ROMEO AND JULIET THEMES

LOVE

o An Elizabethan audience would be familiar with different

ideas about love and arranged marriage while modern
audiences associate this play with ideas of romantic love.
o Romeo’s early love for Rosaline can be seen as infatuation
or that he is in love with the idea of love. The language he
uses when talking about her is unrealistic, a contrast to the
metaphorical language he uses when he first sees Juliet

o Contemporary conventions of love are evident in Paris’s

approach to Lord Capulet in his quest to marry Juliet.

o He is looking for a good marriage and admits that he has

‘little talked of love’. In keeping with tradition, he has
chosen Juliet and will now seek to woo her after gaining
her father’s permission.

o His language when speaking to her after her meeting with

Friar Lawrence reflects his confidence in the system of
courtly love. ‘Happily met my lady and my wife.’

o Juliet and Romeo meet at the Capulet ball and fall in love
at first sight. Romeo’s words are lavish with metaphors
 and express the all encompassing nature of his feelings for
her. ‘O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!’
o Their exchange is spiritual and open reflecting ideas about
love at first sight – ‘Thus from my lips, by yours my sin is
purged.’

o The balcony scene presents a romantic meeting and

exchange of vows. Romeo’s comparison of Juliet with the
sun is intense and universal in its scale.

o Their decision to marry after knowing each other for just a

few hours reflects the power and immediacy of their love.

o The idealistic love of Romeo and Juliet may be contrasted

with more base references made by characters such as
Mercutio and the Nurse.
o Their wedding night reflects the impetus of their love and
intensifies the brevity of their relationship; Juliet says ‘it
was the nightingale, and not the lark’ to try to convince
Romeo to stay longer with her.
o The marriage itself is not covered in the play but referred
to, although several film and stage versions have included
it. It is the love between the two that is presented as most
important.

o Both characters would rather die than spend their lives

apart – their feelings are poetically and profoundly
expressed as the play draws to its end.

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 o The ending of the play as they lie together in the tomb
reflects the sense of tragedy and the power of love.
‘Romeo there dead, was husband to that Juliet; And she,
there dead, that Romeo’s faithful wife.’

HATE

o It can be argued that hatred triumphs over love in the play

as the feud has cost the lives of Tybalt, Mercutio, Romeo,
Juliet and Paris by the end of the play.
o These are all characters who represent the younger
generation who should be the hope for the future.
o Apart from Lady Montague (who is reported to have died
from grief after learning of Romeo’s death), the flawed
older generation are left to move things forward in Verona
o The play ends as it begins – in violence and bloodshed –
with the slaughter of Paris at Juliet’s tomb and the
dramatic suicides of both Romeo and Juliet.
o The hatred brought about by the feud and forbidden by
the Prince drives the tragedy as outlined by the Chorus at
the beginning of the play:
o ‘From forth the fatal loins of these two foes/A pair of star-
cross’d lovers take their life’
o The attempts of Friar Lawrence to restore peace in Verona
by secretly marrying Romeo and Juliet are destroyed by
the hot tempers and hatred of Mercutio and Tybalt.

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 o Romeo tries to win over his old enemy by declaring his
love for him, but both Tybalt and Mercutio are too fuelled
with anger and bitterness to be swayed by him.
o Their deaths follow quickly as the tragedy accelerates
o Juliet’s parents appear to demonstrate hatred for their
daughter when she refuses to marry Paris.
o Lord Capulet is aggressive and violent while both wish
their daughter dead rather than disobedient.
o Even though they are sorry at the very end of the play,
hatred has coloured Juliet’s last hours
o It can be argued that hatred does not triumph over love.
The great love between Romeo and Juliet is the
centrepiece of the play’s events and is expressed in
spiritual and romantic terms.
o On first seeing Juliet at the Capulet ball, Romeo says: ‘Did
my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!’ Juliet, when
asking the Nurse who Romeo is, states: ‘If he be
marrièd,/My grave is like to be my wedding bed’
o Love can be said to triumph over hate as the deaths of
Romeo and Juliet do result in peace in Verona, even
though it is a bleak and joyless peace: ‘A glooming peace
this morning with it brings’
o Love can be said to triumph as Romeo and Juliet do remain
true to each other to the end, their suicides uniting them
in death. The dagger used by Juliet to kill herself is
referred to as ‘happy’ by her.

