and Juliet’s untimely and unfortunate death.

Read More
1125 Words | 5 Pages

And all the readers in all these centuries have been interpreting a dramatic idea of love not based on reality but on impulsive feelings as “The ideal Love” . Romeo’s longing for ideal love is the primary driving force behind most of his actions, that reveal themselves as impulsive and stupid. In the tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, mutual love and devotion are the main characteristics of Shakespeare’s ideal love. He also portrays the idea of lovers making sacrifices in order to be together, even if it means forsaking things that are valuable to their existence, including their lives.

Read More

More about Platonic Love In Romeo And Juliet

Related Topics

Open Document