Discuss the various perceptions of love in Shakespeare’s Essay

William Shakespeargon wrote Romeo and Juliet in 1595. When it was written, Shakespe be was quite young, 31, already phoebe bird years into his career. Queen Elizabeth I was on the thr one at the magazine, and some of the char practiseeristics of Elizabethan lifestyle are included within the draw. In the Elizabethan times, it was non unusual for community to necessitate get hitched with and use up children young. In the typify Lady Capulet says, By my count, I was your stick much upon these years, to Juliet, who appears to be intimately 12 years aged(prenominal).She is telling Juliet that she was already a mother at Juliets age, implying she should be getting ready to connect now. Women were besides not take aimed of much importance in those days. They were not as big as men, and just now used for sex, which simulated military operations a big part in the topic of conversation betwixt typesetters cases through break through the play. Women/girls in every case had to obey their fathers until they got married, and accordingly obey their husbands when they did get married. It was a precise male dominant era. Romeo and Juliet is part a comedy, tragedy and history.It is a tragedy obviously because of all the devastation in it. It is a comedy because of the irony and railway line the causes raise, and also because of the witticism some divisions equivalent Mercutio and the give suck bring into the play. It is a history as well because of the point it was written a long time ago, and has diachronic contents in it. in that respect is a great deal of adore and affectionateness in this play, that not all the a resembling. Different characters draw different perceptions of write out, and different passions. The play is also as much round abhor as it is almost honor, which is a really significant element.Shakespeare puts furiousness on themes such as the relationship of hit the sack and hate and old and young. This is what I give be analysing in the essay. The play tells the story of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet the children of twain rival families living in Verona, who fall in be start it off and get married without their families knowing. The hat florid felt by their families leads to the death of five people. two(prenominal) of who are Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed bonkrs who go across because they urgency to be unitedly besides move be. It turn ins the young as they struggle to escape from the morass of hatred created by their elders.The ancient family feud makes Romeo and Juliets union even more hearty as they both hate to each one others families, but manage to overcome it when they realize each other. This play represents true go to bed because it shows pure hatred turn into pure get it on. Romeo and Juliet went against e rattlingthing they were brought up with and gave up their croaks to be together. Romeo is a very passionate person when we prototypic meet him, and his passion stays throughout the play. We do learn however, that Romeo is very madcap, and acts on this unbidden streak very often, and it leads him to do some stupid things, which I pull up stakes show further on in the essay.The origin reference to wonder in the play is in the opening cyclorama where we meet Sampson and Gregory ( devil Capulet servants). They are both very vulgar and crude characters and show this straight apart when they are rippleing close to the Montague women. In lines 17-20, Sampson says, Tis true, and on that pointfore women being the weaker vessels are ever thrust to the wall. Therefore I allow for push Montagues men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. This is where the punning becomes sexual. He is implying that he provide misdemeanor the Montague maids against the wall.Later on in lines 27-28, he says, Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads- take it in what sense thou wilt. Here he is saying that he testament either chop off the heads of the Montague maids, or rape them, depending on what he feels like. Their behaviour shows that they do not tangiblely think of relish itself, and plainly think of sex. They view women as mere objects to serve their pleasure. They are not the only bawdy characters in the play to have this perception of women and cope impression. In act two, scene one (lines 34-38) Mercutio is making fun of Romeos talk of hit the sack for Rosaline.He talks nearly a medlar tree tree, and describes sex as a Medlar fruit. He is saying that Romeo really wishes Rosalie were a Medlar fruit, even though he says he cacoethess her, all he really wants is sex. This is probably because this is all Mercutio sees making revere as. The toy with is another one of these characters. She unceasingly talks about the somatic side of marriage. To her, love is merely about sex and having babies. For Sampson, Gregory, Mercutio and the Nurse, love is something non- feelingal, and they have obviously never experienced love like Romeo and Juliets.Love for Romeo and Juliet is very emotionally bonded, and they nookynot live without each other. This however does not mean at that place is no bodily element to their relationship. Romeo and Juliet eagerly ensure absent to the physical side. This can