Can foes love? This is a question I had all throughout “Romeo
and Juliet” by William
Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet are really in love with each other, but
due to the fact that Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet, there
supposed to be enemies and not be ‘lovers.’ Romeo and Juliet have a profound
love for each other but being that there opposites, Montague’s and
Capulet’s, turns their love ‘forbidden’ because they are constantly
getting separated by their families and the fact that there are foes.
When the tragic play begins, Romeo and Juliet clearly didn’t
know each other very well. But, as things elevated it became as if they have
known each other for such a long time. They met during a party and right as
they got to know each other better, the Nurse stops them and that is when
Juliet finds out Romeo is a Montague. “My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to
me, that I must love a loathèd enemy.” (Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 152-155). This quote
is powerful because it’s telling us that Juliet is in love with the only man
that is the son of the only man she hates, she saw him too early without
getting to know him much and Juliet is saying she hates love for making her
fall in love with her worst enemy. “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life
is my foe’s debt.” (Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 131-132). They both have the same
thoughts of being opposites and loving each other deeply. I think Shakespeare
added the fact that they were enemies in the play to show what they would do
for each other and how far they were willing to go for each other.
Romeo and Juliet cannot be together during the day, but that
doesn’t stop them at all. Romeo comes to Juliet balcony scene where they talk
about how they want to be together. Juliet tries her hardest to be with
him, but it’s just like something always gets in the way. “Deny thy father and
refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer
be a Capulet.” (Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 37-39). What Juliet is saying is
forget about your dad and change you name. Or, just tell me that you love and
I’ll stop being a Capulet. This shows how Juliet gets out of her way to tell
Romeo that she loves him with all her heart and is willing to do anything to be
together. “I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I’ll be new
baptized. Henceforth I never will be Romeo.” (Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 53-55). He
replies that he trusts her words that he knows she loves him and he says he loves
her too. Now, he has a new name and will not be Romeo again. Both these quotes
really show how they go out there way for each other. The Nurse calls Juliet
within, which proves that Juliet and Romeo have to secretive about their
relationship with one another. Every time they try to be together, someone
always calls and/or something always goes wrong.
Towards the ending of the play, Juliet plays “dead” so she
doesn’t have to marry Paris as her father would like her to do. She wants
to be with Romeo and that is where her heart belongs. Friar Lawrence
gives her a portion so she can sleep and miss the wedding reception. Juliet
doesn’t understand the consequences that she at risk at the moment she wanted
to fake her death. Romeo finds Juliet dead in the tomb house and he kills
himself. “O you, the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss, a dateless
bargain to engrossing death/ here’s to my love! O true apothecary, Thy drugs
are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” (Act 5, Scene 3, Lines 113-115/119-120). These
two quotes tells us when Romeo dies, and it shows us that he can’t live without
Juliet and Juliet really does mean the world to him. Juliet wanted to be with
Romeo so she faked her death to be with him and he ends up killing himself.
Whenever, they want to be together it’s like something always stops them.
In conclusion, William Shakespeare has brought a lot of themes
into his play. The main ones for me were young & forbidden love, innocence
and opposites. Romeo and Juliet show their profound love for each other by going
out of their way, but it’s like every time they want to be together something
always goes wrong. They met at a party but that’s when they realized they were
enemies and knew it wasn’t going to work out, the balcony scene, Juliet faked
her death and Romeo ended up killing himself, so the few moments they wanted to
share together ended up in death. They both went to extremes to
prove their love for each other. Montague’s and Capulet’s, being foes is what I
think got in the way because it shows that Romeo and Juliet weren’t supposed to
be together. From the inception of their love there were obstacles that
prevented their love to blossom. Sometimes forbidden love tends to have a
tragic ending, and love doesn’t always have a happy ending!
