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Summary GCSE Romeo and Juliet- Love sonnet (Act 1 Scene 5) analysis
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A 500 word 14/15 (Grade 9) essay analysing the Love sonnet shared between Romeo and Juliet in Act 1 Scene 5.
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How does Shakespeare convince us, in the love sonnet, thatthe love between Romeo and Juliet is convincing?
Shakespeare uses the love sonnet as a vehicle to express the complete love felt between
Romeo and Juliet in Act 1, Scene 5. This love is a kind that is unlike any other explored
previously in the play- it combines both body and soul, therefore showing their love is
convincing. Conceptually, the sonnet form shared between the lovers provides a safe
enclosure away from reality, allowing Romeo and Juliet to be intimate and passionate.
Prior to seeing Juliet, Romeo is an impassioned, typical lover using the words of sonneteers
to express his overwhelming infatuation with Rosaline. He uses phrases such as ‘O brawling
love, O loving hate’ to show how this passion has taken over him. He is, as he himself
explains (‘This is not Romeo, he’s some other where’), disoriented and distorted by
unrequited love, hence the extensive use of sonnet quotes which address a distant and
disembodied love similar to Petrarch’s sonnets to Laura, a lady forever unattainable.
However, the love sonnet is very different from previous ones: Romeo no longer talks to a
distant beloved and instead receives a response from the one he is addressing – Juliet. This
duet is a real sign of their mutual love for each other. It is a new kind of love that combines
physicality and spirituality, creating a fine balance between the two, making this love
complete and convincing.
In the first quatrain of the love sonnet, Romeo uses both sacred and sensuous language
when addressing Juliet. This is contrasted on the one hand with Mercutio’s version of love
which is purely sexualised and on the other with Romeo’s disembodied love for Rosaline.
The primary image which threads the first quatrain is the idea of a pilgrim visiting a shrine
(‘this holy shrine, the gentle sin in this’), with the shrine being a metaphor for Juliet’s body.
This language of religious devotion is followed by a highly sensual image (‘My lips, two
blushing pilgrims’), with Romeo’s lips blushing not only from his tentativeness but also his
passionate and secular excitement. By weaving the ideas of spirituality and sexuality
together, Shakespeare presents a fulfilling love between the couple, thus making it far more
convincing than previous versions of love in the play, such as Mercutio’s sexualised love.
Both characters share the sonnet between them, with Romeo and Juliet speaking a quatrain
each before sharing the third one and ending with a rhyming couplet. This form and the
strong rhymes are used to emphasise the harmony of their thoughts and feelings, thus
showing how convincing this new love is. Juliet picks up the image of the pilgrim in the
second quatrain, saying ‘palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss’. She is far more reserved in her
response, unlike Romeo who is less reticent in his expression of adoration. Romeo responds
with ‘Have not saints lips…’, again teasing Juliet and hinting at a kiss. The imagery
throughout is respectful, yet simultaneously carries an erotic charge. The individuality of
both these characters combined with the completeness of their love emphasises its
authenticity and makes their love so convincing.
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