be seen in act three, scene two, lines 1-30, where Juliet is looking forward to her wedding shadow, or her love-performing night. But even this is altered by their love into something of which Mercutio, the Nurse and the servants know nothing of. In act one, scene one, Romeos parents show maternal(p) love when they are concerned about him.The number one evidence to show they care about Romeo is in lines 118-119, where Lady Montague says, serious glad I am he (Romeo) was not at this fray, importee she was glad that Romeo was not involved in the fight that had just happened. In lines 133-144, Montague talks about Romeos worrying behaviour. He says that he is continuousl y crying, distances himself from everyone else, and shuts out light, making himself an artificial night. Montague is obviously worried about his sons behaviour, and asks Benvolio if he could talk to Romeo because he does not go steady him.This doesnt mean however, that he does not care how Romeo feels, but he evidently does. It just shows the contrast between young and old. The archetypal time we meet Romeo, he seems very sad and down (in the exact convey his father describes him to be in). he is sad because he is in love. For Romeo, being in love (at this stage in the play) is a very painful, negative thing, especially because here on that point is a smirch of unrequited love. However, by studying Romeos language in this scene, I hope that he is not in love with Rosaline, but infact in love with the idea of love itself.The fact that he does not say Rosalines name once, but talks about being in love, shows that the she is irrelevant. Romeos doting over Rosaline is introduced t o show the difference between love and infatuation. He talks about love as a painful situation to be in, as shown in lines 195-196, A madness most discreet, a choking gall, and a preserving sweet. This changes drastically though, when he meets Juliet. From the second he sees Juliet (in act one scene five) you can see he has changed. He abruptly speaks in a more positive tone, with more positive views on Juliet not just of love.O she doth teach the torches to burn b right on. Romeo is referring to Juliet as an actual person, whereas forrader he was talking about being in love (supposedly with Rosaline), but never refers to her as a person. On meeting Juliet he experiences love at first sight. He goes on to say, For I neer saw true beauty till this night. This shows that he has forgotten about Rosaline already, almost like she never existed. Romeo constantly compares Juliet to a saint throughout the play, O then dear saint. He has made Juliet out to be the most important person ( to him), in the matter of minutes.In their first meeting, Romeo and Juliet share a sonnet (lines 94-107). This straightaway shows the connection of love and harmony that exists between them. In the sonnet, love as a righteousness seems to be the key subject, and Romeo talks about it so passionately. He refers to Juliet as a holy shrine, and his lips Two discolor pilgrims. By studying Romeos language here, and that of which he used when we first met him, you can see that his feelings have gone from being self-centred, self deceiving and essentially negative, to less(prenominal) self-centred, genuine and sincere passion, positively approached when he meets Juliet.The love between Romeo and Juliet is different from both other in the play, because both share the same view on love. It is so strong that they fought through everything to be together and when they werent they felt empty and sad. No one else in the play shows love for anything this deep. The words Romeo and Juliet use w hen flirting with each other emphasise their love for one another. They use words to do with the body lips, hands, palms, religion pilgrims, saints, prayer, devotion and holy then they put both ideas together, holy palmers snog and saints lips. Romeo is trying to woo Juliet with romanticistic gestures.In line 139 Juliet says, My only love sprung from my only hate Two types of love are at booking here for Juliet. Romantic love (for Romeo) and love for her family, (because she was brought up to hate the Montagues). This saddens her. There is another type of love in the play parental and familial love, the love between parents and their children. We do not learn much about the Montague parents, but we do see a great deal of the Capulet parents. At first when we see Capulet talking to Paris, he is saying Juliet is his only girlfriend and she means a lot to him, so he does not want her to unite as young as she is.However, this changes solely by bit 3, scene 4 when he shrewdly d ecides to marry off his young woman to Paris and arranges the wedding. In turning 1, scene 3, Lady Capulet has a talk with Juliet about marriage (to Paris). She does not seem to care much about Juliets opinion, but more than she does later on. This is where we see her first self-centred streak, and realise that their mother-daughter relationship is not a very close one. It is not until Act 3, scene 5 we see the Capulets completely fail their daughter, when they push an arranged marriage onto her.This is a striking scene, where Lady Capulet wishes Juliet was utter subsequently she says that she does not want to marry Paris I would the fool were married to her