love

• What is the primary theme of Romeo and Juliet?

  The theme of love
• How does the play Romeo and Juliet primarily focus on love?

  It highlights barriers that obstruct love
• Which families represent the largest obstacle to Romeo and Juliet's love?

  The Capulet and Montague families
• In what way do Romeo and Juliet act as obstacles to their own love?

  They have divergent understandings of love
• What does Romeo compare Juliet to in the balcony scene?

  He likens her to the sun
• How does Romeo's initial view of love differ from Juliet's?

  Romeo uses clichés, while Juliet is practical
• What does Juliet express concern about in her famous line, "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?"

  Social constraints preventing their marriage
• What is the theme related to time in Romeo and Juliet?

  Everything related to love moves too quickly
• What does Lady Capulet think about Juliet's age for marriage?

  She thinks Juliet is of a "pretty age"
• How does Lord Capulet's view on Juliet's marriage change?

  He later accelerates her marriage to Paris
• What drastic action does Juliet take in response to the accelerated timeline for her marriage?

  She fakes her own death
• How quickly do Romeo and Juliet fall in love?

  They fall in love at first sight
• What happens the day after Romeo and Juliet fall in love?

  They get married
• What question does the theme of accelerated love raise about Romeo and Juliet's feelings?

  Do they truly love each other?
• What is the significance of Romeo's timing when he arrives at Juliet's tomb?

  He believes he is too late but arrives too early
• What is the outcome of Romeo's bad timing at Juliet's tomb?

  It results in both their deaths
• "Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still,Should without eyes see pathways to his will"

  (1.1.)

  Romeo begins the play in love with Rosaline, but his language in these opening scenes shows us that his first love is less mature than the love he will develop for Juliet. This couplet combines two ideas that were already clichés in Shakespeare’s day: “love is blind” and “love will find a way.” The clichéd expressions and obvious rhymes which Romeo uses to express his love for Rosaline would have been ridiculous to a contemporary audience, and Benvolio and Mercutio repeatedly make fun of them.
• Who speaks the lines about love and hate?

  Juliet
• What does Juliet realize about Romeo's identity?

  He is a Montague, her family's enemy
• What theme does the language of Romeo and Juliet emphasize?

  Opposites can never be entirely separated
• What does Juliet blame herself for regarding her feelings for Romeo?

  Seeing him "too early"
• What does the play suggest about the timing of events in Romeo and Juliet?

  • Events happen too early
  • Juliet marries young
  • Romeo kills himself before Juliet wakes
  • Love moves too fast
• What is the significance of the phrase "prodigious birth of love"?

  It highlights the extraordinary nature of love
• How does the play depict the relationship between love and enmity?

  Love exists alongside deep-seated hatred
• What does Juliet's realization about her love for Romeo suggest about her character?

  She is self-aware and reflective
• How does the concept of timing affect the plot of Romeo and Juliet?

  It leads to tragic misunderstandings and outcomes
• What does the phrase "love is a force which can—and does—move too fast" imply?

  Love can develop rapidly, causing issues
• What is the relationship between Romeo and Juliet's families?

  They are enemies
• How does the opening of the play foreshadow the ending?

  It reveals the tragic fate of the lovers
• What does Romeo mean by "love's light wings"?

  Love enables him to overcome obstacles
• How does Romeo view love in relation to physical barriers?

  He sees love as a force that transcends barriers
• What does Juliet inquire about in the context of the garden walls?

  How Romeo entered the Capulet garden
• How does Romeo's response to Juliet's question reflect his character?

  It shows his romantic and idealistic nature
• In what way is Juliet's perspective on love different from Romeo's?

  She is more grounded and practical about love
• What does Juliet associate with the freedom that love brings?

  Leaving her parents' house and having sex
• How does the contrast between Romeo and Juliet's views on love contribute to the play's themes?

  It highlights the tension between idealism and realism
• What do "stony limits" symbolize in Romeo's lines?

  Physical barriers to love
• What does the phrase "liberating force" imply about love in the play?

  Love frees individuals from constraints
• How does the use of romantic fantasy in Romeo's response affect the audience's perception of love?

  It romanticizes love as transcendent and powerful
• What does Juliet's desire for freedom indicate about her character?

  She seeks independence and agency in her life