Romeo and Juliet Essay: What is love?

What is love? Love is 2 things, it can be a good thing when used correctly, or it can destroy when not used correctly. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet play greatly summarized this statement. In Verona, Italy, there were 2 feuding families that absolutely hated each other. However from these 2 families there were 2 lovers, Romeo and Juliet. In this play, Shakespeare depicts love in both ways mentioned above.

How is love used incorrectly? Love is used correctly when couples take it slow and not make it their top priority to engage in romance, In Act II scene IV, Friar Lawrence warns Romeo to take it, "Wisely, and slow. They stumble and run fast". Of course we hear later that Romeo ignored his advice. According to the article: “What taking it slow actually means” by Stacey Laura Lloyd:  “After all, many relationships that start off too fast can end up leading to heartache and heartbreak because you and your partner took major relationship steps before really getting to know each other.” This relates to what happens later into the play, when they’re relationship started to spiral out of control, which ended in tragedy. They didn’t get to know each other beforehand, went straight into romance and they got carried away. Furthermore Act I Scene IV says, “If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

This is when they first kiss. They had just met, and now they are kissing which is a sign that their relationship was going to be unhealthy. Secondly, Romeo is putting himself in danger by even being there in the first place with Tybalt and other Capulets lurking around. Now that we know they are in an unhealthy relationship let's look at the consequences that resulted in their unhealthy relationship.

When Romeo first kissed Juliet, he did it out of excitement. According to the article, The Science of Love and Attachment by Melanie Greenberg, “You feel irresistibly attracted to your crush. If things continue, you may feel a rush of euphoria, a longing to be together, passion, and excitement. You feel like you've found the most special, unique person in the world.” This likely shows how Romeo was feeling when he put his eyes on Juliet, he felt the excitement that he felt he was going to bond with Juliet, better than he did his last love. However, this excitement that they both felt led to consequences throughout their relationship. It is hard to believe that their love ended in their deaths, but unfortunately it did, after Romeo kills Tybalt in Act III Scene I, he is banished by the Prince. Juliet, speaks of killing herself in Act IV Scene 1 after she concluded that: “Be not so long to speak; I long to die, If what thou speak'st speak not of remedy.” Such powerful words tell us of Juliet’s emotions: if she cannot get back with Romeo, she is being driven by the essence of love to get back with Romeo.

When Friar Lawrence suggests that Juliet “kill herself” by taking a sleeping potion to make her look dead, that is when the tragedy happens. When Romeo finds out that Juliet is “dead”, he actually believes this and seeks a poison to kill himself and he succeeds, never knowing that Juliet was alive the entire time. Juliet wakes up from her deep sleep to find Romeo dead beside her tomb. She then uses Romeo’s dagger and kills herself too. “Their love is idealized, and their suicide is seen as the final desperate act of love.”- Mind over Pop Culture: Romeo and Juliet by Mental Health America.

Let’s conclude, love is used incorrectly in Romeo and Juliet, several tragedies happen as a consequence for their romance. In the end their love leads to their deaths. This should teach us all a lesson of what happens when we use our emotions incorrectly. However, using our emotions correctly will reward us greatly.