Why Does Romeo Not Love Juliet?
When I think about Shakespeare’s immensely popular play Romeo and Juliet, I wonder why it’s touted as one of the most romantic literary works. This classic drama has exciting action and clever wordplay, so it would make more sense for it to be famous for those reasons. Instead, it’s revered for the nonexistent love story. Romeo and Juliet certainly have chemistry with one another, but Romeo especially strikes me as experiencing strictly physical attraction. I have some reasons to believe that Romeo is not in love with Juliet.
From the beginning, Romeo exhibits signs of being a person no one should choose to enter into a relationship with. He goes to a party because his early supposed love interest Rosaline will be there. This action places him at high risk due to the feud his family the Montagues have with the Capulets. Romeo exercises no impulse control, and he doesn’t respect Rosaline’s rejection of him. He refuses to behave sensibly when he shows up somewhere that’s dangerous for him just to gaze upon a woman who doesn’t return his affection. While it’s understandable that being romantically rejected hurts him, Romeo’s behavior is inexcusable and reveals his recklessness. He already looks like the sort of man Juliet should avoid.
Despite having believed he was deeply in love with Rosaline just a minute ago, Romeo sees Juliet and instantly changes his mind due…