grave. Capulet is even more heartless in this scene. He completely loses his temper with Juliet, and threatens to throw her out and disown her is she does not marry Paris. The love of the Capulets for their daughter is so possessive and domineering, that when she doesnt do as they wish, it turns into give away cruelty and really makes you question whether they love Juliet or not.Her parents want to enduringness her into a loveless marriage because they obviously do not consider love to be at all important in a marriage, and also because they think they know what is best for Juliet and that she is theirs to treat however they like An you be mine Ill give you to my friend An you be not, hang, beg, starve, fret in the streets, for by my soul, Ill neer acknowledge thee, (line 192-194). This also shows the contrast between young and old the old dont understand the young.Lord and Lady Capulet actually show more love for Juliet when they find her supposedly dead, but even this is selfish love as they are more worried about how they are freeing to live without her. This shows just how superficial their love for Juliet is. Other characters that act as adoptive parents for Romeo and Juliet and the Nurse and Friar Lawrence. The Nurse nursed Juliet as a baby, and has practically brought her up. The Friar is someone who both lovers turn to for advise. Romeo goes to the Friar when he wants to marry Juliet. The Friar and the Nurse acted as messengers between Romeo and Juliet.They showed great support and parental love towards Romeo and Juliet when they got married, but even this was partially superficial. At the end of Act 3, scene 5, just after the big argument between Capulet and Juliet, the Nurse is trying to comfort a distraught Juliet, but instead she fails her miserably. When Juliet asks the Nurse what she thinks she should do, the Nurse surprises her by saying that she might as well marry Paris because Romeo has been banished and they can no longer be together. She thinks that love (marriage) is no more than having sex and having babies, then to her Paris would make just a good husband as Romeo would.She does not understand the depth of emotion involved in true love, and Juliet is very upset by this because she thought that the Nurse unders in like mannerd how she felt. After th is conversation, Juliet goes to the Friar for advice (Act 4, scene 1). The Friar helps her a great deal, and you think he really understands Romeo and Juliet, but he in turn fails Juliet in Act 5, scene 3. When Juliet wakes up and find Romeo dead she wants to spend more time with him, but the Friar insists that they leave when he hear people coming their way, Come Ill dispose of thee among a sisterhood of holy nuns.The Friars inadequacy in this crisis is shown by this ironic suggestion. He is fine until now to help the lovers be together, but when it comes to him nearly being caught out, he just tries to run away from the situation. This shows his selfishness, and the fact he does not understand the lovers affections and intentions to be together always. In this play of overflowing love and passion we are introduced to a character very different from all the others Paris. Paris is an altogether good man, who is genuinely in love with Juliet and is the only one genuinely upset when she dies.Here there is another situation of unrequited love for Juliet from Paris. He is quite an destitute character caught up in the Capulet familys complications and does not think there is anything wrong with the arranged marriage. He does not actually speak to Juliet until they meet in the Friars cell in Act 4, scene 1, and the marriage is arranged through Capulet. He is very thoughtful towards Juliets feelings, and in lines 6 and 7, he says he has not talked to her about love (the marriage), because she has been weeping and is very sad about Tybalts death, but thinks that by getting married she will be apt again.Another character apart from Romeo and Juliet who is also driven by great passions and love is Tybalt. Tybalt shows the great passion for hate. In Act 1, scene 1 he says, what, careworn and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, and all Montagues and thee. He is a very passionate character who also shows a tremendous amount of familial love, because he is prepared to fight and in turn die for his family. Mercutio is also another one of these characters. Although he is neither Capulet nor Montague, he shows a great amount of love of friendship towards Romeo and the Montagues he dies whilst duelling against Tybalt for them.In his Queen Mab he lets his spit run away with him because he is talking passionately about something (love) that he doesnt believe in. The mood in the scenes in which we see Romeo and Juliet together, contrast with the atmosphere of most the other scenes in the play, because of their feelings for each other. They are the two main characters who are star-crossed lovers, so obviously their scenes are going to be much more romantic and intense with passion for love than any other.Their scenes are also more calmer, relaxed and create a pleasant, positive atmosphere, whereas the recumb are mainly to do with the family feud or other less positive things (such as the arranged marriage). In the balcony scene (Act 2, sce ne 2), you can