Love has the power to give life, and also the power to take it away. This can be seen in the play, Romeo and Juliet, a dramatic tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two "star-cross'd lovers', Romeo and Juliet, who are forbidden to love, due to their families' long standing feud. Different types of love are represented with Shakespeare's impeccable use of the English language, and through the use of figurative language, characterization and the Petrarchan convention, the subjects of unrequited, romantic, familial and courtly love are explored.
Despite the inherently pitiful nature of having one's love for another be unrequited, shakespeare manages to portray such a plight with eloquence and beauty, through the use of the Petrachan convention. With it, he express, in elegant detail, Romeo's desperate infatuation with Rosaline. Shakespeare's use of the Petrarchan convention can allow Romeo to express his superficial feelings for her. True to the nature of Petrarch's poetry, Romeo's affection's for Rosaline are based on his admiration of her from afar. He worships her, and feels that she is perfect and far superior to any other. When discussing his love for her in a conversation with Benvolio he says:.
Well in that hit you miss. She'll not be hit.
with Cupid's arrow. She hath Dian's wit,.
And, in strong proof of chastity well armed, .
From Love's weak childish bow she lives uncharmed.
(1:1:203-206).
With these words, Romeo displays understanding that his love for Rosaline is a futile pursuit. Describing her as having 'Dian's wit' develops her image as someone out of his league, god-like and unattainable. "She's too fair, too wise, wisely too fair," (1:1:216) Romeo laments, that she is too beautiful and wise to succumb to love. His longing for Rosaline is incessant, despite him knowing that it is a fruitless pursuit. Rosaline is not an active character, but through her descriptions we can perceive her as cold and heartless, as she rejects Romeo so thoughtlessly.
