Romeo
Point 1: Shakespeare employs the character of Romeo to serve as a
representation of the Petrarchan assertions of love presenting him as an
emotionally intense character in order to critique the hollow nature of the
conventions of courtly love. Shakespeare utilises mercutio’s bawdy view of
love serve as a foil to Romeo’s Petrarchan idealised love to expose the
performative and hollow nature of courtly love.
Point 2: Arguably, Shakespeare utilises the character of Romeo to render
the play a satire of young love rather than a celebration of it through the
presentation of Romeo’s love as superficial rather than sincere.
Shakespeare employs the character of the friar as a vehicle by which to
provide a choric commentary on Romeo’s love for both Rosaline and Juliet
further inviting the audience to see his love as insincere.
Point 3: However, through the characterisation of Romeo and Juliet’s first
meeting Shakespeare arguably celebrates the power of Romeo’s love for
Juliet as a departure from his earlier, more immature love for Rosaline.
This is further highlighted by Romeo’s willingness to subvert traditional
masculine roles in their relationship perhaps to emphasise the power of
young love which goes beyond the constraints of traditional gender roles
and expectations.
Point 1 quotes
‘O brawling love o loving hate’
Creates sense of lamentation
Oxymoron
Love presented as surface level and perhaps insincere in the way
that the professions of love are so exaggerated
‘love is a smoke with fume of sighs’
Metaphor compares love to something amorphous
Sibilance in line reflects the sense of ephemerality and lack of
substance
Mercutio mocking Romeo’s Petrarchan love ‘I conjure thee by rosaline’s
bright eyes by her high forehead and her scarlet lip by her fine foot
straight leg and quivering thigh’
Point 1: Shakespeare employs the character of Romeo to serve as a
representation of the Petrarchan assertions of love presenting him as an
emotionally intense character in order to critique the hollow nature of the
conventions of courtly love. Shakespeare utilises mercutio’s bawdy view of
love serve as a foil to Romeo’s Petrarchan idealised love to expose the
performative and hollow nature of courtly love.
Point 2: Arguably, Shakespeare utilises the character of Romeo to render
the play a satire of young love rather than a celebration of it through the
presentation of Romeo’s love as superficial rather than sincere.
Shakespeare employs the character of the friar as a vehicle by which to
provide a choric commentary on Romeo’s love for both Rosaline and Juliet
further inviting the audience to see his love as insincere.
Point 3: However, through the characterisation of Romeo and Juliet’s first
meeting Shakespeare arguably celebrates the power of Romeo’s love for
Juliet as a departure from his earlier, more immature love for Rosaline.
This is further highlighted by Romeo’s willingness to subvert traditional
masculine roles in their relationship perhaps to emphasise the power of
young love which goes beyond the constraints of traditional gender roles
and expectations.
Point 1 quotes
‘O brawling love o loving hate’
Creates sense of lamentation
Oxymoron
Love presented as surface level and perhaps insincere in the way
that the professions of love are so exaggerated
‘love is a smoke with fume of sighs’
Metaphor compares love to something amorphous
Sibilance in line reflects the sense of ephemerality and lack of
substance
Mercutio mocking Romeo’s Petrarchan love ‘I conjure thee by rosaline’s
bright eyes by her high forehead and her scarlet lip by her fine foot
straight leg and quivering thigh’
