Romeo and Juliet Literary Essay

Romeo and Juliet Literary Essay

Over a long period of time, my class has been reading Romeo and Juliet and have been discussing what the main theme is overall. We have had had many discussions with classmates and picked a variety of themes to choose from. The theme I feel that is most important in this famous love story is that strong love comes in different forms.

I feel that one of these main forms is sacrifice. Throughout the story Romeo and Juliet have suicidal actions and thoughts. In Act 3, scene 3, Romeo has been banished from Verona and his love Juliet. He goes to Friar Lawrence seeking aid, and later Romeo pulls out his dagger and by Friar Lawrence’s reaction it insists that Romeo was going to kill himself! “Hold thy desperate hand!”  (Act 3,scene 3, line 118) “Wilt thou slay thyself…”  (Act 3, scene 3, line 126). He later on convinces Romeo that he has more to live for. In Act 4, scene 1, when it has been decided that Juliet is marry Paris she too goes to Friar Lawrence and pulls out a knife on herself! She claims that she and Romeo are meant to be and also that he made it happen, “God joined my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands.” (Act 4, scene 1, line 56). She also claims that if it is made any other way she will kill herself.  Friar Lawerence comes up with a plan to stop her from killing her and tell her a plan. Later on in the story as many people know the plan fails and they both kill themselves to be with each other forever, creating the ultimate sacrifice in the whole story.

Another form of love in this story was violence. Throughout the entire story there is consistent violence in the name of love, but not just for the love of Romeo and Juliet, but also for the love of others. In act 3, scene 1, after Tybalt had killed Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio, he became blind with rage and wanted to avenge his fallen loved one. He also says how someone will join Mercutio in his death. “for Mercutios soul is but a little way above our heads, staying for thine to keep him company to keep him company. Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him” (Act 3, scene 1, line 131-134). When they fight Romeo kills Tybalt and is now sorry that he had killed Juliets loved ones.  In Act 5, scene 3 Paris and Romeo meet in the chamber where Juliet’s tomb was put. Paris thinks that Romeo has come there to sabotage the tomb of his wife Juliet. Romeo and him fight and Romeo kills Paris, but to show that he really did love her he says “If thou be merciful, open the tomb; lay me with Juliet.” Showing that he really did end up loving her and this was a fight for who could have the beloved Juliet.

The last form of this love is fate. This love story mainly did happen through fate! Romeo had just been dumped by his “love of his life” because she was soon to become a nun. He went into a depressed state and no one could get him out of it, but then he met Juliet! How often do you go into a depressed state and then a few days later find the person of your dreams and not call that fate! Also throughout the whole story in bad situations but are still able to find each other, they even commit suicide together wanting to always be together! This is a way that fate is a form of love.

This love story has so many themes in terms of love.  I had decided to choose these themes because I felt they were most important connecting to the main idea of the story. This was a discussion between the class for a very long time, and I found a way to bundle it all up into one, major theme