Analysis of Major Characters in Romeo and Juliet
Analysis of Major Characters in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo - The name Romeo, in popular culture, the name Romeo has become nearly synonymous with "lover." Romeo, in Romeo and Juliet, does indeed experience a love of such purity and passion that he kills himself when he believes that the object of his love, Juliet, has died. The power of Romeo's love, however, often obscures a clear vision of Romeo's character, which is far more complex.
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In fact, even Romeo's relation to love is not so simple. At the beginning of the play, Romeo pines for Rosaline, proclaiming her the paragon of women and despairing at her indifference toward him. Taken together, Romeo's Rosaline-induced histrionics seem rather juvenile.
Romeo is a great reader of love poetry, and the portrayal of his love for Rosaline suggests he is trying to recreate the feelings that he has read about. After first kissing Juliet, she tells him "you kiss by th' book," meaning that he kisses according to the rules, and implying that while proficient, his kissing lacks originality (I.v.107). In reference to Rosaline, it seems, Romeo loves by the book. Rosaline, of course, slips from Romeo's mind at first sight of Juliet. But Juliet is no mere replacement. The love she shares with Romeo is far deeper, more authentic and unique than the clichéd puppy love Romeo felt for
Rosaline. Romeo's love matures over the course of the play, from the shallow desire to be in love, to a profound and intense passion. One must ascribe Romeo's development at least in part to Juliet; her level-headed observations, such as the one about Romeo's kissing, seem just the thing to snap Romeo from his superficial idea of love, and to inspire him to begin to speak some of the most beautiful and intense love poetry ever written.
[IMAGE]
Yet Romeo's deep capacity for love is merely a part of his larger capacity for intense feeling of all kinds. Put another way, it is
Romeo - The name Romeo, in popular culture, the name Romeo has become nearly synonymous with "lover." Romeo, in Romeo and Juliet, does indeed experience a love of such purity and passion that he kills himself when he believes that the object of his love, Juliet, has died. The power of Romeo's love, however, often obscures a clear vision of Romeo's character, which is far more complex.
[IMAGE]
In fact, even Romeo's relation to love is not so simple. At the beginning of the play, Romeo pines for Rosaline, proclaiming her the paragon of women and despairing at her indifference toward him. Taken together, Romeo's Rosaline-induced histrionics seem rather juvenile.
Romeo is a great reader of love poetry, and the portrayal of his love for Rosaline suggests he is trying to recreate the feelings that he has read about. After first kissing Juliet, she tells him "you kiss by th' book," meaning that he kisses according to the rules, and implying that while proficient, his kissing lacks originality (I.v.107). In reference to Rosaline, it seems, Romeo loves by the book. Rosaline, of course, slips from Romeo's mind at first sight of Juliet. But Juliet is no mere replacement. The love she shares with Romeo is far deeper, more authentic and unique than the clichéd puppy love Romeo felt for
Rosaline. Romeo's love matures over the course of the play, from the shallow desire to be in love, to a profound and intense passion. One must ascribe Romeo's development at least in part to Juliet; her level-headed observations, such as the one about Romeo's kissing, seem just the thing to snap Romeo from his superficial idea of love, and to inspire him to begin to speak some of the most beautiful and intense love poetry ever written.
[IMAGE]
Yet Romeo's deep capacity for love is merely a part of his larger capacity for intense feeling of all kinds. Put another way, it is