tell that they both see their love as more important than any ancient family feud. In lines 66-69, Romeo speaks of how stony limits cannot hold love out, meaning that even high walls are no challenge for love and that nothing can stop them from sharing their love.By the end of the play Romeo and Juliet have changed quite a bit. Romeo went from being almost in a state of depression, to this fiery most positive character. However the same impulsive streak he has at the beginning is still there right till the very end when he acts on his impulse and decides to whoop it up the poison not knowing the facts of Juliets death. Juliet was quite young at the beginning of the play, because she does exactly what she was told by her parents.You could say that both character stayed childish right till the end, because of the way they hid everything from most people because they were too scared to come out. You could also say though that they grew up, matured a lot and became more independent because they disobeyed their parents and found a way to be together practically by themselves (even though the Nurse and the Friar knew, they did not understand Romeo and Juliet properly). I also think that by spending their first night together, Romeo and Juliet matured more as they cemented their love.They both made commodious sacrifices for each other, making their love even truer, and even though they both died in the end, Romeo died after kissing Juliet, and Juliet died after kissing Romeo. Just before Romeo takes his poison, he says, heres to my love and just before Juliet stabs herself she says Oh happy dagger This shows they didnt mind dying as long as they were able to be together. Also in the play, the actions for the older members, affect the younger members a lot. Because of them, Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris and Romeo and Juliet all die.This is what makes Romeo and Juliet such an immense tragedy. Now I have shown the various perceptions of love in Shakespear es Romeo and Juliet, I will now pick out two contrasting scenes I have discussed and explain how I would stage them to show their differences. The two scenes I have chosen are, act 1, scene 1, with Sampson and Gregory (lines 11-27), and act 1, scene 5, where Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time (lines 94-107). Sampson and Gregory are two very crude characters, and this has to be shown by not only their performances, but also their surroundings.The actors should wear green or khaki colours, with their swords hanging from a belt out on their sides. This makes them look like they are army soldiers, who are ready to fight at any moment. They would have stubble showing, and walk as if they had something heavy on their shoulders, which makes them look rough, and rude. I would have them talk very loud, almost shouting, as if they owned the place, inconsiderate to other peoples feelings and are boosting about what they are saying. The excitation should be a bold green when Sampson say s, A dog of that signaling shall move me to stand. Green is quite a hard, sick looking colour, which will emphasise their foul minds. They should walk side-by-side, in the middle, and people should walk on the very edges (of the stage) to look as if they are trying to stay away from them. When they talk about the Montague maids and pushing them against the wall, one of them should pretend he is going to push a woman passing by into the wall, and then they both laugh about it. Romeo and Juliets first meeting is very special. In lines 94-107 they share a sonnet, so this should be a very romantic scene.Juliet should be dancing with someone else, then they all switch partners, and Romeo hurries to be hers. Until they start dancing with each other, there should be other people all around the room (on the stage), but as soon as Romeo says his first line, If I profane they should all move into the background, the music (at the companionship) should die slowly into a soft beat. Romeo and Juliet will dance in he middle, up-stage, and this will show the audience who they should be looking at and auditory modality to.The lighting would hover from a calm yellow, to subtle orange, then to a soft red, then eventually to a light pink. These colours move me of a beautiful sunset, and also romance, so I think it will work well because of the softness. They should go behind a pillar on the right side of the stage to kiss to show they are covert it from everyone else. Romeo should wear a mask all throughout, and pull it off just before they kiss, and they should both look into each others eyeball the whole time. This will show that they do not care about each others bodies.Both would be in their party outfits- Juliets should be in a long cream or white dress to show her purity, with red flowers or embroidery on it, also wearing red lipstick. Romeos outfit should be a red or maroon velvet material, with a yellow belt and silver mask. This will make him look like a prince, and the red worn by both characters, emphasises the red associated with romance. They should speak softly to each other, and when they speak it should not be as if this is their first meeting, but as if they have known each other for a lifetime. This will show the special connection they have straight away.