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DEATH

o An Elizabethan audience would not be shocked by death

(such as the plague which prevents the message reaching
Romeo).
o Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that appears to rest upon a
twist of fate. The fates of these two young lovers seem
predetermined by some uncontrollable power that directs
the action of the play.
o Both Romeo and Juliet make references to having feelings
about impending doom. When Juliet watches Romeo
descend from her chamber she too has fears: ‘I have an ill-
divining soul…as one dead in the bottom of a tomb’.
o The theme of death is closely interlinked with the violence
that permeates Romeo and Juliet.
o Death is almost always connected to passion, whether
that passion is love or hate. The men that represent the
Capulet and Montague households in the play dice with
death on a weekly basis.
o Prince Escalus attempts to prevent any further bloodshed
by stating that capital punishment will be enforced on any
individual who disturbs the peace. Despite this, Tybalt
slays Mercutio and Romeo slays Tybalt.
o Juliet is in an extremely vulnerable position. Her heart, in
her family’s mind, is not hers to give to just anybody. Juliet
feels unable to turn to her parents.

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 o In desperation she agrees to take a drug that will make
her appear dead.
o To Juliet, death is more welcome than facing life without
Romeo. This is re-iterated at the end of the play when
both Romeo and Juliet choose death above life without
one another.
o It is destiny that their tragic deaths should lead to the end
of the Capulet and Montague feud, and an audience would
consider the price that has been paid, the lesson learned.
The Prince confirms this by stating at the end of the play:
‘The heavens find means to kill your joys with love!...All
are punished’.

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 o the deaths of Romeo and Juliet are explained in the
Prologue ensuring that death overshadows the events of
the whole play. Their 'death-mark'd love' is noted by the
Chorus prior to Act 1
o Lord Capulet speaks of the deaths of his other children
when meeting with Paris early in the play: 'Earth hath
swallowed all my hopes but she,' referring to Juliet as his
precious only child. These deaths serve to emphasise her
importance to the Capulets; her match in marriage takes
on an even greater importance
o the nurse has lost a child, Susan, who died in infancy. She
states: 'Well, Susan is with God, she was too good for this
world.'
o Death pervades the whole play on many levels. Infant
mortality was considerably higher in Elizabethan times
than it is today and it was not uncommon for parents to
lose one or more children
o the first death to take place is that of Mercutio who dies as
a result of the fight with Tybalt in Act 3. He is killed under
Romeo's arm as Romeo seeks to break up the duel.
Mercutio is darkly humorous in his approach to his own
demise: 'Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a
grave man'
o Tybalt's violent death at Romeo's hands is inevitable after
Mercutio has been slain: 'Either you or I or both must go
with him.'
o Tybalt's death is significant in the play as momentum
gathers pace towards the death of the two lovers

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 o Juliet's soliloquy prior to taking the Friar's potion is laced
with metaphors of death: 'A faint, cold fear thrills through
my veins.'
o It is ironic that Juliet threatens suicide, then fakes her
death, which leads to her real death in Act 5
o Paris's death presents a dramatic focus as the play draws
to an end. He is killed by Romeo during an altercation at
the Capulet tomb. Paris is keen to kill his rival: 'Obey and
go with me, for thou must die'
o Romeo's death by his own hand is both dramatic and
romantic.
o He takes the apothecary's poison and dies at Juliet's side,
believing that he is joining her in death. Juliet's wakening
from her feigned death is followed by her real death, using
the dagger from Romeo's body. She is focused on joining
Romeo in death, despite the protestations of Friar
Lawrence to leave with him. Juliet and Romeo do bring
peace through their deaths as the families pledge to
reconcile their differences and raise a golden statue to the
couple as a memorial.

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YOUTH VS OLD AGE

o Responsibility for the tragedy can be discussed in different

ways. Candidates are likely to refer to the part played by:
Lord and Lady Capulet, the Montagues, Friar Lawrence and
the Nurse. Candidates may also discuss fate, the younger
generation and the feud.
o The Capulets Lady Capulet is not close to her daughter.
She fails to spot Juliet‘s anguish when the marriage to
Paris is mooted. She cannot understand why the arranged
marriage is rejected. At first, Lord Capulet seems to be a
liberal father. However, he is vindictive when Juliet refuses
to play the dutiful daughter.
o The Montagues Lord Montague is more concerned about
Romeo‘s pursuit of Rosaline. His wife eventually dies of
grief.
o Friar Lawrence He advises moderation but goes ahead and
marries the couple because he believes that it will unite
the families and reduce conflict. He ensures that Romeo
will sleep with Juliet. He plans Romeo's exile. He devises
the sleeping potion plan. He is guilty of good intentions
leading to tragedy.
o Nurse She is very close to Juliet, has been with her all her
Juliet‘s life. She becomes an accomplice. She is far too

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 keen to see Juliet married and is not very discriminating:
Paris or Romeo will do. She is not a moral person. Her
support for Paris alienates Juliet who ceases to use the
Nurse in her plans. The Nurse fails to support her charge at
a crucial time.

