Butker

Harrison Butker 3/18/09 English: 8 Mr. Delfino P: 2 Romeo and Juliet as a Religion

Romeo and Juliet’s relationship represents love as a religion in that Romeo and Juliet have dedicated and devoted everything to their love just like in a religion. The definition of a religion is "something one believes in and follows devotedly." Romeo and Juliet’s love is just like a religion in that all the things that they do are for each other and because they believe in their love together. As the play progresses Romeo and Juliet’s love also progresses from the beginning to the middle and towards the end of the play. Their love becomes stronger as does someone’s religion as time and relationship increases.

Romeo and Juliet’s love is just starting out and Romeo is trying to show his emotions for her because he just broke up with Rosaline. The first incident that Romeo shows his love for Juliet as a religion, is when they are talking from to eachother from the balcony, "Call me but love and I’ll be new baptized" (Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 50). In Christianity which is one of the world most popular religions, you are baptized and devoted to the church. Romeo is devoting all his love to Juliet and saying that he will never leave her. He is comparing how much love and care he will have for her through analyzing the symbol of baptism. He wants to start over and be free of his past to start anew with Juliet. The second incident is when Juliet tells Romeo that she wants to marry him as Romeo is leaving the scene, "And what love can do, that dares love attempt" (Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 68). In most religions there are one or many things that people worship and they think that all that they do is in that things hand. They also believe that all things can be done through that thing and that the impossible can happen through it. Romeo is in awe of what love can do which can happen to people in a religion and he can’t comprehend what wonders love can do next. The third incident is when Juliet wants Romeo to be sure that he loves her, "If through dost love, pronounce it faithfully" (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 94). Juliet wants to know if Romeo is going to be in the relationship and if their love will last forever. She doesn’t want him to bail out of the love and if he loves her she wants him to pronounce it like you would pronounce your beliefs for a religion that you were devoted to. You can’t half believe a religion or it is not the same religion that you believe in. If you believe in a religion you have to pronounce and claim it to be yours which is what Juliet wants Romeo to do. Romeo and Juliet’s love is just blossoming and they are making their vows and testing to see if each other are in the love forever just like you might in a religion. Romeo and Juliet’s relationship in the middle of the poem is developing and their love is becoming stronger and stronger. Their love has gotten so strong that they are going to marry each other. "Do though but close our hands with holy words" (Act 2, Scene 6, Line 6). Romeo wants Friar Lawrence to marry them in matrimony so that they can be together forever sharing their love. Their want to be together forever and now they can be joined together as one. In the Christian religion you are married and united to be one and always one. Marrying and uniting is a big part of a religion and it is looked down upon if you break that unity through divorce. Rome wants to vow to Juliet that he will always be with her no matter what. The second incident of their love as a religion is when Romeo talks about his love compared to wealth. "But my true love is grown to such excess I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth" (Act 2, Scene 6, Line 33). Romeo is saying how he cannot put a price on his love for Juliet. In a lot of religions the almighty being says that no money can win my heart and how goods and gold do not matter in a religion. Romeo would not give Juliet away or his love for Juliet for the biggest sum of money because they have what others do not and that is their true passion and love for each other. Romeo and Juliet’s relationship at the end of the poem is really developed and it is around the time of their death. They have already married and they don’t want to lose their unity as one. They cannot bear not being with one other so they turn to death. If you lost all the relationship and love that you had for a god- like being you would no hope in the world and that is how Romeo and Juliet feel. "For fear of that, I still with stay with thee, /and never from this palace of dim night /Depart again. Here, here will I remain" (Act 5, Scene, Lines 106-108). People never depart their religion and Romeo will not depart Juliet. He has devoted all the time in the world to her every since he knew her and he cannot stand to be without her. He feels alone and scared and will also stay by what he loves till he has to part. Very devote religious servers never depart their beliefs and neither can Romeo. Romeo also says when he sees Juliet dead; "By heaven, I love thee better than myself" (Act 5, Scene 3, Line 64). Religions want you to the love the god/s more than yourself because they are responsible for you life. Religions want you to do everything for your god and love it more than yourself or any object on earth. Romeo thinks of Juliet as a god and how love for her is is the greatest thing there is. Nothing is better than his love for Juliet. Romeo and Juliet’s relationship represents love as a religion in that Romeo and Juliet have dedicated and devoted everything to their love just like in a religion. These three paragraphs represent the progression of their love and how it can relate to the progression of a religion. This was a good essay, with plenty of info and quotes. Good explanations and quote choices, as well as an interesting explanation of the topic. I liked the progression, and the only thing I would really change is the length of the conclusion paragraph. -Dean Extremely good essay and well written. The only main thing that I would change is that the quotes from Act 2 Scene 2 are actually from the balcony scene, not from the part. I thought you did an excellent job tieing in the fact that with a religion you are supposed to love god more than yourself. And then you tied that into Romeo and Juliet. Excellent essay and great job writing it, the most important thing you could do to fix it is that you should change the Conclusion paragraph to be a little longer, overall great job. (Jason Fromal)

Romeo was never with rosaline, he got shot down before he had a chance. (zander) This is a really good paper. You explained every quote well, as well following along with your thesis. I also like the way you connected a lot of different religions. One thing you might want to change is how it flows. In some parts it seems more like a lab report than an essay. You might want to make it more exicting. But other than that that was pretty good.-CB

Great paper, good quotes and quote explanations, it was all very interesting. - Ryan