Love in R&J

Question 1

Unrequited Love

Answer 1

• portrayed through Romeo’s infatuation with Rosaline; instead of bringing him joy he becomes depressed as his love is one sided and she doesn’t feel the same way.
• Romeo uses a range of oxymorons to express his emotions about love.
• represents the contrast between Romeo and Juliet’s love with the quarrelling and violence of the family feud. It also foreshadows the amount of violence that will occur throughout the course of the play between the families, and links with the important theme of the coexistence of love and hate.

Question 2

Love linked with violence and death

Answer 2

• The marriage of Romeo and Juliet is described as “violent delights” by Friar Lawrence. This use of oxymoron emphasises the difference between the two ideas but also highlights a connection between them. The use of the adjective “violent” echoes the fighting that has gone on within the novel. However, the use of the verb “delights”, rather than love also puts emphasis on how the violence occurs within the indulgence rather than the relationship