Love in Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is a brilliant play about a young boy and girl, whom fall deeply in love with each other. Romeo is from the house of Montague, while Juliet is from the house of Capulet. Both families have been feuding with each other for a long time; however, despite the families feuding, Romeo and Juliet marry each other in secrecy. In the end, both Romeo and Juliet kill themselves out of love for each other. The play Romeo and Juliet, is a tragic love story between two young teenagers. It has been used several times since it was written, as an example of the different forms of love that exist. There are three types of love featured in this play: patriarchal, heroic, and romantic love.

Patriarchal love is thought to be love where there is supremacy of men over women. Men have complete control over the woman in patriarchal love. Also, in patriarchal love women give birth to children in order for the man to pass down his wealth. Several examples of patriarchal love can be found in Romeo and Juliet. One particular example of patriarchal love is between Capulet, and his wife and daughter. In the first scene, there is a quarrel between the house of Montague and the house of Capulet. Capulet hears what is going on, and calls for his sword, “What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!,” and in response to him calling for his sword, Lady Capulet asks, “ A crutch, a crutch! Why call your for a sword?”. Capulet ignores his wife, “My sword, I say! Old Montague is come and flourishes his blade in spite of me,” and he then joins the fighting. This example, shows that Capulet is in charge, and he does whatever he wants to do without acknowledging his wife. In the patriarchal view, the man has complete control, and he does not need to ask for his wife’s opinion nor listen to his wife. This can also be seen during the scene in which Juliet tells her parents that she refuses to marry Paris. Capulet replies to her by saying, “Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what-get thee to church a Thursday Or never after look me in the face.”. This part shows that Capulet is completely in charge of what goes on in his house, and he demands that everyone follow his rules.

Another type of love found in Romeo and Juliet is, heroic love. Heroic love is defined as a man doing certain good deeds to win a woman’s heart or for a sexual reward. One example of heroic love in the play is during the famous balcony scene, in which Romeo and Juliet first kiss each other. In order to get away from his friends, Romeo jumps over a wall into a courtyard that ends up being Juliet’s courtyard. “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!”, is the line in which Romeo says when he realizes that he is in Juliet’s courtyard. Juliet tells Romeo that he could be killed if he is found in her courtyard, “And the place death, considering who thou art, If any of my kinsmen find thee here.” However, Romeo replies that he does not care that he could be killed stating, “For stony limits cannot hold love out, And what love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.” Romeo shows that he is brave, and does not care that he could be killed by Juliet’s kinsman. Juliet at the end