A Lover that Changes with the Moon In the tragic play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the character Romeo Montague is a main focal point of the tale and embodies all of the major themes Shakespeare is trying to get across. Romeo finds himself falling head over heals in love with Juliet, a member of the Capulet family who are the mortal enemies to his own. While on his quest to young Juliet’s heart and hand in marriage Romeo must go against everything he has been taught since birth and that is to hate any Capulet. He does all that he does for love, something he desires and longs for. Romeo proves his independence, ability to move quickly with love an turns out to be overly dramatic almost all in the name of love. Romeo is a very independent fellow, especially when it involves his love life. Romeo and Juliet long to be with one another; however, their love is forbidden because pure hatred for the others family is supposed to run through each of their veins. Juliet comes to the conclusion that Romeo must disregard his family’s opinions if he truly is in love with her. Juliet wants Romeo to “deny thy father and refuse thy name”( I.ii.37). Romeo takes Juliet’s advice of forgetting about his name and what his father has always taught him and just jump into their love. This shows Romeo’s independence because the hate the Montagues have for Juliet’s family runs so deep that even the servants hate each other. For Montague’s very son to go against everything their family stands for shows that Romeo is his own person and will do what he wants to do even if he will be denying Foley 2 his father. The feud between the two families have been going on for so long and Romeo and Juliet are the first to pull anything like falling in love with the enemy, for Romeo to be the first after so many years of fighting to go against it certainly proves his independence. Not only is Romeo independent in his love life, he is also just a generally independent guy. Romeo prefers to work out his personal issues on his own. He does this by avoiding Benvolio, a very good friend of his, when out on an early morning stroll. Benvolio recalls, “So early walking did I see your son, toward him I made, but he was ‘ware of me… [he] fled from me” (I.i.125-133). Romeo avoiding his close friend shows he would rather grieve on his own. He knows Benvolio holds the ability to talk Romeo out of his glum mood which is why Romeo does not wish to converse with him when he is upset. Romeo does not want anyone to talk him out of his bad mood. He would rather be alone and try to work out whatever the problem is within himself, which shows his independence because he believes he does not need anyone to hold his hand, talk him out of his sadness or be a shoulder for him to cry on. Romeo likes to ride solo. Romeo is surely an independent character, yet ironically enough, he spends his days yearning and searching for someone to love. Romeo is a character whose heart cries for attention and will fall quickly and willingly into, what he believes to be love’s grasp. Romeo is famous for falling fast and hard for a new girl who he barely knows basically every week. He claims he has fallen in love with every new girl, and recently escaped from a situation with a woman named Rosaline where Romeo’s love was not reciprocated. When Romeo first lays his eyes on Juliet he decides she is the one he truly loves. Friar Lawrence scolds, “Is Rosaline, that Foley 3 thou didst love so dear…young men’s love then lies not truly in their heart, but in their eyes” (II.ii.70). This shows Romeo is so fast to dive into love with any new girl that he forgets within not even two days about the last girl he was obsessing over, Rosaline. This also proves that Romeo’s love is probably nothing more than lust. Loving with his eyes means he loves what he sees not what his heart feels. That means his version of love is simply lust. Romeo will see a girl