In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, a couple of teenagers from two houses fall in love in Verona during the Renaissance. Unfortunately the love they have cannot live through they hate their families have for each other. The themes of love and hate are portrayed throughout the play and in the end love conquered all.

Love is of theme in Romeo and Juliet. Love presents itself in many ways in Romeo and Juliet. There is more than just romantic love in this play there is a love of family, a love of pride and a love of title. Their great love was deeper and powerful and overtook their emotions and loyalties to their families. Romeo talks about his romantic love in quotes like “Two of the fairest stars in heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spears till they return”. Quotes like this allowed the audience to see the depth of Romeo’s love as he compares Juliet eyes to heaven. There is also a great love of family in this play. Juliet clearly loved Tybalt but she defended Romeo because she loved him more, “shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name, when I, thy three hours’ wife, have mangled it?” Here Juliet talks about speaking badly about her new husband and feeling guilty that she’s only been married three hours and said something bad about him already.

 

The actions of Romeo portray the theme of hate as well as love. Hate can be seen throughout the play through Romeo’s words and actions. Romeo says “By a name I know not how to tell the who I am : my name, dear saint, is hateful to myself.” In this quote you see that Romeo understands the hate Juliet’s family will feel towards him based solely on his last name. Juliet hates that she has so little control over her own life and welfare. Juliet says “O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, from off the battlements of yonder tower.” Juliet decided she would rather be dead than marry a man she does not love. Romeo hates Tybalt for killing Mercutio so much he kills him. Romeo’s hate sealed his fate and he was banished from Verona by the Prince. Romeo instantly felt guilty for killing Juliet’s family member but he hated Tybalt more than he loved Juliet. By the end of the play Romeo had fallen in love with Juliet and his love was even stronger than his former hatred of her family.

The theme of hate is also shown in the form of a deadly feud between the Montagu’s and the Capulet’s. There is so much hatred between the Montague family and the Capulet’s it threatens to destroy the social stability of the city of Verona. Tybalt saw Romeo and his friends at a party and said “this, by his voice, should be the Montague, fetch me my rapier, boy: what dares the slave come hither, cover’d with an antic face, to fleer and scorn at our solemnity?” In this scene you can feel the hatred between the two families. Members of the family are willing to literally killed each other for just showing up at a dance. The hate between the two families ultimately lead to the deaths of Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio and Tybalt. The hatred between the two houses is the reason that Romeo and Juliet were forced to be so secretive about their love for one another.

Love ultimately wins out in this play although at a great cost. When Romeo and Juliet are laid in the tomb together the feud between the families is also buried in the same tomb. Death did not have the last word in Romeo and Juliet their great love will live on with the cessation of hostilities between the two families. Love and hate are the main themes in the play Romeo and Juliet. The hate of the two families was so destructive it was bringing down an entire city in Italy with their feuding. The great love story of Romeo and Juliet finding each other even with all of the obstacles in their path and ultimately bringing the two families together with their untimely deaths.