Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Does love make Romeo and Juliet better people? More accepting? More selfish? How does love affect individuals according to the play?

While love does make Romeo and Juliet more accepting of others, it also makes them more selfish. Love allows Romeo and Juliet to rise above the conflict between their two families. They seek to end the blood feud so that they may get married in peace, and while this aspiration is noble, it is also selfish. In pursuance of love, Romeo and Juliet disregard the ramifications of their actions. These ramifications include the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio. 


However, love also causes some of the characters to act more compassionately. Examples include the Nurse and Friar Lawrence, both of whom go out of their way in order to help facilitate the marriage between Romeo and Juliet. Additionally, the deaths of Romeo and Juliet ultimately result in peace between the two families. In this way, the love between Romeo and Juliet acts as a force that binds everyone together. Unfortunately, this comes out the expense of the two star crossed lovers.  

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thomas Jefferson's election in 1800 is sometimes called the Revolution of 1800. Why could it be described in this way?

Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1800 can be called the “Revolution of 1800” because it was the first time in America’s short history that pow...