“Two households, both alike in dignity.
In Fair Verona where we lay our scene.
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny.
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.”
Love.
Love in Romeo and Juliet is the movies most dominant theme. The movie focuses on romantic love, specifically the intense passion that comes about at first sight between Romeo and Juliet. In the course of the movie the young lovers are driven to defy their entire social world: families (“Deny thy father and refuse thy name,” Juliet asks, “Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet”); friends (Romeo abandons Mercutio, Benvolio, Sampson, and Gregory after the party to go see Juliet); leader (Romeo returns to Verona for Juliet’s sake after being banished by Prince, to Mantua). Love in Romeo and Juliet is a brutal, powerful emotion that captures individuals and projects them against their world, and, at times, against themselves. If Romeo and Juliet had been able to openly profess their love for each other, they might not have died a tragic death. Although, they were practically doomed from the start, as Shakespeare had made reference to Romeo and Juliet as “star-crossed lovers”. In other words, the two lovers are thwarted by destiny from the very beginning. They may still love each other, but it is just not meant to be. In the movie, Romeo quickly decides that he’s in love with Juliet, even though he hadn’t yet spoken to her. Where Juliet is more level-headed, and refuses his proposals at first, but then later allows him to kiss her. At that point there love was more superficial, I think that Romeo and Juliet were infatuated with the feeling that they were in love, but they couldn’t really, because you couldn’t fall in love with someone after having one conversation. In the movie, love appears as an unscrupulous thing, leading to as much destruction as to happiness....