The Play of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet written by Shakespeare, portrays the life of a pair of star-crossed lovers who’s passion ultimately leads the pair to their unfortunate deaths. Shakespeare uses the thematic focus to communicate the way Romeo and Juliet’s love for one another influences the outcome of their relationship in a negative and violent way. Most of the time, being in love makes people become very aware and dramatic to the point that when it comes to losing someone they love, they come to believe that their lives are over and are unable to stop holding on onto the past. As shown throughout the play of Romeo and Juliet, love is a great passion, and as it is blinding, it can overwhelm a person powerfully and completely such as hate can.

Violence can be influenced in different forms such as an action or an idea inflicted onto yourself or others. In this scene Romeo exclaims, “To call hers, exquisite, in question more. These happy mask that kiss fair ladies’ brows, Being black, puts us in mind they hide the fair. He that is strucken blind cannot forget the precious treasure of his eyesight lost”(Shakespeare Act 1.2.229-233). After Romeo is declined by Rosaline, his first love, he comes to believe that no one else in the world will ever have the audacity to challenge her beauty and personality, even though shortly after he falls in love at first sight when he layed his eyes on Juliet. Similarly to when Romeo is exiled from Verona, he compains to Friar claiming, “Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say “death”; For exile hath more terror in his look, much more than death. Do not say banishment” (Shakespeare Act 3.3.12-14).

Romeo argues that being banished from Verona is the worst thing to happen to him therefore arguing it is just saying death by another name. Romeo would gladly chose to die rather than being tortured by being taken away from his love Juliet. As for Juliet, the same state of mindset she took when she heard the news of Romeo’s banishment. Juliet argues, “But wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin? That villain cousin would have killed my husband.”(Shakespeare Act 3.3.100-101). She defended Romeo claiming his outcomes of being banished much more drastic than the life of her own family. In both scenes, both Romeo and Juliet have gone through a period where there is nothing possible at the moment that would comfort them as much as being better off alone. Both show that they would rather to linger in the dark and become depressed over the idea of love rather than actually trying and working on restoring hope. Both Romeo and Juliet show throughout the play that whenever handling a situation with one another, they inflict pain to themselves mentally and physically by contemplating and attempting violent ideas such as suicide.

Love can be very blinding forcing violence to reflect off of the decisions a person makes, meaning why a person decides this and how the action is taken upon. Romeo and Juliet both have shown to make unreasonable and dangerous choices due their love clouding their ability to think wisely. For example, Romeo bought the poison from a apothecary claiming “There is thy gold, worse poison to men's souls” (Shakespeare Act 5.2.80). He never considered all of his options, but instead immediately jumps to the conclusion of needing to sacrifice his life in order to preserve and defend his love with Juliet. While Juliet being placed in the same situation as well, she states, “I long to die if what thou speak’st speak not of remedy” (Shakespeare, Act 4.1.66-67). She said this to Friar Lawrence claiming that if he can’t find her a way out of marrying Paris, she will just simply need to take her life away. This highlights the significance of her relationship between Romeo demonstrating through her actions how her love for Romeo made her think violently, even if she didn’t follow through with the task she said she was capable of committing . Both lovers show that they are willing to do anything in power without hesitation in order to conserve their relationship even if it means sacrificing one another.

Violence can interfere between those you hate and who you love without any intentions to any of them. Romeo never wished to hurt Tybalt in anyway due to him being cousins with Juliet as he claimed, “ I do protest, I never injured thee, But love thee better than thou canst devise, Toll thou shalt know the reason of my love. And so, good Capulet-which name I tender as dearly as mine own” (Shakespeare Act 3.1.67-71). On the other hand, Mercutio believes Romeo to be a dastardly person and refers to him as an “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission” (Shakespeare Act 3.1.70). Mercutio knows what a threat Tybalt poses against Romeo encouraging Mercution to feel angry by Tybalt’s challenge; therefore, Mercutio obtrudes himself into the conflict as a way to defend Romeo as a way to demonstrate the responsibility and control he holds. Once Mercution has been killed, Romeo results in killing Tybalt out of rage from losing his beloved best friend Mercutio.

The platonic love between both Romeo and Mercutio had a big influence in the avengances of Mercutio’s death. Although clearly Tybalt is responsible for Mercutio’s death, Romeo personally expresses his own guilt for having contributed to Mercutio’s death when killing Mercutio. Treating Violence with violence justified and inflicted the real pain Romeo had to experience and cooperate unexpectedly.
The power of violence has the capability to do or change anything under it’s influence and control. Romeo and Juliet were prohibited to love one another under the control of their parents due to “...the continuance of their parents rage”(Shakespeare The Prologue. 10). However, the double suicide was what interfered into the families perspectives and resulted ending the conflict between the two feuding families. Both families have looked past through all those years of constant arguing and competition with one another and have come to realize through the actions of their children their consequences.

Romeo’s Father claimed, “Alas, my liege, my wife is dead tonight. Grief of my son’s exile hath stopped her breath.” Lady Montague died of grieving for her banished son who she lovedvery much. Both details introduce the idea of how love is the source of all or most of the violence that occur throughout the play of Romeo and Juliet. Had there not been a family feud, there would have been no need for Romeo and Juliet to hide their love resulting in having no one else die tragically. Also arguing the idea that Romeo and Juliet have not been the only ones who have died due to love.

The main theme of Love as a cause of violence is frequently shown throughout the entire play of Romeo and Juliet. The amount of power that love contains can work in various ways. In the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, love causes over dramatic behaviour, bad influences and decisions, and most of all, violent actions and thoughts expressed by the main and minor characters causing harm to others and one’s self.

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