Themes
There are many themes that run throughout the play Romeo and Juliet. Explore the main themes of love, fate and duality looking at how they affect characters and influence the story.
The most obvious theme in Romeo and Juliet is that of love, but the play deals with many other important ideas too. Shakespeare invites us to examine the importance of fate, death, honour, friendship and duality. All of these themes are still relevant today, which is why the play is still popular after all these years.
The main themes in Romeo and Juliet are:
- love
- fate
- duality (or opposites)
Love
The main theme of love is introduced at the very beginning by the Chorus who tells the audience that this is a play about star-crossed lovers. When we first meet Romeo he is love-sick for Rosaline and talks to Benvolio about how painful love can be.
A quick summary exploring the theme of love in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
VOICEOVER
Love: it’s complicated.
There’s Romeo, in love. With Rosaline.
But when Juliet turns up, Rosaline’s history.
What Shakespeare’s showing us is that
although love feels like it’s forever,
who we love can change in an instant.
When Romeo and Juliet are in love,
they don’t care about anything else.
The play shows us how great that can feel.
But love’s not just about winning.
Love can make us lose other things.
Romeo and Juliet are prepared to lose their families
for each other.
What would you give up for the one you love?
I was asked to give up crisps.
[SFX: SOUND OF CRISPS BEING EATEN]
It’s not easy.
Love can also make you stupid.
They were unlucky, yes, but they didn’t take much time
to think about anything.
And so it ends badly for Romeo and Juliet.
It takes their tragic deaths for the warring families
to call a truce.
Do you think they’ll merge and become
the Montalets or the Capugues?
Or the Monta-capu-gue-alets?
During the Capulet’s party, we are presented with 'love at first sight' when Romeo and Juliet fall instantly for each other. The romantic love between the couple develops throughout the play and for them love ultimately leads to death.
We also see the strength of love between friends when Mercutio stands up to take Romeo’s place in a fight with Tybalt.
Parental love is also explored when Capulet suggests that his daughter is too young to marry Paris. He is protective of Juliet. Later when Tybalt dies, Capulet brings the wedding between her and Paris forward, as he thinks this celebration will ease her grief.
Did you know? At the time when Shakespeare was writing, it was common for parents to choose suitable husbands for their daughters. The proposed marriage between Juliet and Paris was a fairly typical arrangement. Juliet is presented as a determined young woman who is willing to defy her parents for love.
Analysis of love in the play
Question
How does love affect Romeo in a negative way?
Romeo initially thinks of love as depressing. At the start of the play Romeo is in love with Rosaline, who does not love him back. He says:
ROMEO
Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs
Act 1 Scene 1
The sighs that raise the 'smoke' are those of sadness.
Question
How much is Juliet willing to give up for her love?
Juliet says she would go so far as to give up her family for her love. She says:
JULIET
be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
Act 2 Scene 2
Juliet proves this to be true later in the play when Romeo kills Tybalt. Even though she grieves for the death of her cousin, Juliet’s loyalties have shifted to her husband.
Question
To what extent does Mercutio love Romeo?
Mercutio loves his friend Romeo so much that he is prepared to fight for him. Mercutio says he’d rather die than see Romeo as a friend of Tybalt’s.
MERCUTIO
But I'll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery.
Act 3 Scene 1
When Romeo refuses to fight with Tybalt, Mercutio takes his place. This shows his loyalty to and love for his friend.
You can find the theme of love in lots of plays by Shakespeare:
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – in this comedy people find their true love with a helping hand from magical fairies and flowers
- Much Ado about Nothing - this is another comedy about loyalty and love. It shows love being misunderstood and tested
Fate
The prologue introduces the theme of fate when the lovers are called 'star-crossed' and 'death-marked'. This means that the events of their lives, and their deaths, are somehow already decided.
A quick summary exploring the theme of fate in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
VOICEOVER
In Shakespeare’s day, people believed in fate in the same
way that we believe in gravity today.
So when the play begins by telling us that Romeo
and Juliet are star crossed and death marked, the audience
know that they’re in for it.
It’s not just the audience, Romeo and Juliet seem to
have a sixth sense about their gloomy fate.
Before the Capulet party, Romeo is worried that something bad
is hanging in the stars and worries about an untimely death.
Juliet sees Romeo outside her window as one dead
in the bottom of a tomb.
When Romeo kills Tybalt he calls himself ‘Fortune’s Fool’.
