Romeo & Juliet

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Romeo is in love with a girl named Rosaline, but he has one problem: she does not love him back. Frank Magill states "Romeo son of old Montague, thought himself in love with haughty Rosaline, a beautiful girl who did not return his affection"(790). Now Romeo locks himself in his room and cries all day. Benvolio and Mercutio, two of Romeo's friends, seeing what is happening to Romeo, want Romeo to get over Rosaline and find another girl. An internet article says "Benvolio says that Romeo should "˜for get to think of her,' and his friend/cousin replies that he will stop thinking about Rosaline if Benvolio can show him "˜a mistress that is passing fair'" (http://allshakespeare.com/plays /romeo/ps.shtml). To get him over her they ask him if he would go to the Capulet's feast and see if he can find someone else that is better than Rosaline. An internet article states "After he finds the name of Rosaline among the invited guests, Romeo plans to attend the banquet and Benvolio says that he will show Romeo some other maid at the feast"(http:// allshakespeare.com/plays/romeo/ps.shtml). Romeo's love for Rosaline, youthful and based on infatuation, while his love for Juliet was mature and spiritual; therefore, much greater.

At the Capulet's feast Romeo sees this beautiful girl and instantly falls in love with her. Charles and Mary Lamb have written: At the feast of the Capulet's, Rosaline, beloved of Romeo, son of the old Lord Montague, was present; and though it was dangerous for a Montague to be seen in this assembly, yet Benvolio, a friend of Romeo, persuaded the young lord to go to this assembly in the disguise of a mask, that he might see his Rosaline, and seeing her compare her with some choice beauties of Verona"¦To this feast of Capulets then young Romeo with Benvolio and their friend Mercutio went maked. Old Capulet bid them welcome, and"¦they fell to dancing, and Romeo was suddenly struck with the exceeding beauty of a lady that danced there, who seemed to him to teach the torches to burn bright"¦beauty rich for use, too dear for earth! Like a snowy dove trooping with crows (he said), so richly did her beauty and perfections shine above the ladies, her companions.

Romeo flirts for a while, they kiss, and Juliet's mother calls her away. Charles and Mary Lamb states: The dancing being done, Romeo watched the place where the lady stood; and under favour of his masking habit"¦he presumed in the gentlest manner to taker her by the hand, calling it a shrine, which if he profaned by touching it, he was a blushing pilgrim, and would kiss it for atonement. "Good Pilgrim," answers the lady, "your devotion shows by far too mannerly and too courtly: saints have hands, which pilgrims may touch, but kiss not." "Have not saints lips, and pilgrims too?" said Romeo. "Ay," said the lady, "lips which the must use in prayer." "O then my dear saint," said Romeo, "hear my prayer, and grant it, lest I despair." Romeo finds out from Juliet's nurse, that she is a Capulet, and Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague. Even knowing their families were enemies, they still wanted to be together.

Benvolio, Mercutio, and Romeo were leaving the Capulet's ball, Romeo did not want to leave so he jumped a wall and went into the Capulet's orchard. Frank Magill says "That night Romeo, to much in love to go home and sleep, stole to Juliet's house and stood in the orchard beneath a balcony that led to her room"(790). In the orchard he heard Juliet talking about him to herself. She says that she wishes that he had a different name so things would be easier for them to get together. "O Romeo, Romeo! Werefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, for my sake; or if thou wilt not, be but sworn love, and I will no longer be a Capulet"(Romeo and Juliet 2.2.33). Romeo said that Juliet could call him whatever she wants as long as they could be together(32). Later the next day Tybalt and Mercutio were fighting, Romeo, because he loved Juliet so much, tried to stop Tybalt and Mercutio from fighting, even knowing his friends would be mad at him(Magill 790). But when Romeo got between the two, Tybalt stabbed Mercutio, this got Romeo mad, and he killed Tybalt. Later on that day Juliet found out that Tybalt was dead and Romeo was banished. Juliet was upset at first about Tybalt being dead, but then she got more upset about Romeo being banished. According to an internet article "Juliet would rather take the pain of 10,000 Tybalts dying, that take the pain of Romeo being banished"(http://allshakespeare.com/plays/romeo/ps.shtml). After Tybalt's death Juliet's father said that she was going to get married to Paris, but she did not want to because she was already married to Romeo. She could not tell her father because Romeo killed Tybalt. So Juliet went to Friar Lawrence for help and he came up with a plan. His plan was for Juliet to take a potion that would make her appear to be dead for two days. At the end of that time, Romeo would come get her, and they would run off together. The only problem with the plan was that the potion was dangerous. Juliet would risk dying by taking the potion that Friar Lawrence gave her, just so she can be with Romeo(6). But this plan went really wrong, Romeo never got news of it and one of his servants came to him and told him that Juliet was dead. Romeo went to Verona. He bought some poison so he could kill himself so he could be with Juliet again. Then he went to her tomb so he could see her one more time before he killed himself. Romeo got to the tomb, saw Juliet, the killed himself. Juliet woke up, saw Romeo dead, she did not want to live without him so she killed herself. The author contends "Romeo then dies as he drinks the poison. Friar Lawrence comes in and sees him dead. He runs away before Juliet has time to go with them (she awakens while he is there). Juliet, who actually decided to stay with Romeo instead of going with the Friar, takes a dagger and stabs herself. She dies.(1+).

Romeo loved Rosaline, but he did not love her as much as he loved Juliet. Charles and Mary Lamb state "Nevertheless the love of Rosaline cannot be to Romeo as is the love of Juliet. It is a law in moral dynamics, too little recognized, that the breadth, and height, and permanence of a feeling depend on a certain degree at least upon the actual force of its external cause. No ardour of self-protection, no abandonment prepense, so self-sustained energy, can create and shape a passion of equal volume, and possessing, alike certainty and directness of advance with a passion shaped, determined and forever re invigorated by positive, objective fact"(52). Romeo thought that he would never love anyone else, but when he saw Juliet, he fell in love with her right away and forgot about Rosaline. Frank Magill states "But Romeo was no sooner in the ballroom that he noticed the exquisite Juliet, Capulet's daughter, and instantly forgot his disdainful Rosaline"(790).