Romeo & Juliet: True Love?

Romeo and Juliet’s Infatuation The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is one of the world’s most iconic symbols of love and lovers around the globe. Were Romeo and Juliet passionately in love with each other, or was it a teenage crush? Love is the feeling of affection, attachment, and fondness of a person, as well as being able to embrace their flaws. Juliet was tired of her parents having to choose her choices for her, and in effect went along with loving Romeo because she met him on her own terms. Meanwhile, Romeo was in love with loving, so he was willing to love a beautiful woman and devote himself to her. Can this be considered love? The speed of their love, their innocence, and their rebellious nature all proves that their love was an infatuation gone wrong. A rush or true passion? That is the question. The play first begins on Act 1 after Romeo has been rejected by Rosaline, a lady he thought was “too fair, too wise, wisely too fair.” After being rejected, Romeo consults with Benvolio, his cousin, and says “Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,/ Still waking sleep that is not what it is!/ The love feel I, that feel no love in this” (1.1.185-187). Romeo uses extreme oxymorons showing how utterly depressed he feels after being rejected. Benvolio then convinces Romeo to search for another beauty to crush on at the Capulet’s mask party. This is rebellious since Romeo’s family, the Montagues, despise Capulets. As soon as Romeo finds someone more attractive than Rosaline at the mask party, he blurts out his “love” for her. For example, he says “Did my heart love till now? Foreswear it, sight, / For ne’er saw true beauty till this night” (1.5.59-60). Love does not grow from seconds of looking of someone. If anything, that can be called admiration, but just looking at someone and saying they’re the love of your life isn’t true love. As mentioned, love is the deep passion and devotion you feel for someone, while recognizing their flaws and embracing them. Romeo didn’t even know who Juliet was at that point of their relationship. After both kiss, returning each other’s “feelings,” Juliet makes a point to Romeo regarding the speed at which their bond is going at, “ I have no joy of this contract tonight./ It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden” (2.2.124-125). Juliet expresses how sudden their bond was, showing that this couldn’t be true love, and therefore asks Romeo to swear over nothing for his feelings for her. While Romeo was busy feeling loved, Juliet was putting more thought into what was going on, and conserving some of the sense that Romeo had completely lost after meeting Juliet. Before being prompted to leave by Juliet, Romeo tells her of something she might have forgotten “O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” (2.2.132). Romeo wanted to be satisfied with Juliet’s physical “assurance” of her love for Romeo. Not only does this show that Romeo loved Juliet for her looks, but also wanted that kind of satisfaction from her. To this Juliet responds that she won’t assure him in that kind of way. To top off the crazy night, Juliet and Romeo abruptly decide to get married the next day. Their relationship went from being strangers, to making a life-changing decision of marrying each other, all in that one night after they meet. As a way to tell Romeo “Three words, dear, Romeo, and good night indeed.
If that thy bent of love be honorable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow,
By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,
By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite,
And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay
And follow thee my [lord] throughout the world.”

“Three words, dear, Romeo, and good night indeed.
If that thy bent of love be honorable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow,
By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,
By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite,
And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay
And follow thee my [lord] throughout the world.”

she’s ready for marriage, Juliet tells him:

By stating these phrases to Romeo, Juliet was able to tell him that she was willing to marry
By stating these phrases to Romeo, Juliet was able to tell him that she was willing to marry

Romeo and she was to risk her riches just to marry him. This action of putting everything to a side for someone you just met is too risky, adding to why their relationship wasn’t put thought into, lowering its meaning. Others’ aspects of their relationship were negative. Friar Lawrence, the reverend that would later join Romeo and Juliet in holy matrimony, acknowledged that this love between Romeo and Juliet would bring tragedies. For example, when Romeo first tells Friar Lawrence of Juliet, he responds “Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, / So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies/ Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes” (2.3.70-73). Friar Lawrence shows the viewers that Romeo is an unstable lover because he quickly switched from loving Rosaline to loving Juliet. Also, he states that young men’s love then only lies in looks, if Romeo changed his love s from one person to another so soon. When Friar Lawrence is about to join Romeo and Juliet in marriage, he tells them “These violent delights have violent ends/ And in triumph die, like fire and powder, / Which as they kiss, consume” (2.6.9-12). By this, Friar Lawrence tells both Romeo and Juliet that their choices are dangerous, and will promptly bring violence after they occur. Despite the many warnings received by Friar Lawrence, Romeo and Juliet go further along with their relationship, bringing more disputes. Not only did Romeo and Juliet not think of the consequences that might happen when they became married, but also about their own love for each other. The speed, meaning, and roots of their love not only prove that this wasn’t true love, but it was also an escape from both of their lives and just devoting to one person for once. Juliet received the satisfaction of choosing her hand in marriage, while Romeo finally concentrated in one person and got the remedy that he desperately wanted after being heartbroken by Rosaline. Not only were Romeo and Juliet young, but they were rebellious and didn’t think of the consequences their infatuation would bring after.