Oh dear. And when it all goes pear shaped in
the tomb the Friar thinks that a greater power has
thwarted their plans.
Romeo and Juliet can’t escape their fate.
Ask that pair if they think Astrology is a bit of harmless fun
There are lots of incidences throughout the play when the main characters refer to omens that hint at their tragic ending. For example, before the Capulet party, Romeo feels worried that something bad is 'hanging in the stars'. Later when Juliet looks at Romeo from the balcony she is upset that she sees him 'as one dead in the bottom of a tomb'.
We know from the start of the play that the lovers will die, and the events all lead to this tragic end.
Did you know? The references to fate in Romeo and Juliet would have been well understood by audiences at the time. People were generally more superstitious and many believed that the events of life were already decided.
Analysis of fate in the play
Question
Is Juliet aware of the tragic fate that lies ahead of her?
Juliet seems to refer to her tragic ending when she first meets Romeo. Juliet sends the Nurse to find out who he is and she says that if he is already married she will die alone:
JULIET
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.
Act 1 Scene 5
Question
What are Friar Lawrence’s views on fate?
Friar Lawrence believes that fate cannot be challenged. He says:
FRIAR LAWRENCE
A greater power than we can contradict
Act 5 Scene 3
He fears that there was nothing they could do to prevent the deaths of the lovers because 'a greater power' or fate had already decided what would happen.
Question
How does Mercutio remind the audience of the fate that awaits the lovers?
As Mercutio dies, he curses the Montagues and Capulets. He says:
MERCUTIO
A plague a’both your houses!
Act 3 Scene 1
Their fighting has ended in his death. The dramatic irony for the audience is that they know the deaths of Romeo and Juliet are ahead.
You can find the theme of fate in other plays by Shakespeare:
- Macbeth – in this tragedy Macbeth and his wife try to interfere with fate with some rather grisly consequences
Duality
The very first word of this play is 'two', and throughout the play we are presented again and again with pairs of people and concepts. In of people we have Capulets and Montagues, Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt and Benvolio. As you can see, sometimes the pairs are complementary and work together. Other times they are opposites. We also see duality in the main ideas the play deals with. For example, love and hate, war and peace, home and exile. Perhaps Shakespeare was trying to show us that everything is part of a whole.
A quick summary exploring the theme of duality in Shakespeare's Romeo and Julie
VOICEOVER
Shakespeare liked pairs. Not pears.
Like a pair of ideas or things that can be
better understood together.
A good word for this double nature is Duality.
Duality can be opposites like hot and cold.
Or just different, but complimentary, like cheese and onion,
or salt and vinegar.
Hmm. Thanks.
Our young lovers definitely complement each other.
They ignore the opposition of their families.
Characters’ oppose each other too: Paris versus Romeo,
Mercutio versus Tybalt.
Opposing ideas and concepts are explored too: ion versus reason,
home versus exile, freedom versus obedience.
Shakespeare’s genius is that he usually avoids the obvious duality
of good versus evil.
He knew that life is often far more complicated than that.
See? Evil brought a dip.
Ooh. I bet it’s spicy.
Analysis of duality in the play
Question
How does the theme of duality affect the main characters, Romeo and Juliet?
Although Romeo and Juliet are from enemy families, they fall in love. In the initial meeting between the pair, they talk of pressing their palms together. They say:
JULIET
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.
Act 1 Scene 5
This reminds us of hands coming together in prayer and is perhaps hopeful that their love will succeed.
Question
In marrying Romeo and Juliet what does Friar Lawrence hope will happen?
Friar Lawrence hopes that in marrying the couple, their families might also find peace. He says:
FRIAR LAWRWENCE
For this alliance may so happy proveTo turn your households' rancour to pure love
Act 2 Scene 3
The duality of 'rancour' or spite and 'pure lov'e is presented by the Friar in hope that love can turn the bitterness between the Capulets and Montagues around.
You can find the theme of duality in lots of plays by Shakespeare:
- Macbeth – this play deals with duality in many ways. Amongst other themes, it explores: foul and fair, supernatural and natural, good and evil.
- Antony and Cleopatra – Antony is a Roman and Cleopatra is Queen of Egypt. Like Romeo and Juliet, they should be enemies, but instead they find love.
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – the boundaries between the worlds of reality and fantasy are blurred in this play about fairies and love.
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