The events in Romeo and Juliet are fueled by love, specifically the forbidden romance between the two characters. The importance of this love is immediately made clear when they first meet and discover that they are from rival families. Juliet’s words, “My only love spring from my only hate,” emphasizes the stark divide between the two houses with its emotional use of “love” and “hate.”
The peak of the forbidden love dilemma occurs when Juliet is compelled to marry Paris against her desire because she has secretly wed Romeo without her family’s knowledge. Juliet’s statement ‘Oh bid me leap, rather than marry Paris…’ signifies that Romeo is her true love and that nothing can sever their special connection. This is exemplified by their unwavering devotion to each other. When Friar Laurence informs Juliet that Romeo is deceased, she is astonished and unsure of how to proceed. Her beloved has passed away. Juliet’s words, “What’s here?
A cup, sealed in my beloved’s grasp? I perceive poison to be his untimely demise. Oh, wretched one, consumed all, and left me no friendly drop to aid me afterwards? I shall press my lips upon yours. Perhaps some poison still lingers upon them, ready to cause my death, as a cure shows that Juliet instantly comprehends that the only way she can persist is by taking her own life so she can reunite with Romeo in another existence. Another aspect of forbidden love emerges when Juliet utters the words ‘Deny your father and reject your name. Or, if you won’t, just promise me your love, and I’ll abandon my Capulet identity. Juliet longs to be with Romeo and wishes he belonged to a different family; she tests the authenticity of Romeo’s love and vows to renounce her Capulet status. ‘Love’ itself holds disparate meanings for each character.
For instance, Benvolio, Romeo’s friend, encourages him to attend the Capulet’s feast and predicts that Romeo will find other girls more attractive than Rosaline. Benvolio expresses this by saying, “Compare her face with one that I show, and I will make thee think thy swan a crow.” Benvolio does not truly believe that Romeo is in love. Rather, he suggests that the woman whom Romeo sees as beautiful as a swan will appear as ugly as a crow compared to the other girls at the ball. In contrast to Romeo, Mercutio views love as merely an excuse to pursue sexual pleasure and considers it a weakness that renders a man foolish. On the other hand, the Nurse serves as Juliet’s best friend and plays a vital role in the story of Romeo and Juliet. Acting as a messenger, she meets with Romeo to discuss wedding plans for him and Juliet.
The necessity of the love of friends for the initiation of any future love is emphasized. Without this love, there may never have been a marriage between Romeo and Juliet, and Juliet may have been compelled to marry Paris. In summary, Romeo and Juliet does not present a precise and definitive statement about the correlation between love and society, religion, and family. Instead, it exhibits the tumultuous and intense nature of being in love, incorporating elements of love, violence, death, religion, and family into a rapid sequence of events that ultimately lead to the play’s tragic ending.
