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Love and Hatred in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Love and hatred are among the most significant themes in Shakespeare's play Romeo

and Juliet. As depicted in the play, love and hate are not two opposite emotions. In fact, there

are different sides to the same coin. They are attached to one another by a central media.

Because there is love, there is also hate. These two emotions are sometimes strong enough to

influence our perceptions and, ultimately, our actions. From an everyday perspective, love

means being confident in ourselves. Finding someone to love and be loved back means we

have seen the person who approves that we are what we are supposed to be. The same case

applies to hate. Hating someone means they are the ones who disapprove that we are and can

be more than what we are supposed to be. The danger of hate or disapproval almost always

threatens to override love creating friction in already dangerous circumstances, which could

ultimately end in tragedy.

In the play, Rome and Juliet, love and hate are displayed on many occasions. Romeo

and Juliet share a passion so strong that neither of them is willing to live without the other.

On the other hand, their parents share strong hate that threatens to override the love between

Romeo and Juliet, creating friction in the already unstable circumstance. Unfortunately, the

story ended in tragedy but brought reconciliation to the parents. However, one question still

lingers in our minds. How deep is love and hate in the right heart, and what fuels these

emotions to extreme ends? Romeo had attended the party that day in the hopes of seeing

someone else. He landed his eyes on Juliet and was struck right away. Romeo's love for Juliet
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was, as it can be said in some cases, instant as he was immediately taken aback by her beauty.

That night, he spent time wanting and waiting to see Juliet one last time.

On the other hand, the hatred between their parents was so great that non from

Romeo's side was invited. They crushed the party in disguise to see the people they loved.

We cannot love and hate with extremeness simultaneously; one is bound to override the

other. More often, among young people, the emotions of love can be so deep that no sacrifice

is too great to give to be with the one you love. In extreme situations, many young people

will often choose to let themselves die in the truth of who they love rather than live in the lie

of who they do not. By virtue of love, Juliet sought extreme measure so as not to live in the

lie of loving Paris and being his wife. On the other hand, Romeo knew that he was essentially

an empty vessel without love in him and chose not to live in the lie of not having Juliet.

Equally, hatred dilutes the very element of love in a situation. The escalation of events

in this play is fueled mainly by hate (Bartlett, 2008). When Juliet's brother Tybalt gets wind

of Romeo's secret marriage, he offers to challenge Romeo out of pure hatred. When Romeo

refuses, his friend, again out of pure hate for the other family, is displeased with Romeo's

rejection and offers himself instead. This act of heroism and standing by what you feel (Hate

or Love) without knowledge, control, or strategy accelerated the situation to the end. Romeo's

friend Mercutio fights with Juliet's brother Tybalt, who kills him. Upon seeing this, Romeo,

in retaliation, grabs a weapon and kills Juliet's brother. Romeo was openly spiteful of the

other family, and he felt he had to retaliate following his friend's death. This event fueled the

subsequent chain of activities that ultimately saw their story end in tragedy (Bartlett, 2008).

Love and hate displayed in the play demonstrate the extreme ends to which both

emotions can drive a party or an individual and the depths or degree of the emotions held by

the individual (Bartlett, 2008). In essence, the depth of the love between Romeo and Juliet

was so immense that none of them was willing to live without the other. Likewise, the hate
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between the parents and the two families fueled a series of events that were destined to

undermine the very principle of love between Romeo and Juliet. While love builds, hate

threatens to destroy, leading both parties to extreme circumstances. Juliet’s brother, Tybalt, is

also filled with hate for Romeo and his family and anyone else from that side. This issue

ultimately leads him into a tragedy that costs him his life. Capulet, Juliet’s father, is filled

with hate for the Montague family that e is willing to let his daughter suffer to satisfy an old

grudge with the other family. This aspect goes to show the depth of hatred in his heart.

Essentially, the tragedy that befalls the characters in this play results from the depth of

animosity between two older adults and the immense love between two young lovebirds.

While love and hate may be the main themes in the play, other emotions had a part to play in

the end. Love is often characterized by compassion, humility, and empathy, while hate is

marked by jealousy, resentment, and sometimes guilt (Bartlett, 2008). Juliet’s nurse tries to

show mercy, kindness, and understanding when se secretly helps Juliet secure her marriage

with Romeo. Juliet herself was not easy to deal with since her upbringing robbed her of

virtues like patience, respect for elders, and the ability to think logically. The emotions

displayed by the nurse came in the form of love for her (Juliet) (Bartlett, 2008). Equally, on

Romeo’s side, the fact that Mercutio, his friend, had to jump in the fight to help displayed an

in-depth kind of love. Each time, the depth of the emotion invokes a reaction and changes the

perception of those around. This leads to them making decisions that converge to form a

tragedy in one way or another.

As a solution, the degree of emotion held by an individual ultimately enslaves you to

it. Both families were essentially trapped in feelings of hate (Bartlett, 2008). They held an

ancient grudge that spilled over to their children for a long time, ultimately leading to their

demise. Although Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other is quite admirable, the depth and

degree of the love equally change their perception of viewing the world leading them to
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believe that there is no life and love after either has gone (Rogers, 2012). This led to both of

them taking their own lives out of fear of being alone or denied the chance to love each other.
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Works Cited

Bartlett, Neil. "Article- Love and Hatred | Romeo and Juliet | Royal Shakespeare Company."

Royal Shakespeare Company | RSC, 2008, www.rsc.org.uk/romeo-and-juliet/past-

productions/neil-bartlett-2008-production/article-love-and-hatred. Accessed

7 Mar. 2022.

Rogers T. "Romeo and Juliet (Arden Shakespeare Third Series)." Romeo and Juliet, 2012. Pg

60-70.