Friday, October 24, 2014

What are quotes that support that there is no love in Romeo and Juliet?

Initially, I thought that your question couldn't be answered.  Romeo and Juliet is dripping with love and love quotes.  It's probably why Romeo and Juliet are the quintessential love couple.  However, there is the Act 2, Scene 3 sequence between Friar Lawrence and Romeo where the friar spends more time pointing out Romeo's false loves than he does supporting Romeo's feelings.  Take these lines for example.  


Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so...

Initially, I thought that your question couldn't be answered.  Romeo and Juliet is dripping with love and love quotes.  It's probably why Romeo and Juliet are the quintessential love couple.  However, there is the Act 2, Scene 3 sequence between Friar Lawrence and Romeo where the friar spends more time pointing out Romeo's false loves than he does supporting Romeo's feelings.  Take these lines for example.  



Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear,
So soon forsaken? young men's love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.



In those lines, the friar is essentially saying that young men's hearts are not capable of feeling love.  What they are actually feeling is the lustful attraction that their eyes are drawn to.  Like the looks of a pretty lady?  Well that must be love.  


A few moments later, Friar Lawrence says this line:



Thy love did read by rote and could not spell.



In other words, he is telling Romeo that Romeo's words and thoughts of love were not his own.  Romeo was only reciting love stuff that he had read and learned somewhere else.  On top of that, Romeo was saying it badly.  That also supports your idea that there is no love.  There is only saying meaningless drivel that other people have described as love. 

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