Theme Of Hate In Romeo And Juliet Essay Example

It was once stated by Franklin D. Roosevelt that “The value of love will always be stronger than the value of hate. Any nation or group of nations that employs hatred eventually is torn to pieces by hatred." and this is what is depicted in the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet through the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet who had fallen victim to the hate between their families. In this tale of love and heartbreak we witness what is supposed to be a hate bloom into a beautiful love that fights against the hate of two families of the Capulet and Montague. It is throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet, that William Shakespeare proves time and time again that love is stronger than hate.

One of the first examples we find in the play Romeo and Juliet is when the two lovers first realize that the other is a member of the enemy house, yet they still cannot help but to love each other. It was during the famous balcony scene where Julet proclaims her love for Romeo that she states: “Tis by thy name that is my enemy. Thou art self, thou not a Montague. What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, [nor any other part] Belonging to a man … Romeo, doff thy name, And, for thy name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself.” (Shakespeare 2.2. 41-52). For Juliet the name of Montague is meant to be an enemy and when her newfound love, Romeo, turns out to be one, she still can’t help but love him regardless of his family name, she understand that she may never be able to be with him for as long as they are from enemy houses. It was during this time that Juliet, who had just fallen in love with Romeo only to find out he was a Montague, begins to question what exactly the name of Montague is, and what it is that makes Romeo her enemy. She eventually concludes that Romeo is just Romeo, regardless of his family name as a name isn’t anything but a title used to address someone. Romeo had then responded to Juilet exclaiming: “I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptized. Henceforth I never will be Romeo.” (Shakespeare 2.2. 53-55). 

For Romeo who instantly fell in love with her he understood that they may never be allowed to be together due to the deep hate between their families, but he refused to even imagine a life without Juliet. For most their name is a key part in their life, it is their identity, and it would be basically forsaking the most important thing that their parents had given them, and for Romeo it seems to matter very little when compared to the love he harbors for Juliet. When Romeo slew Mercutio in anger at the death of Tybalt the prince had stated: “Romeo slew him; he slew Mercutio… And for that offense Immediately do we exile him hence.” (Shakespeare 3.1. 191-197). When it is declared that Romeo shall be exiled due to him killing his murdering Juliet’s cousin. She is absolutely terrified with this, and she is overcome with the grief of her cousin’s death. This scene shows us that even at the moment at which she should hate Romeo for killing her cousin she can’t bring herself to push him away, and Romeo can’t bring himself to stay away.  Through the interactions of the two we can see the two had been unable to stop themselves from loving each other even though they had been sworn enemies by blood.

Another example of how strong love can be comes from those who had chosen to accept and assist in the union of Romeo and Juliet. The first person to have accepted their union had been Friar Lawrance who had exclaimed, “In one respect I’ll thy assistant, For this alliance may so happy prove To turn your household’s rancor to pure love.” (Shakespeare 2.3. 97-99). Through his words it was shown that, for Friar Lawrence, the happiness of Romeo, the child he thought of as a son, meant a lot more to him than the feud between the Montague and Capulet, and for that reason he had chosen to support the union of Romeo and Juliet. Additionally, Friar Lawrence believed that should their marriage turn out to be a happy one, then they could turn the feud between the Montegue and the Capulets into a loving relationship. Another example of this was with the wet nurse when she had said, “…if you should lead her in a fool’s paradise, as they say… good heart, and i’ faith  I will tell her as much.” (Shakespeare 2.4. 168-177). For the Nurse who considered Juliet a daughter in all but blood, she had fully supported the girl in pursuing her happiness, even going as far as to be a messenger of sorts between Romeo and Juliet, she was someone who had decided that she would rather see Juliet be happy with someone who could appreciate her and love with all their heart, even if that someone was the sworn enemy of Juliet. Though she had been supportive of Juliet's relationship with Romeo, she had also wanted to make sure that such a relationship would be good for her and wasn’t just a game to Romeo, as it had been Juliet's happiness that had mattered the most to the Nurse. The final example was when Juliet had gone to Friar Lawrance for help in escaping her arranged marriage, “Juliet I already know thy grief. It strains me past the compass of my wits… Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilling liquor drink thou off…” (Shakespeare 4.1. 47-96). When faced with a desperate Juliet who pleads to not let her marry another, Friar Lawrence decides that he would help Juliet get out of the marriage as he would like for both children to be happy, though it gives him no benefit, he chooses to help the two, quickly providing Juliet with a potion that makes it seem as though she is dead. Furthermore, Friar Lawrence is filled with love for the two and can’t stand to see those he truly cares for torn apart because of some feud. Through these examples we are shown that both Friar Lawrence and the Nurse had immense love for the two children that they had considered to be their own, and they would much rather the two be happy above all else.

When the two star crossed lovers had taken their lives it showed us the dedication of the two and the love their families had for them. It was apparent that Juliet was prepared to do anything to stay with Romeo when she had proclaimed, “Give me, give me! O tell me not of fear!” (Shakespeare 4.1. 123). When given a vial of a liquid that would make her seemingly dead for 42 hours, she immediately accepts it without an ounce of hesitation, showing just how willing Juliet is if it means she may get to spend the rest of her life with Romeo, she is brave enough to face death refusing to live a life without him. Even more so we are shown that in order to do that she is prepared to leave behind her family and everyone she has ever known, all for this man that she loves. In return, when Romeo chooses to die for her he states, “O, here will I set up my everlasting rest… Here’s to my love. O true apothecary, Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” (Shakespeare 5.3. 109-120). When Romeo had found the love of his life seemingly dead, he had then proceeded to kill himself through the use of poison. In this scene we see just how much Romeo had loved Juliet, he had already been prepared to give up his very identity for her but not only that he had been prepared to give up his life if he wouldn’t be able to live by her side. Romeo had loved Juliet so honestly, that once she was gone he knew he wouldn’t be able to move on, and instead settled for killing himself. Finally when we look into the aftermath of the death of the two star crossed lovers, we witness a parents gref as the two families come together stating; “(Montegue:) But I can give thee more, For I will ray her statue in pure gold, That whiles Verona by that name is known, There shall no figure at such rate be set As that of true and faithful Juliet. (Capulet:) As rich shall Romeo’s by his lady’s lie, Poor sacrifices of our enmity.” (Shakespeare 5.3. 309-315). It had been in this scene where both Capulet and Montague had come to learn of their children’s love for each other. They had come to realize that their children had meant more to them than the old feud had, and instead of blaming one another for the deaths of their children, had come together to honor the legacy of their children. Through their last moments we see that Romeo and Juliet had meant so much more to them then their own lives, and in the aftermath of their deaths we see the parents of the two lovers, however late they realized it, understand that their children had been more important to them then their hate.

Through the thrilling and tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet we are shown time and time again how love is able to conquer hate, be it parental love or otherwise, it will always be able to override hate. Love is shown to be a powerful emotion, one that can cause one so much pain, and yet it is beautiful and pure, able to melt even the most stubborn of hearts. If given a chance, love can bring together nations or even worlds. It could overpower any kind of hate. If there ever were to come a time when you had to choose between love and hate, would you be able to put aside your pride and prejudice and love as unconditionally as Romeo and Juliet had?