TRANSCIENCE

o time is an important theme and structural device. It may

appear static but characters are often rushing and there is
a real sense of urgency and speed in the play. Time and
fate can be seen to go hand in hand, with one influencing
the other
o the existence of the Prologue, which sets out the play’s
entire action in the opening scene, is beyond the scope of
real time and shows the irrelevance of time to the play’s
outcome.
o Paris is told by Lord Capulet that he should wait ‘two more
summers’ before marrying Juliet as she is of such a young
age. Later, however, Capulet rushes, bringing the wedding
forward with tragic results
o Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love with great haste.
This is in contrast with the idea of the ‘old accustom’d
feast’ – Capulet’s ball is the first he has held in thirty years.
The speed with which Romeo and Juliet agree to marry is
swift indeed, since they have known each other only for a
matter of hours. The haste in which this decision is made
contributes to the play’s ultimate tragedy

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 o events speed up dramatically from the ill-timed meeting of
Mercutio and Tybalt which results in both their deaths.
Benvolio warns Mercutio of the likely outcome should they
meet the Capulets, but Mercutio is in high temper and will
not be swayed by sense. The timing of Romeo’s entrance
and the fact that Mercutio is hurt because of his
intervention demonstrate the importance of time in the
play
o Juliet bemoans the slow pace of time while she is waiting
for Romeo to come to her chamber: ‘Gallop apace, you
fiery-footed steeds’, referring to the speed with which she
wants the sun to go down. Time is also important when
she takes the Friar’s potion as it has a limited effect and
she is warned that within 48 hours she will wake
o time brings about the play’s final tragedy when Romeo, in
banishment in Mantua, does not receive the Friar’s letter
about Juliet’s feigned death. Believing her to be really
dead, he rushes with great haste to Verona and, after
demanding poison from the apothecary, kills himself at
Juliet’s side before she has come round from the effects of
the potion. It can be argued that his 23 impulsive actions
here, in not taking his time, result in the deaths of both
characters.

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FATE AND FREE WILL

o the theme of fate is a key theme in the play. Candidates

may argue that this is the most important theme and/or
discuss the importance of other themes. The theme of fate
is very important from the start as the Prologue sets out
the point that Romeo and Juliet are ‘star cross’d lovers’.
The fact that the Prologue sets out the whole story
highlights the importance of fate in the play. Romeo and
Juliet’s love is described as ‘death marked’
o the theme of fate can be seen in terms of the feud
between the Capulets and Montagues – an ongoing
grudge that Romeo and Juliet have no control over. Fate
would have been a serious matter for Shakespeare’s
audience; he was influenced by the Greek tragedies and
the characters of Romeo and Juliet cannot escape their
destiny whatever desperate actions they take to try to
avoid it. Romeo describes himself as ‘fortune’s fool’ after
he has killed Tybalt. Juliet says ‘a faint cold fear thrills
through my veins’ before taking the Friar’s sleeping potion
o it is the undelivered message sent by Friar Lawrence to
Romeo in Mantua that results in his misunderstanding that
Juliet is dead. Romeo and Juliet’s helplessness in the face

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 of fate causes the audience to feel sympathy for them.
They are undoubtedly its victims and their deaths, though
inevitable, are poignantly sad
o candidates may argue that love is a more important theme
than fate. Love can be seen throughout the play from
Romeo’s early ‘puppy love’ for Rosaline to Paris’s
traditional and conventional love for Juliet. Fate and love
are clearly linked in the play as Romeo and Juliet fall in
love at first sight. The Elizabethans believed that everyone
had a soul mate, an ‘other half’ that they were destined to
be with. The love between Romeo and Juliet is spiritual
and pure - an immediate, all-encompassing passion
o death is another significant theme in the play and
Shakespeare shows the end product of violence frequently
throughout his work. Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Romeo and
Juliet all die in the play. Death is personified as Juliet’s
husband: ‘Death is my son-in-law’. It casts a dark shadow
over the whole play
o other themes that candidates may write about include:
time. The Chorus tells the audience at the beginning of the
play that it will last two hours. Time is crucial to the plot
and seems to work hand 25 in hand with fate and death.
An example of this is that Juliet wakes up just after Romeo
has taken the fatal poison. Other themes that candidates
may write about are: families, hatred and violence.
Reward all valid suggestions for the most important
theme.

