Romeo And Juliet Love Essay

According to George Sand, “There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” In the play Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare, the author does an effective job in showcasing the affection and intimacy as well as the passion the characters feel in their relationships with one another. Some have a graceful relationship whereas others have a luckluster love. Romeo’s affection for Rosaline and his love for Juliet, Lady and Lord Capulet’s marriage and the Nurse’s caring love towards Juliet convey discrete types of love. In Romeo & Juliet, the characters display various types of love in their relationships with each other, which enhances and diversifies the theme of love in the play.

Romeo’s love for Juliet in contrast to his affection

Romeo’s love for Juliet is real, whereas his feelings for Rosaline are affection. Although he believes that his feelings for Rosaline are true, he’s only attracted to her beauty. When Romeo was talking to Benvolio about the cause of his sadness, he mentions, “Tut, I have lost myself, I am not here,”(1:1,191). Romeo has turned into a completely different person and his affection for Rosaline has changed his character as well as the way he acts. Rosaline has made him hopeless and miserable. Romeo’s view on love with Rosaline is sorrowful and depressing. True love is supposed to make one happy, excited and make them feel hopeful for the future. The love between Romeo and Rosaline is one-sided and Rosaline does not love Romeo back. This one-sided relationship leaves Romeo feeling defeated, helpless and without hope that would ever be able to marry Rosaline. Nevertheless, Romeo’s love for Juliet is the opposite of his affection for Rosaline. When Friar Lawrence is trying to convince Romeo that he should be grateful for the Prince’s decision to show him mercy by allowing him to disappear from Verona, instead of punishing him with a death sentence for Tybalt’s murder, Romeo replies ungraciously,

When Lord Capulet is yelling at Juliet and is raged by Juliet’s disobedience of his decision for her to marry Paris, the Nurse daringly replies, “You are to blame, my lord, to rate her so.”(3:5,169). The Nurse has the bravery to stand up for Juliet and criticize the head of the Capulet’s household, Lord Capulet, whom his own wife, Juliet’s mother, did not dare to oppose. The Nurse has a protective and nurturing love for Juliet, a love her own mother, Lady Capulet could not show her. She feels a sheltering and supporting duty and she shows Juliet a warm and caring love. Ultimately, the Nurse acts as a mother-role for Juliet. Furthermore, Juliet asks the Nurse to go to Romeo to ask him for more information about their marriage date and where it will take place, and the Nurse informs her, “Then hie you hence to Friar Lawrence’ cell, There stays a husband to make you a wife.”(2:5,68-69). This shows the amount of trust Juliet has in the Nurse that she tells her about her most important secret that one would only tell to their most beloved. Moreover, the Nurse is the only person that Juliet mentioned her marriage with Romeo to, which reveals that her and Juliet are extremely close and they have a close bond with one another. It seems as though the Nurse and Juliet have a mother-daughter relationship. The Nurse shows Juliet the protective love and support one would