'Romeo and Juliet' Analytical Essay

Romeo and Juliet is an iconic love story which pits two star-crossed, forbidden lovers in a world where rival families oppose their affection. Romeo is a young man who has fancied an older woman named Rosaline. He is heartbroken because Rosaline does not return his affections. However, in a matter of days, Romeo has seemingly moved on and is fond of a younger lady called Juliet. It has been speculated by many as to whether Romeo truly loves Juliet or if it is another immature infatuation. Romeo treats Juliet in a similar fashion to which he approaches Rosaline. There are characters in the play that notice Romeo's immature concepts of love and blatantly convey to the audience that his love is not a true love. Romeo is also very impulsive. These are all signs of a young, immature man fantasising about unknown concepts of love.

In Act, Scene 1, Romeo's love for Rosaline is made clear. However, Rosaline does not return his affections. Romeo, now heartbroken cries out to Benvolio that Rosaline "hath forsworn to love; and in that vow/ do I live dead, that live to tell it now" (Act1, Scene 1). By saying this, he is implying that he will take his life for her. This similar approach is used when he takes his life for Juliet. He kills himself over Juliet; and yet, in this earlier scene, swears that he would end his life for Rosaline. This raises serious suspicion as to whether he truly loves Juliet.

Another significant factor in the play is the Romeo is very impulsive. In Act 2, Scene 2, Romeo proclaims to Juliet that he does not care about the dire straits he would be in if he were caught on Capulet property with Capulet's only daughter. He quotes: With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls; For stony limits cannot hold love out, And what love can do that dares love attempt; ttherefore thy kinsmen are no let to me. Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords: look thou but sweet, and I am proof against their enmity. This disregard for safety proves that Romeo is very impulsive. This attitude he possess is peculiar because he just met Juliet.

A number of characters in the play take notice of Romeo's immature concepts of love and reveal to the audience that his love is not true affection. In Act 1, Scene 4, Mercutio appears to be talking about dreams in his lines: "dreams; which are the children of an idle brain, begot of nothing but vain fantasy, which is as thin substance as the air, and more inconstant than the wind, who woos even now the frozen bosom of the north, and, being angered, puffs away from thence, turning his face to the dew-dropping south." However he is mentioning Romeo's "inconstant" and very artificial love. Juliet is the beautiful "dew-dropping south", who Romeo suddenly alters to. Because Juliet does not know this, she is not affected. Mercutio also states that Romeo's affection is born of an "idle brain" and comes from "nothing but fantasy... as thin... as the air". Romeo's love is therefore more of a fantasy than true love.

Romeo's so called "love" for Juliet is an artificial, shallow fascination due to the fact that his infatuation is recognised by co-characters, he is very impulsive and because he treats Juliet in a similar way to Rosaline. Romeo's immature infatuation is the main cause of his and Juliet’s downfall and tragic ending in William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet.