Three Ways to Love in Shakespeare’s Tragedy Essay Sample

In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, three different types of love are explored: unrequited love between Romeo and Rosaline, true love between Romeo and Juliet, and cynical love from Mercutio and the Nurse. Romeo and Juliet’s sincere romance changes their views on love, suggesting that true love is found beyond superficial attraction. Unrequited love is typically a situation in which a pretty girl does not return the favor of her admirer, a convention typical of chivalric love. In Romeo and Juliet, Rosaline does not return Romeo’s love. This is conveyed through traditional Petrarchan sonnets spoken by Romeo, that drip with conceits. Mercutio parodies love by equating