Rachael Harlow 11AJG Literature Coursework

The Language of Love and Hate in William Shakespeare's “Romeo and

Juliet”

“Romeo and Juliet” was written in the late 16th century. It is possibly
one of the greatest and world renowned plays and tragedies ever written.
It explores the various depths and types of love used in an assortment of
social interactions, such as Petrarchan (courtly) love, agape
(unconditional) and spiritual love. It also shows the bitterness and
destruction that hate can bring. The play was set in Verona, Italy, aptly
chosen by Shakespeare as Italy has strong connotations with
romanticism. Particularly so with the development in baroque music and
art, which often expressed emotion and beauty.

The prologue identifies the key themes in romeo and Juliet, through
means of the chorus. The chorus is spoken directly to the audience, and
is used to build up the back story and the hate between the 2 families,
the Capulets(to whom Juliet is a member) and the Montagues(to whom
romeo is a member) mentioned in romeo and Juliet. To display the hate,
Shakespeare has used language which is particularly dramatic and
violent:
“Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean”
The use of the word “blood” here, shows that there has been bloodshed
throughout the feud and metaphorically that blood is literally the hatred
that has made these “civil hands” unclean. Even the use of the word
“civil” shows somewhat the hatred, in that it implies these families have
been corrupted by the “blood” and hatred. The semantic field from which
Shakespeare has drawn his language revolves a round words associated
with anger and death; “rage”, “fearful”, “grudge”, “fatal”, etc. The word

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“grudge” is a very severe word. It is especially effective and conveys the

depth of the argument. The prologue tells us of a tragedy in the play and
doesn't prepare the audience for the more lighthearted, comic values.

In contrast to the negative language, the prologue is a sonnet;

widely associated with love. This is how Shakespeare shows how love still
exists; That it continues in spite of the hatred. He shows love to be very
spiritual and that it has a deep, permanent existence as well as the
passionate side of love. He uses the phrase:

“A pair of star-cross'd lovers”

This is one of the most well-known quotes of Romeo and Juliet, most
likely as it is a potent expression as to how deep the love between the
couple. It illustrates that their shared love is 'set in the stars', that it is
fate or destiny that they are, or should be together. The Elizabethan
audience would instantly recognize this as a reference to fate, as the
belief in astrology was, for the majority, a way of life. Uncharacteristically
of Shakespeare, he starts the play with a chorus, which tells the audience
what is going to happen during the play. Although uncharacteristic of
Shakespeare, many playwrights of his era wrote choruses at the
beginning of plays, such as Thomas Heywood's "A Woman Killed with
Kindness" (written 1603) or George Chapman's “Bussy D'Ambois” (1641).

Shakespeare has not shown us how the family feud began, the
“ancient feud” as described in the prologue. This suggests that the origin
happened a long time ago. By concealing the cause of the conflict, the
audience cannot take sides with either family, so very little bias on the
audience's part is created. It allows the true nature of the love and

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hatred in particular to be appreciated. Hate within the play is present

through all stratas of society; as seen in the opening scene where hate
and anger are expressed though physical confrontation, starting with the
intimidation between 3 servants, to the party where the high-class
characters express their contempt for the opposing side though indirect
interactions in short, malicious portions of dialogue.

Tybalt is created in this play t be a tyrannical character that brings

hate into which ever scene he is included in. The name Tybalt was used,
in the 16th century as a typical name for a cat. Other than this being an
ideal opportunity to insult his, it has connotations with spite and slyness.
Tybalt only appears in 3 scenes and has a very small total of 37 lines in
the entire play before his murder, but these short sections of script are
extremely provocative, malevolent and venomous. When he speaks to a
member or associates of the Montague family, he speaks with contempt,
in a demeaning and spiteful tone:

“TYBALT:What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,

As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee”
Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 84-85
Proclaiming that he hates the word “peace” characterizes Tybalt as the
opposer of harmony or even a truce between the families and the
aggressor in the play. It also develops the hatred between the two
families. The language Shakespeare has used for hate, for Tybalt in
particular are harsh, as seen in this example where there are bitter
sounds such as “hate” and “hell” which express the anger involved.
Aside from this, the words used to express hate are usually humiliating
and abusive. This is very apparent in the confrontation between Romeo
and Tybalt:

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“TYBALT:Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford

No better term than this,—thou art a villain.”
Act 3 Scene 1 Lines 61-62
Not only does he insult Romeo, but by calling him by his name at the
beginning of the extract, he intimidates him and makes the insult very
personal.