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HUMOUR
o humour is used in a number of ways within the tragedy
and candidates may present a range of possible reasons
relating to why and how Shakespeare uses it. Word play
and fairly graphic, sexual jokes are evident in the very first
scene when Sampson and Gregory talk about 'coal',
'colliers' and taking the 'maidenheads'. This use of punning
and base humour may be explained by some candidates as
distracting the audience from the seriousness of the fight
o Mercutio is a character who embodies humour within his
tragic role. He is lively and, as his name suggests,
mercurial. His Queen Mab speech arguably sets itself apart
from the main themes and concerns of the play. His word
play with Romeo, the nurse and Tybalt involves clever use
of language and risque comments. Even when he is dying
he finds humour in the situation and cannot resist a joke:
‘Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man’.
The loss of Mercutio in the play marks a dark turning point
in the tragedy
o Mercutio’s humour serves to compromise and deflate the
romantic sentiments within the play. He mocks Romeo’s
self-indulgence and his lines are loaded with meaning and

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 intensity within the jokes. The humour provided by
Mercutio brings a bitter sweet tone to the play
o the nurse is another character who brings humour to the
play. She is a larger than life character who is prepared to
lie for Juliet and jokes with Mercutio who calls her ‘ancient
lady.’ She engages in sexual humour, using innuendo in her
references to Juliet’s wedding night ‘Seek happy nights to
happy days’ and implying that Juliet will need to rest in
time for her wedding night. This is bawdy humour
o humour is one of the ways in which Shakespeare relieves
the tension in this fast-paced play. It allows Shakespeare
to create contrasts, different moods and shifting
atmosphere. The play is set over a very short space of time
but the use of humour makes it more cohesive and
compelling
o the humour in the play acts as a balance in the play and is
an entertaining feature that would have kept the attention
of not only an Elizabethan audience but a modern one too.
The play is full of contrasts and the contrast of humour
with tragedy is important to the play’s effects

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POWER

o the actual power in the play is held by Prince Escalus, who

is Prince of Verona. He is the ultimate arbiter of law in the
city and warns Lord Capulet and Lord Montague that
further brawling on the streets of Verona will be
'punished'. He is the power behind the decision to spare
Romeo death and instead exile him to Mantua for killing
Tybalt
o Lord Capulet is powerful in his position as head of the
Capulet family. He exerts power over his daughter, wife
and nephew as well as the Capulet servants. He is able to
direct Juliet more easily at the start of the play when she
agrees to 'look to like if looking liking move'. She pushes
against his power when she refuses to marry Paris later in
the play
o the power of fate is significant. Its influence stretches from
the Prologue where the Chorus presents the play's tragic
outcome. Romeo cries out that he is 'Fortune's fool',
summing up its power after he kills Tybalt. Romeo and
Juliet are 'star-crossed lovers' whose futures lie in the
hands of fate. They are in its power seemingly throughout
and even love cannot diminish its control in their lives
o the power of love is central to the play's themes,
motivating the actions of Romeo and Juliet after their
meeting. Both Romeo and Juliet prize love over life,
reflecting its significance. Love drives the extreme acts
that Romeo and Juliet are driven to committing, including

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 Juliet's consumption of the Friar's potion and both their
suicides
o the power of death transcends the play's concerns and
focuses the audience on the tragic plight of Romeo and
Juliet. On arriving at Juliet's tomb he notes: 'Death, that
hath sucked the honey of thy breath,/Hath had no power
yet upon thy beauty'
o the physical power of the apothecary's poison is
formidable. He claims it can kill as many as 10 men. The
power of the feud is tearing Verona apart. It is described
as an 'ancient grudge', suggesting that no-one can really
remember the reason the feud began in the first place.

