Romeo and Juliet: the Forbidden Love

Romeo and Juliet: The Forbidden Love

Love is like waking up in a field of yellow grass with the last rays of the sun keeping one just warm enough to want to stay there forever. To some, love is the most precious possession, which can’t be seen or heard, but felt within oneself. Love acknowledges no boundary. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, and demolishes walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. In Shakespeare's tragic play Romeo and Juliet, two star-crossed lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, secretly participate in young romance strictly prohibited by their feuding families. As their young love blossoms, they constantly fight to be together. Romeo even went to an extent to where he allows Juliet to completely control him all because he wants to protect his vulnerable love for Juliet. Similarly, Juliet’s scheme to play dead so that she can be far away from the nurse and her parents to marry Romeo shows the sacrifices lovers make to be together. However, despite both Romeo’s and Juliet’s efforts to be together, a misunderstanding led to both of their demises at the end of the play. Overall, the shifting characteristics of the two lovers portray how when influenced by love, change and sacrifices need to be made by the people in love in order to shield their love from outside forces revolt.

First, Juliet starts out as a naïve girl who's dependent on her family but falling in love with Romeo causes her to bravely sacrifice her own family to be together with him. Famously  Hridia 2 referred to as the “balcony scene,” Act 2, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet begins with Juliet standing on her bedroom balcony, talking to herself. She muses on how unfair it is that the striking gentleman she kissed moments ago is, in fact, Romeo Montague, a young man from the family her Capulet kin are warring with. She is so deeply in regret that she wishes, “Belonging to a man, O, be some other name” (2.2.41). As oblivious as Juliet is, she didn’t notice Romeo who has crept into the Capulet grounds, overheard her words. When he presents himself to Juliet, the two embark on a very passionate conversation in which they seldom confess their love for one another. Their declarations are cut short in fear that Romeo will be discovered and by Juliet’s nurse constantly calling her to come back into her bedroom. Before they separate, Juliet instructs Romeo to meet with her the following day to make a plan to elope and marry. Through Juliet’s daunting actions, Shakespeare portrays how when in love, sacrifices by lovers need to be made to have unison of two parties. When sacrifices are made it is proven how much one desires the other. Consequently, outside forces admire how one gives away certain aspects of their possessions to satisfy their lover, leading to no obstruction in continuing the love between two lovers.

Second, Romeo starts out as a confident character but when he agrees to love Juliet, he becomes impulsive and allows Juliet of complete dominance over him. Romeo’s impulsive nature is evident as he crept behind enemy lines and claims that he has no fear of the Capulets. As he is driven by his ego, he immediately denies his heritage, claiming the Montague heritage is inferior to Juliet.

In an attempt to learn how Romeo had trespassed he family grounds, Juliet Hridia 3 inquires Romeo. Flattered, Romeo, doesn’t hesitate to confidently respond, “...there lies more peril in the thin eye, Than twenty of their swords” (2.2.71-72). He figures his pursuit of Juliet in the language of perilous adventure, where he must advance “stony limits” (2.2.67) and persevere through the “farthest sea” (2.2.83) in order to hit the target of his love and passion for Juliet. Regardless of his heroic portrayal, his self-confidence is reduced by the power Juliet has over him. Ever since she came into his life, she has a lot of control over him.

Furthermore, Romeo describes himself as Juliet’s pet “bird” now, which signifies him as a tiny toy being manipulated by Juliet in every whim (2.2.182). However, her manipulation is only presented as love in Romeo’s eyes. It is evident that when in love, lovers change themselves no matter how drastic because it satisfies the other party. When the other party is happy, tranquility on another level is achieved. As a result, when outsides forces watch, it is hard to not admire how two lovers change for each other to bring out the best versions of themselves while keeping everyone else satisfied.

Conclusion

Therefore in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, it is evident that when two people are in love they change and make sacrifices to preserve their love. Romeo and Juliet are an example of this concept. Juliet is willing to sacrifice by leaving her family just to be with Romeo because she loves him that much. Similarly, Romeo changes from a boastful person to one that allows Juliet to control him all because he also loves Juliet. It is these sacrifices and change formed during relationships that help couples last, as it proves their genuineness and pure caring of each other, driving them to achieve the maximum point in each other’s passion.            

Cite this page