preview

Romeo And Juliet Infatuation

Decent Essays

The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is one of the most well known and influential pieces in English literature; more importantly, most people recognize it as a story of true love, or star-crossed lovers. This play tells the story of Romeo and Juliet, who are from two feuding families. They fall in love with each other, despite being from rivaling families, and face numerous obstacles because of the feud. After a series of tragic events and miscommunication, Romeo and Juliet end up taking their lives for their “true love”. However, Romeo and Juliet’s decisions do not seem to be out of true love as they claim, but rather infatuation. In The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare teaches readers that infatuation can …show more content…

For example, when Romeo encounters Juliet on her balcony right after the party, she says, “Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed. If that thy bent of love be honorable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, by one that I’ll procure to come to thee, where and what time thou wilt perform the rite” (2.2.142-146). Juliet agrees to marry him right away, without knowing anything about him except his name and family. This suggests that Juliet is attracted to a superficial aspect of Romeo, most likely his looks; she doesn’t take the time to get to know him properly and decide whether or not she truly loves him. Additionally, Juliet’s strong rejection of her household is seen when Juliet refuses the arranged marriage with Paris: “I pray you tell my lord and father, madam, I will not marry yet; and when I do, I swear it shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, rather than Paris” (3.5.121-124). In this scene, it’s clear that Romeo is hated by Lady and Lord Capulet (since he’s a Montague), and Juliet uses that to aggravate her mother. Juliet tells Lady Capulet that she would rather marry Romeo over Paris, which extremely angers her mother. The fact that Juliet uses Romeo to rebel against her parents indicates that to Juliet, marrying Romeo is a way she can rebel and possibly escape her oppressive household rather than an act of true …show more content…

This lesson is conveyed through Romeo and Juliet’s belief that they are in love with each other, although it is evident that they are merely infatuated: Romeo is easily swayed by a person’s looks, while Juliet is eager to break free from the confinements of her household by using Romeo. Although it is suggested that Romeo and Juliet don’t feel “true love” in the play, its reputation among the general public suggests otherwise. They are frequently mentioned as a classic example of star-crossed lovers, who fell in love at first sight. Shakespeare’s lesson is significant not only to people in love but can also suggest that the difference between other feelings or morals can be confusing when emotions come into

Get Access