Shakespeare uses some relationships between characters, such as the relationships that Lady Capulet and the Nurse share with Juliet, to give social commentary on the Elizabethan society. He also used relationships to highlight his key themes, such as the relationship between Romeo and Juliet proving that true love is uncontrollable.
The relationship between Lady Capulet and Juliet is used to show how family members tended to be distant from each other. This is shown in the utterance “what say you? Can you love the gentleman?” Lady Capulet does not give Juliet time to speak showing how she does not expect the answer to be anything but yes before giving a long speech praising Paris so is clearly under the impression that Juliet would be excited …show more content…
This is shown when Romeo utters “If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss”. Here, Romeo’s use of the religious allusion “shrine” when describing Juliet shows how deeply he feels his love for her, and how he wants to worship her. Shakespeare uses this blasphemy to show the audience the extent of Romeo’s love, and also to show that it is a spiritual connection that he feeling with Juliet and therefore is much more meaningful than any relationship he had with Rosaline. The fact that he feels that this is the only way to truly convey their emotions could show that he did not think that the much of the contemporary audience knew what true love felt like either, as marrying for economic transactions rather than love was the norm. Shakespeare uses the sonnet that they complete together as a metaphor meant to portray that they complete each other.
This forms an antithesis to the relationship between Romeo and Rosaline in which Romeo is clearly subscribing to the Petrarchan Love Convention. This is shown when he utters “One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun ne’er saw her match since first the world begun”. Romeo’s use of the adverb “never” reveals how ignorant Romeo is as he believes that there is no one as beautiful as Rosaline. The use of the query shows how Romeo finds the idea ludicrous and impossible. His ‘love’ for Rosaline was “doting not loving” (as put by the Friar) and it was unrequited love and therefore could not be true
The relationship between Lady Capulet and Juliet is used to show how family members tended to be distant from each other. This is shown in the utterance “what say you? Can you love the gentleman?” Lady Capulet does not give Juliet time to speak showing how she does not expect the answer to be anything but yes before giving a long speech praising Paris so is clearly under the impression that Juliet would be excited …show more content…
This is shown when Romeo utters “If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss”. Here, Romeo’s use of the religious allusion “shrine” when describing Juliet shows how deeply he feels his love for her, and how he wants to worship her. Shakespeare uses this blasphemy to show the audience the extent of Romeo’s love, and also to show that it is a spiritual connection that he feeling with Juliet and therefore is much more meaningful than any relationship he had with Rosaline. The fact that he feels that this is the only way to truly convey their emotions could show that he did not think that the much of the contemporary audience knew what true love felt like either, as marrying for economic transactions rather than love was the norm. Shakespeare uses the sonnet that they complete together as a metaphor meant to portray that they complete each other.
This forms an antithesis to the relationship between Romeo and Rosaline in which Romeo is clearly subscribing to the Petrarchan Love Convention. This is shown when he utters “One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun ne’er saw her match since first the world begun”. Romeo’s use of the adverb “never” reveals how ignorant Romeo is as he believes that there is no one as beautiful as Rosaline. The use of the query shows how Romeo finds the idea ludicrous and impossible. His ‘love’ for Rosaline was “doting not loving” (as put by the Friar) and it was unrequited love and therefore could not be true