Love

• "Young men's love then lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes." (Act 2, Scene 3)
• Juxtaposition:

  • Shakespeare uses juxtaposition between "hearts" and "eyes" to construct a deliberate opposition between emotional sincerity and physical lust. This amplifies Friar Lawrence's cynicism towards youthful roanace, particularly Romeo's infatuation with Juliet, positioning him as a callow romantic, blinded by Juliet's beauty.
  • This moment characterises Friar Lawrence as a benevolent mentor to Romeo as he strives to establish an equilibrium between youthful passion and moral restraint, which Romeo repeatedly transgresses.
  • Friar Lawrence's didactic and wise nature serves as a foil to Romeo's impetuousness as Shakespeare constructs the Friar as the moral and intellectual counterbalance to Romeo's tumultuous and passionate haste.
• Didactic Tone:

  • Friar Lawrence's didactic tone in "Young men's love then lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes", adopting a measured, instructive rhythm, casts him as a moral educator, reinforcing his role in challenging Romeo's impetuousness pursuit of love.
  • His rational interventions, while a valiant effort to temper emotional tumult, are inexorably meant to fail as Romeo is already set on a tragic trajectory towards his inevitable death as a result of his love for Juliet.
• Key context it relates to:

  • Italy: By having Friar Lawrence critique Romeo's love for Juliet, Shakespeare reflects this stereotypical view of Italy as a highly romantic environment. Romeo is a product of this world, both callow and impetuous in nature and the Friar, in vain, attempts to shield Romeo from the consequences of his impassioned emotions.
  • Petrarchan Lover: Friar Lawrence is highly skeptical of Romeo's newfound love for Juliet since it follows so shortly after his unrequited infatuation with Rosaline and "young men: tend to "love" with "their eyes", Friar Lawrence's critiques Romeo's callow expressions of love, implying that it doesn't stem from genuine emotional connection.
• WOW Knowledge:

  Freytag's Pyramid:

  • Freytag's Pyramid divides the five acts of a tragedy into the following categories: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.