Shakespeare has clearly defined the different styles of language of

love and hate. Contrasting to the harsh, bitter sounding words of hate,
the language of love has a much more soft and gentle style. Shakespeare
has exchanged words such as “scorn” or “villain” and has replaced them
with poetic, beautiful imagery alongside liberal use of metaphors and
smilies. This is shown specifically within dialogue between Romeo and
Juliet:

“ROMEO:Oh speak again bright angel! for thou art

As glorious to this night being o'er my head
As is a wingéd messenger of heaven.
Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 28-30

Shakespeare uses religious references to enhance the romance of the

moment, and the inclusion of hyperbole shows Romeo's infatuation and
adoration for Juliet. The exaggeration and use of metaphores expresses
also the slight madness associated with being in love.

Shakespeare also explores the language of love between friends.

Mercutio speaks comically towards romeo, and doesn't speak angrily
until his death in Act 3, Scene 1. He teases Romeo about his feelings,

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but it is obvious it is in a friendly and playful way:

“ROMEO:I dreamt a dream to-night.

MERCUTIO:And so did I
ROMEO:Well what was yours?
MERCUTIO:That dreamers often lie”
Act 1 Scene 4 Lines 52-55
He still offers advice to Romeo and does not become hostile towards
Romeo at any point. He always speaks with Romeo in a positive
manner.This all shows how Shakespeare expresses the love between
friends.

Shakespeare writes clearly about maternal love shown

predominantly between Juliet and her nurse. This maternal love is
amplified by comparison to the hatred expressed by Juliet's father
towards her. The fact that the nurse has brought Juliet up from a very
early age means that she speaks towards Juliet as if she were her birth
mother, and knows her very well:

“NURSE:Faith I can tell her age unto an hour”

Aside from the fact that wet nurses being very close to the children they
nurse was very common in that era, we learn that the nurse has a very
close and deep bond with Juliet from the way she speaks. Also, the nurse
is the one whom Juliet turns to for advice and help, instead of her real
mother who somewhat distances herself from Juliet, and this is shown in
Act 1, scene 3, after Lady Capulet has called for her:

“JULIET:Madam, I am here, what is your will?”

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She speaks to her mother very formally, as if Juliet was one of the staff.
She never speaks warmly of her mother and in turn, her mother is not
seen speaking warmly of Juliet, she is not even sure as to Juliet's true
age. The two seem very uncomfortable alone together, as they never
speak without having someone else present in the room. This is
contrasted completely by the nurse's affection towards Juliet. It is
possible that the nurse's love towards Juliet is replica to the love she
showed towards her own daughter Susan, who died. She often refers to
Juliet in a fond way, and is often shown recalling old memories of when
Juliet was a young child. She often runs off onto a tangent when she
speaks and descends into rambling monologues, such as the one in Act 1
Scene 3. She uses phrases like “pretty little wretch”, something usually
only a parent would say fondly to their own child. This also shows how
the nurse treats Juliet as if she were her own daughter, Susan. Juliet and
the Nurse have a deep, trusting relationship, proved by the way Juliet
feels she can tell the nurse her secrets instead of her true mother. Juliet
and the nurse seem to treat each other like the absences in their own
lives. The nurse treats Juliet as her own daughter to fill the absence of
her own deceased daughter, and Juliet treats the nurse as her mother to
possibly fill the gap from having a very distanced, hostile true mother.

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