Notes

Romeo and Juliet Extract Analysis

The relationship of Romeo of Juliet is shown to be passionate, loving and flirtatious right from their meeting where they instantly fall in love right to their tragic deaths. In the extract taken from Act 2 , Scene 2 around the middle of the play, Juliet describes their relationship as a ‘bud of love’. This shows that while they do fall in love at first sight ‘bud’ suggests that their relationship is still very undeveloped yet buds tend to grow into flowers normally very beautiful suggesting the potential of their love and what it could grow into. The idea of love at first sight is shown later in the extract when Juliet says that she ‘gave thee mine before thou didst request it, And yet I would it were to give again.’ However she later sees that she may have declared her love too soon yet recognises the idea of the bud that could blossom into something beautiful and would give her love back to him just to be generous.

The idea of a passionate relationship is shown at the beginning of the extract as Juliet wants Romeo to swear his love for her. The quote ‘O, swear not by the moon, th' inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circle orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.’ shows that Juliet wants their relationship to work. She says that she doesn't want him to swear by the moon because the moons position changes every month and she doesn’t want Romeo to be that inconsistent she instead asks him to swear ‘by thy gracious self’ .

Love is one of the main themes in the extract and in the play as a whole. In the extract Juliet proclaims that her love for Romeo is ‘as deep’ as the sea. In the play Shakespeare deals with the idea of love - its meaning, its causes and its impact - both positively and negatively, and its goal. In the play, we see many different types of love and their impact on individuals, families and the wider society of Verona. Romeo and Juliet centres on the developing relationship of Romeo and Juliet and how it impacts on other characters and relationships. Even though Shakespeare's play is about a pair of 'star-crossed lovers', it also teaches that love does not always go the way we think and this is shown in the tragic ending of the play.

At the end of the extract, Romeo is afraid that the night has been all a dream and is ‘Too flattering sweet to be substantial’ This conveys the idea that his love for Juliet is almost too strong for it to be real. Throughout the play, Romeo is seen to be a passionate lover as after he is no longer with Rosaline his family becomes worried as he spends so much time alone. However, despite previously hoping to win back Rosaline at the Capulet's ball he immediately falls in love with Juliet, this could suggest the immaturity of Romeo or just how strong his love is for Juliet.