romeo

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  • Romeo
    • romantic and passionate
      • he talks a lot about love
      • romeo rushes into whatever his feelings tell him to do, which makes him seem passionate and easily swept up in emotions
      • when he falls in love with juliet it happens instantly - and within 24 hours he's married to her.
    • at first Romeo is in love with Rosaline
      • at the start of the play Romeo is 'in sadness' because he thinks he's in love with Rosaline
      • Romeo's love for Rosaline seems childish and unrealistic. Friar Lawrence says 'thy love did read by rote' - Romeo thinks he knows what love is from poems and books, but has never really experienced it
      • Mercutio mocks Romeo's habit of writing clichéd love poetry - "pronounce but 'love' and 'dove'" - which suggests romeo's feelings for Rosaline weren't very real
      • Juliet says "you kiss by th'book" - perhaps he's a good kisser, but doesn't put much real feeling into it.
      • at first, Romeo describes his feelings using images that seem clever but not very emotional - "O that i were a glove". Shakespeare dose this to show that early on in the play, romeo knows more about the poetic language of love than the actual emotion
    • Romeo develops during the course of the play
      • Romeo becomes more realistic when he meets Juliet. he gives a 'faithful vow' to have organised their wedding 'by the hour of nine' - their relationship is more practical and real.
      • his description of feelings seem more honest - "the measure of thy joy be help'd like mine"
      • there are two ways of interpreting Romeo's relationship with Rosaline. some people think that his immature attitude towards rosaline makes his love for Juliet seem powerful in comparison.
      • or you could say it proves that Romeo never properly lover - He's just a 'young waverer' who falls in love too easily
    • he can be funny and intelligent
      • Romeo's not always mooning about love. with his friends, his humour is 'most sharp' and he makes a rude pun about  'my pump'. when Romeo is joking around, Mercutio says 'now art thou Romeo' - suggesting he's usually more fun.
      • Shakespeare uses Romeo's dialogue with Mercutio to show his sense of humor, but also his flaws. Mercutio teases romeo for being too soppy
      • This makes their friendship seem strong - Mercutio is close enough to Romeo to be brutally honest - and reminds the audience the Romeo is obsessed with love, which is possibly his biggest flaw
    • he's got a dangerous side too
      • romeo's prepared to fight to the death to avenge Mercutio's death, which shows he's loyal and also has a violent side
        • this shows that he has different sides.but he is always strong and passionate - in violent duels as well as in love
      • there is a big contrast between Romeo's actions when he is with Juliet and when he is fighting. Romeo says himself that Juliet has ''soften'd'' him.
    • he loses his head a lot and does stupid things
      • Romeo never seems to think things through. he's usually giving fancy descriptions of his feelings or ruching about getting into duels and arranging secret marriages
      • other characters tell him to go 'wisely and slowly' or to 'have patience' to avoid 'misadventure' - but he doesn't listen to their advice which makes him seem headstrong
      • Romeo believes in the power of fate and thinks he is 'fortune's tool' - controlled by some greater force
      • he's not completely blameless. h'e partly a victim of fate and partly a victim of his own impulsive actions. for example he doesn't stop to think before killing tybalt

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