Romeo and Juliet Choose a play whose theme is made clear early in the action. Show how the dramatist introduces the theme and discuss how successfully he or she goes on to develop it.

Introduction Romeo and Juliet is a powerful and thought provoking play by William Shakespeare which tragically conveys the theme of love. The passionate love between Romeo and Juliet is linked from the moment of its inception with death. The theme of love is established from the beginning of the play as being spiritual and emotional experience. The play takes place in ‘fair Verona’

Samson and Gregory Shakespeare portrays the theme of love as a crude and bawdy physical act. “Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be civil with the maids; I will cut off their heads.” Samson is proclaiming that once they have fought with the men of the Montague family, that they will take the virginities of Montague women. This further exemplifies Shakespeare's portrayal of vulgar love at the beginning of the play and how they see love as a lewd, physical act.

Romeo’s love for Rosaline Romeo’s love for Rosaline is artificial and stems from reading bad love poetry. He is passionate, extreme, excitable, intelligent and moody towards love. Romeo mopes over his hopeless unrequited and impulsive love for Rosaline at the beginning of the play, which portrays him as a gloomy and melancholy character. “Why, such is love’s transgression: Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast” This conveys Romeo as an gloomy, melancholy character who is confused by the aspect of love, and longs for the feeling of being in love.

The Nurse She is a motherly figure to Juliet She often repeats herself and her bawdy references to the sexual aspect of love set the idealistic love of Romeo and Juliet apart from the love described by other characters in the play The nurse doesn’t share Juliet’s idea of love; for her, love is a temporary and physical relationship, so she can’t understand the intense and spiritual love Romeo and Juliet share. When the nurse brings Juliet news of Romeo’s wedding arrangements, she focuses on the pleasure of Juliet’s wedding night, “I am the drudge, and toil in your delight, But you shall bear the burden soon at night” The nurse tells Juliet to marry Paris even though she helped Juliet marry him- “I think it best you married with the County. O, he’s a lovely gentleman. Romeo’s a dishclout to him.”

Mercutio Mercutio is an anti-romantic character who, like Juliet’s Nurse, regards love as an exclusively physical pursuit. In Act I, Scene 4, when Romeo describes his love for Rosaline using the image of love as a rose with thorns, Mercutio mocks this conventional device by punning bawdily. “If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking and you beat love down.” “If love be rough with you, be rough with love” It’s not just love that Mercutio has a problem with. He is also hostile towards woman and female sexuality in general- he is a very crude character.

Romeo and Juliet In the relationship, Juliet is loving, loyal and strong. When Romeo and Juliet kiss at the party, Juliet teases Romeo for using the popular imagery of love poetry to express his feeling and for kissing according to convention rather than from the heart: “You kiss by th’ book”. This establishes a pattern for their relationship in which Juliet displays greater maturity, particularly in moments of great emotional intensity. She is prepared to defy her parents and marry Romeo in secret. For stony limits cannot hold our love out’’ Romeo believes that his and Juliet’s love is too strong and passionate for anything to come between them. In this context Romeo states that the brick walls of the Capulet house is a boundary between their love but he really means that nothing at all can come between them.

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