Love or Lust in Romeo and Juliet (Essay Sample)

What is love, and how does one fall into love?  Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakesphere, two teenagers supposedly fall in love. The two teens, Romeo and Juliet, met at a party and from the moment the two saw one another they fell in love. The only problem with the two falling in love, is that their respective families are feuding, rivals. The two teens, so deep in love, secretly get married behind their families backs. Romeo eventually accidentally kills Juliet's cousin and is banished, and trying to reunite with Romeo Juliet fakes her own death, this message does not reach Romeo. Romeo thinking Juliet is dead he kills himself over her, when Juliet wakes up she finds a dead Romeo and eventually she too kills herself, leaving the two feuding families to grieve and end all of their feuds. This could be described as love, but it is not love, as it is too fast for Romeo and Juliet to fall and be in love. Romeo and Juliet are not in love, but rather in lust, this shows from act one till the end of the story. Their relationship is nothing more than lust and it shows throughout the novel.

What is love and what is lust?  Lust is defined as to have a very strong sexual desire for someone. This definition perfectly describes Romeo and Juliet's relationship, thus it is too fast for Romeo and Juliet to fall in love. In act one the plot of the story is set when Romeo and Juliet supposedly fall in love. Although It is too fast for Romeo and Juliet to be in love. Romeo says, “Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs, Being purg’d, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes, Being vex’d, a sea nourish’d with loving tears.” (1.1.167-169). Romeo states that love is made with smoke and therefore love is blind. Love is challenging and can lead to pain and tears, as stated in the text. If love is easy then it is not love, therefore it must be lust, as there has been no pain between the two. This is why Romeo and Juliet are not in love. Later in the story the infamous kissing scene occurs between the two. Juliet says, “ My only love sprung from my only hate,Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love is it to me. That I must love a loathed enemy.” (1.5.147-150). Juliet states that  love occurred too early in the story and that it is seen unknown. Juliet does not know if it is love, as it is unknown. Love should be certain and if it is unknown then it is not love. Juliet also states that it is too early, if it was true love it would not be too early. For these reasons of uncertainty, it is sure that Romeo and Juliet are not in love and that instead it is lust. In closing, Romeo and Juliet are not in love, but instead it is lust. One can not fall in love as quickly as these two did. With the uncertainty of love in this book, it proves that it is lust not love. Love is certain and blind, and if it is not certain then it is not love.