Romeo

Romeo:
In the opening of the play Romeo is melancholy (sad) because of unrequited love with a woman named Rosaline. He is weak in depression “with tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew, adding to the clouds more clouds with his deep sighs” (I.e. 123-124).
His love for Rosaline appears juvenile Romeo’s attempt to write love poetry demonstrates that he does not in fact feel that way, but is trying to recreate the emotions which he’s read about. He thinks he should be in love, and there for focuses he attention on Rosaline because she is beautiful. Quickly his love moves from Rosaline to Juliet, unknowing that she is a Capulet. He is immediately drawn to Juliet, forgetting all about Rosaline. This sudden change in affection can be seen brash and unruly but Romeo is constantly lead by passion throughout the play. He follows his heart more so than his head although being in love with Juliet could be fatal, he cannot ignore his feelings for her. He is entirely ruled by emotion which eventually clouds his vision and leads to his death.
Juliet does not merely replace Rosaline she absolutely consumes Romeo’s emotions with her he learns what true love is. There love appears authentic and continually matures throughout the play. Juliet is level headed and thoughtful, encouraging Romeo to be reflective as well. With her influence Romeo speaks some of the most beautifully romantic love poetry in history to Juliet.
Love is just one example of his passionate emotions though. He kills Tybalt in a passionate revenge on Mercutio he is overcome with grief when he is punished he mourns wildly widely because he won’t be able to see Juliet. He is reckless in his decision to return to Verona after his banishment. Romeo goes through extreme emotional highs and lows. He does not think before he acts in most cases and his brashness leads to many deaths, including his own and his wife’s. Had he restrained himself from passion, he would not have killed Tybalt and would not have been banished. He would have been free to live his days out with Juliet. Had he been patient, as Balthazar suggested, he properly would have received the letter from Friar Lawrence about Juliet’s fake death.
While his passion and emotions are eventually his downfall, without them, the love between Romeo and Juliet would have never existed. Their “violent delights” in love proved to “have violent ends” (act 2 scene 6,9) as Friar Lawrence warned, but there love triumphant in ending feud between their families. There love and resulting deaths bring a peaceful, yet costly end.