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HOPE
o Juliet’s response to her mother’s suggestion that she meet
Paris with a view to marriage conveys a sense of hope for
her future happiness and prospective marriage. Juliet is
open to the idea, using the words: ‘I’ll look to like if looking
liking move’. This suggests that her nature is innocent and
hopeful in its outlook
o hope for reconciliation between the families is conveyed
by the attitude of Lord Capulet at the Capulet ball when
Romeo is pointed out to him by Tybalt. He says to his
nephew: ‘Content thee gentle coz, let him alone; He bears
him like a portly gentleman’. This suggests that, following
the warning of the prince, Capulet may be mellowing in his
approach to the feud
o when Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love, there is hope
that the ancient feud can be mended through their
alliance. Juliet rues the fact that Romeo is a Montague:
‘Deny thy father and refuse thy name’, but her
reservations do not stop her from agreeing to meet him
and be married in secret. Friar Laurence sees hope for the
peace of Verona in their union and agrees to marry them:
‘Come, come with me, and we shall make short work; /
For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone/ Till holy
church incorporates two in one’
o Romeo’s refusal to fight with Tybalt suggests hope for the
future as he previously would have been ready for a fight.
Now he refers to his love for Tybalt and does all he can to
avoid violence. Unfortunately hope is severely damaged
when Mercutio is killed in the brawl and Tybalt
consequently slain by Romeo in revenge

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 o there is an element of hope after Romeo and Juliet have
spent the night together. Both are in good spirits in spite
of Romeo’s banishment and when Juliet asks if she thinks
they will meet again, Romeo replies: ‘I doubt it not, and all
these woes shall serve for sweet discourses in our time to
come’
o after Juliet is told that she must marry Paris, hope declines
once again, but there is a kind of hope for the future in
Friar Laurence’s ambitious plan to feign Juliet’s death. Of
course the Prologue has already outlined the tragic
outcome of the play so it can be argued that any hope
offered is illusory only
o it can be argued that there is hope when Romeo arrives at
the tomb and notices Juliet’s warm complexion. He even
notes: ‘Thou art not conquer’d, beauty’s ensign yet/Is
crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,/And death’s pale flag
is not advanced there’. Romeo ignores these signs of life
and promptly takes his own life with the poison
o there is hope left in the lessons learnt by Capulet and
Montague following the tragic deaths of their children.
Prince Escalus ends the play by announcing ‘A glooming
peace’ and the two families pledge friendship and that
they will pay for golden statues of Romeo and Juliet.

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SETTING
o The play is set in Italy in the city of Verona; its streets
provide the setting for the play’s violent opening scene
when the Capulet and Montague servants are involved in a
public brawl that attracts the disapproval of Prince Escalus.
This setting ensures that the intense hatred of the two
families for each other is publically known from the start
o Capulet’s mansion is one of the main settings in the play
and is first used when the audience is introduced to the
sheltered Juliet in her own home. The house represents
the Capulet wealth and is also the scene for the lavish ball
at which Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time. The
balcony is arguably a romantic setting, showing the
metaphorical distance between the lovers as Romeo is in
the orchard and Juliet is on the balcony
o Friar Lawrence’s cell is the home and retreat for this figure
of the church. Romeo can be seen in a state of confession
when he confides in the Friar. He tells him of his love for
Juliet; the religious setting supports the spiritual nature of
the true love he feels. It remains a place of confession
when Romeo returns there and is informed by Friar
Lawrence that he is to be banished rather than executed
for killing Tybalt. It is the place to which Juliet goes later in
the play to plead with the Friar for help
o A public place is again the setting for the scene of violence
between Tybalt and Mercutio when Mercutio is fatally
wounded in the brawl. It is significant that this fight takes
place in public because Prince Escalus had clearly warned
that no more civil unrest should disturb the streets of

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 Verona. This scene demonstrates the effect of the violence
between the families on the city itself
o Juliet’s bedroom is the scene of her intense soliloquy as
she waits for Romeo to come to her and contemplates the
consequences of her cousin’s death. It is also where Juliet
confides in the Nurse (it could possibly be compared to the
cell of Friar Lawrence) and receives the advice to commit
bigamy and marry Paris. It is also the scene of her wedding
night with Romeo and, ironically, her consumption of the
Friar’s potion
o The churchyard and tomb of the Capulets are used as the
setting for the play’s concluding scenes. This is a fitting
scene for the tragic outcome of the play; Shakespeare uses
words to create time, place and atmosphere, e.g. Paris
using a torch in the darkness and mentioning ‘yon yew
trees’

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