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Romeo and Juliet

Decent Essays

A constant theme of infatuation progressively is displayed throughout Romeo and Juliet, starting with an innocent desire for true love, and ending in death. Romeo and Juliet are the main characters that display the obsession through dialogue. The first sign of infatuation began with Romeo. He claimed, “love, whose view is muffled still, should without eyes, see pathways to his will” (Shakespeare 20). Romeo is obsessed with the idea of love, and is convinced that love controls you. He ends up getting confused and makes statements about how love is “heavy and light”, “bright and dark”, “hot and cold,” (Shakespeare 20). These oxymoronic assertions show that Romeo is infatuated with the idea of love, even though he hasn’t even really …show more content…

Although it could be denied that he genuinely cares for her throughout the play, this soliloquy allows the audience to realize that he truly does care. He spreads flowers along Juliet’s grave and says, “Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew!” (Shakespeare 260). Considering that he is alone and performing this soliloquy, the audience can see that Paris had veritable affection for Juliet. Again in act 5, Romeo provides a soliloquy that enables him to express his innermost feelings towards Juliet. Romeo finds Juliet who is presumably dead, and says, “O my love, my wife! Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power to yet upon they beauty” (Shakespeare 268). Although Romeo is with Juliet, it is still considered a soliloquy because she is ‘dead’. This speech lets the audience know Romeo’s deepest feelings before he kills himself, and sets a closure to his part of the plot.

Romeo, Juliet, and the Friar constantly make rash and hasty decisions that lead to the tragic ending of the play. One of the first foolish decisions that was made was by all 3 characters – Romeo, Juliet, and the friar – when Romeo and Juliet decided to get married. Romeo discusses how he “imagined happiness” unfolding once they wed. Juliet agrees, as well as the friar. The friar, who should be the wisest, approves and says, “…come, come with me, and we will make short work…. till holy church incorporate two in one”

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