Exploring the Theme of Love and Admiration in Romeo
and Juliet
About the Poet: William Shakespeare
was an English dramatist, poet, artist and playwright, broadly viewed as the
best writer in the English language. He was born in 1564.He was often called as
England's National Poet. He was working as an actor and dramatist in London by
1592. In 1613, William Shakespeare retired from the theatre. He died in 1616.
Shakespeare composed 37 plays and 154 Sonnets. Mainly his plays were comedies,
histories and tragedies. Some of his famous works like Henry V, Richard III,
Hamlet, Othello and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
BACKGROUND-I
A tragic love story is “Romeo and Juliet”, the sad
story of two young lovers Romeo and Juliet, who
belongs to two respectable families of Verona, the Montagues, and the Capulets.
The two honorable families have grudges against each other and have been
fighting each other as sworn enemies for a long time.
The story begins with a street fight between the
servants of the two rival families, who are consequently joined by the heads of
the families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Prince Escalus is fed up by the
fights between those two families and he scolds them, restores order, and
threatens death to any member of either family found indulging street fights,
later on. He leaves the place taking Lord Capulet with him from there.
After the departure of Prince, only Lord and Lady
Montague and Benvolio, their nephew, stay there as the others depart. Lord
Montague asks to Benvolio that Romeo is looking unhappy for a surprisingly long
time, weeping and moaning, remaining out all night however going into the house
when the sun rises, locking himself in his room with the curtains drawn.
Benvolio assures him that he will try to find what is troubling Romeo.
On the other side Paris, a young relative of Prince
Escalus, occupied with a discussion with Lord Capulet. Paris wishes to marry
fourteen years old Juliet, the daughter of the Capulets. Lord Capulet tells to
Paris that Juliet is yet too young to marry, yet reveals to Paris that he won't
go against the marriage if Paris can win Juliet's consent. It just so happens,
Lord Capulet welcomes Paris to a supper to be held at his home that night.
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In the mean time, Benvolio meets Romeo and
discovers that Romeo is madly in love with Rosaline, who doesn't love him. Lord
Capulet has given his servant a list of visitors whom he needs to see and
ensure that they are invited to the Capulets' party that evening. However, the
servant can't read the names in the list and henceforth asks two strangers in
the street. The two strangers are actually Romeo and Benvolio. Romeo reads out
the names of the guests and unexpectedly discovers that fair Rosaline name in the
list, with whom he is madly in love, is also one of the guests in the party.
Romeo and Benvolio choose to go to the party. Romeo and Benvolio cover their
faces as masked entertainers and torchbearers and entered the supper.
Romeo sees Juliet dancing with a gentleman while
the guests are engaged in dancing. Romeo is mesmerized by her beauty and tries
to discover from a servant, what her identity is. It is at this point that
Romeo says these lines. The lines expressed by Romeo are taken from
Act I Scene V when Romeo ends up seeing Juliet for the first time in the party
hosted by the Capulets. Both Romeo and Juliet do not know each other at that
moment.
SUMMARY – I ROMEO’S SPEECH
Romeo stands alone and happily praises Juliet's
beauty. His words seem to come from someone who has not seen anybody so
beautiful and lovely as Juliet. It is night and the room is lit with lights
(torches). Romeo exclaims that Juliet is brighter than the blaze of the lights
(torches). It infers that her brightness surpasses the torches and has
illuminated the hall. In the following two lines again there is a reference to
the darkness of the night and the brightly shining lady. Romeo compares Juliet
to a jeweled earring hanging against the cheek of an African lady.
Here again, it implies that Juliet is plainly seen
in the middle of others as a result of her brightness. Romeo is so fascinated
with her goddess-like beauty that he announces that she is extremely beautiful
for this world. He praises her beauty saying that she surpasses the other
ladies like a white dove in the middle of a flock of crows.
Romeo is so overwhelmed by her beauty that he tells
to himself that when that dance is over, he will watch her where she stands and
he will touch her hand with his rude hand so that his rude hand is blessed.
Then, at that moment he asks himself a question whether his heart loved anybody
before. He reveals to himself that assuming it was true; he would reject it on
the grounds that he had never felt so much in love since he had never seen
anybody really beautiful like Juliet until that evening.
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BACKGROUND-II
Romeo waits in Capulet s garden under Juliet's
window, and catches her confess to the stars that she loves him. He reveals his
quality to her, and in an impassioned love scene, they decide to be married
secretly. The following day, Juliet sends her nurse, of whom she has made a
friend, to make final arrangements, and the wedding is performed at the cell of
Friar Laurence, Romeo's friend. The two lovers depart expecting to meet each
other in Juliet's chamber that evening.
Getting back from his wedding, Romeo comes upon his
friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, in a quarrel with Tybalt, who has been looking
for Romeo because of his interference at the ball. Tybalt gives a valiant
effort to start a fight against Romeo. However Romeo remembers that now Tybalt
is his brother-in-law and he will not quarrel with him. Mercutio
doesn't understand Romeo's softness and he decides to fight with him, and when
Romeo and Benvolio try to stop them at that moment Mercutio is killed by
Tybalt. Aroused by the death of his dearest friend, Romeo tosses to the side
his lenity, kills Tybalt, and escapes as the angry citizen.
At that point we come to Act III Scene II, where we
discover Juliet is waiting in her father's orchard for Romeo's arrival. Juliet
was unaware of what has happened, and waits out the passing of the day. She is
more impatient than any time for that night; Romeo is to come to her as her
husband. Juliet conveys an ardent monologue, popularly known as 'Juliet's
invocation to the night'. In her monologue, Juliet urges the sun on to its
setting in the West, so night may come sooner. She yearns for the shelter of
darkness when Romeo can come to her unseen. The dark suits lover, for love is
blind and the beauty of sweethearts is sufficient light for
them. While Romeo's speech features the mesmerizing physical beauty
of Juliet, Juliet's monologue features Juliet's intensity of love for Romeo.
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SUMMARY-II JULIET’S MONOLOGUE
Juliet addresses to Romeo as 'day in the night'
since his presence will shine out against the darkness. She envisions night
like a bird and accepts that Romeo will come gliding on the wings of the night
like 'new snow' on a raven's back. She tends to the night imperatively calling
it 'gentle night' and 'dark browed night'. She pleads it to carry her Romeo to
her. From that point onward, when she passes on, she requests that the night
take him and set him up in heaven with the stars so he will make the face of
heaven beautiful and charming. She hopes that when that happens 'all the world
will be love with night, and it will not pay more attention to the over bright
sun.
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The monologue depends on the binding together
pictures of night and light. Juliet courts this night, which by its darkness
will permit Romeo's safe journey to her. The main light she needs is Romeo
himself, who is 'day in the night'. The light of the day and the 'garish sun'
offer nothing to her; they are just drawn-out. It is a night that is 'loving',
for it favors her love with its darkness and silence and allows that love to
shine out. Indeed, even the stars, emblems of the destiny she doesn't recognize,
appear to regard her. Romeo will be made eternal by the stars. Juliet's
monologue resembles singing in the face of death. Accordingly, Juliet rushes
the happening to her wedding night. To put it plainly, love has a place with
Juliet, since she is married, however she doesn't claim it, and she can't claim
love until Romeo has her. That is the reason she is waiting by now as eagerly
as a child waits for a reward.
