Romeo – Character Analysis
Written on April 9, 2008
To understand Romeo and why he is heroic, listen very closely to his speech. The poetic language that Shakespeare uses for Romeo is the key to his character and the ideals that he represents. Though he can banter with Mercutio, Romeo is not a “good-time guy.” He is much more soulful and speaks from his heart. The poetry of his speech reveals his sincerity, passion, and commitment. Love is Romeo’s primary motivation and the driving force behind most of his actions. Even before he arrives on stage, Romeo is preceded by his reputation as a lover. Old Montague and Benvolio discuss Romeo and describe his odd behavior – his tears, his sighs, his insomnia, and his nighttime wanderings. When he makes his appearance, Romeo explains what his problem is: he is lovesick.
“Romeo Ay me! Sad hours seem so long.
Was that my father that went hence so fast?
Benvolio It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours?
Romeo Not having that which, having, makes them short.
Benvolio In love?
Romeo Out –
Benvolio Of love?
Romeo Out of her favor, where I am in love.
Benvolio Alas, that love, so gentle in his view,
Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!”
Why is Romeo so lovesick? It’s because Rosaline, the current object of his affections doesn’t return his feelings. He launches into a speech, that verifies his lovesickness, and more importantly gives insight into Romeo’s character. He describes his love in a series of paradoxes: heavy lightness, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health. The most striking of these pairings are his couplings of “brawling love” and “loving hate”
These paradoxes serve two purposes. In the context of the plot, they demonstrate Romeo’s confused state of mind. He seems to be speaking in riddles. How can love be described as brawling and juxtaposed (put things side by side) with hate? The language makes Romeo seem crazy, but simply put, “Is this love (for Rosaline) for real?”
The pairing of “brawling love, loving hate” stops the reader. Is there some truth about love in this contradiction? Romeo, who is motivated by love, is about to experience a whole new range of emotions in his love for Juliet. His new love exists alongside hatred, namely — the brawling hatred between the Montagues and the Capulets.
“Turn back, dull earth, and find thy center out.”
Here Romeo refers to himself as “dull earth,” a being that is lifeless and requires its center — Juliet — to feel alive. Consequently, he scales the orchard wall to see her again. This act demonstrates his bravery. The threats of danger and death (the penalty for being caught in enemy territory) do not deter him from his pursuit. When he reaches the Capulet orchard and sees Juliet at her balcony, Romeo demonstrates more about what really makes him tick. He’s a wordsmith but he isn’t feeding Juliet a line. His expression of love contains Romeo’s finest spoken poetry and illustrates his ardor.
“But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid are far more fair than she.”
He sees Juliet as light and calls her “the sun.” He claims that even the moon, the traditional symbol for a woman’s beauty and purity, is envious of Juliet. The use of these superlatives is meant to convey Romeo’s deep feeling towards Juliet. When compared to his earlier characterization of Rosaline, Romeo seems more serious towards Juliet. Romeo’s language demonstrates that although he was infatuated (temporarily filled with loving something) with Rosaline; he doesn’t have a mere crush on Juliet. He is deeply in love, and the depth of his feelings demonstrates Romeo’s maturation.
Part of Romeo’s character is his impulsiveness, unclear thinking and rash decisions. When hr tries to separate the brawling Mercutio and Tybalt (in Act 3, Scene 1), Romeo actually seemed to have prevented Mercutio from defending himself. The result of Romeo’s intervention? Means Tybalt slays Mercutio and Romeo is forced into a position where he slays Tybalt in revenge. Romeo’s mistake is that he naively believes that he could stop the fighting. His decision to slay Tybalt is rash and ill-conceived. This lead to Act 3, Scene 3 where he seeks refuge at Friar Laurence’s cell. Quote:
“There is no world without Verona walls,
But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
Hence banished, is banished from the world,
And world’s exile is death. Then ‘banished’
Is death mis-termed. Calling death ‘banished’,
Thou cut’st my head off with a golden axe,
And smile upon the stroke that murders me.”
This quote tells us that Romeo is most upset about being banished instead of death because it means he wouldn’t be able to see Juliet again. Thus he is not grateful for the Prince’s leniency. This indicates that Romeo overreacts in issues dealing with his relationship with Juliet. This is most probably caused by his immaturity and naive personality as he is still young. The situation gets worse for Romeo as he finds out how much his love, Juliet, is suffering from the position he has put her in (killing of Tybalt). Romeo overreacts and attempted to stab himself. Luckily, Friar Laurence explains to him that it would do no good to Juliet if he suicides and that he would be able to see his love again very soon. Another scene, which shows his impulsiveness and rash thinking, is when he sets out to see Juliet for the last time and stops by to buy some poison.
From these points we can learn that Romeo started off as an immature boy and inexperienced with love. He could also overreact to situations at times. His small infatuation with Rosaline that caused him to nearly completely close himself up to the world shows this. Romeo later deeply fell in love with Juliet and went to great extremes to see her. He compared her beauty with the moon and trespasses into Capulet territory to see her, risking death if caught. This indicates that Romeo’s love for Juliet is true. He can also be described as a rude character when he does not appreciate the Prince’s compassion to ignore the death sentence meant for him, after killing Tybalt, and gives him a banishment sentence.
