How does Shakespeare portray the themes of love and hate in his play Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in 1597, but he obtains this story from several sources available during the sixteenth century. Shakespeares primary source for the play is Arthur Brookes Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, which is a long, dense poem written in 1562. ... In the play there are two main themes, which are strongly enforced in to it, and they are love and hate. The hate is between the Montague’s and Capulet’s, which has collided with the love of Romeo, a Montague and Juliet, a Capulet. The prologue before the play gives the audience a brief summery of what kind of play it is, I see the prologue an advantage as the audience can be informed of the plot. This prologue explains that there is two groups of enemies who fight it out caused by their hate of each other. The beginning of the play is tense and boisterous, but it turns out to be the introduction of the hatred between the two sides. ... In the 1500’s courtly love was a great significance for some peoples lives. People would marry but love was not important, marriage was for political, financial or dynastic purposes. Queen Elizabeth I was a virgin and so was Rosaline in this play, they have both made this choice in order to stay in control and continue in full power.