Romeo and Juliet-Love?- Feature Article

“LOVE IS A Certain Inborn Suffering derived from the sight of and excessive Meditation upon the beauty of the opposite sex, which causes each one to wish above all things the embraces of the other, and by common desires carry out all of love’s precepts in the other’s Embrace” is definition of medieval love. But Really, How much does Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet comes to terms of traditional “ love”? Think about Romeo in the very beginning of the play, when he talks about Rosaline. He describes, rather about her looks as he says: “ O, she is rich in beauty, only poor”. Romeo talks of his unattainable love to the beautiful Rosaline. He sees Rosaline as strong, for she would never be hit by cupid’s arrow. This is an example of courtly love. He mourns that she would never be with him. In Elizabethan time, Courtly Love was accepted in every day life, and it was not suppose to lead to marriage. Poor Romeo was not able to receive love back from Rosaline and he uses oxymoron’s to show is his confusion“ O Brawling loves, o loving hate”. He also adds a little sexual element“ Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold”. Now we ask, Does Romeo only like Rosaline for her body and appearance?Words like “ the precious treasure of his eyesight lost” and imagery of blindness and darkness all relate to the fact that Romeo sees loves as a bad thing. Yet Courtly Love is much like the tradition of “ Arranged Marriage”. Today, we see this as destruction to our freedom and our right to chose, we most rather chose our partners in life. But, in Shakespeare’s time, obeying your parents was much like a rule because children “ Ha Banishment? Be merciful, say death”. Already, he displays the fact that he would die for Juliet. Juliet too does the same. She risks her life taking the potion and kills herself when she finds Romeo at death. She goes against her culture and her parents for loving the enemy. Forgiving is also done when Juliet learns that Romeo killed her cousin Tybalt. And why do both youngsters do this?Because they are madly in “ love.”Or, Perhaps, it is the nature of first and young love. It is a blissful feeling for both as none has ever experienced love before. Or Maybe, fate pays a part in true love.At the very beginning of the chorus, Romeo and Juliet are called “ Star Crossed Lovers”. Romeo hears of Juliet’s “ death” and curses the stars. It could be that, it was destiny that let the two fall in love yet prevent them from being together. Yet, perceptions of love are challenged. There is such thing as love for lust. We see Sampson and Gregory’sViews. Them two refer to love more sexually and that a woman is only great as her body. None, of course, has ever felt love before. They are infact, a bit like Paris and Lady Capulet as they both believe in love for the appearance. And What about the nurse? She unfortunately, is depicted as a sexual, lustful thing. Then there is Mercurtio, who says to the nurse: “ This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, that presses them and learns them first to bear”. He tries to help Romeo to overcome his love for Rosaline but fails as he, himself does not understand love. must trust their elders. Arranged Marriage was for reasons like power and increased wealth. The Term “ Marriage Is no real