A Comparison of Love in Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest...

The Phenomenon of Love in Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest We know from the very opening scene of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliets love will end in tragedy. We may wonder why Miranda and Ferdinand in The Tempest do not end up with the same fate as Romeo and Juliet. Both couples are from opposing political families. Both couples are enraptured with their lovers. Why then does Romeo and Juliet end with their deaths and the Tempest end with Miranda and Ferdinands marriage plan? In this paper I will argue that according to Shakespeare reason needs to guide the souls of lovers to avoid tragedy and find bliss. I will do this by examining and comparing William Shakespeares plays; Romeo and Juliet†¦show more content†¦In both cases we can see the passions of love between the lovers clouding their reason. In both plays Shakespeare has a councillor, or mentor, for each couple. In Romeo and Juliet this mentor is Friar Laurence and in The Tempest it is Prospero. Because of the nature of the phenomenon of love, it seems Shakespeare feels that both young couples need this mentor as a source of reason and advice to help guide them through their passions. Both mentors warn the couples against letting passion guide their souls. Both mentors do seem genuinely concerned with the pairing and the good of the lovers and those connected to them. Most importantly the mentors try to act as reason for the lovers while the are caught up in desire. These mentors are one way that reason ought to guide the souls of lovers. Love ending in tragedy The play in which love ends in tragedy is Romeo and Juliet. After Romeo and Juliets first meeting at the dinner, we see how driven by passion Romeo is. After leaving the Capulets home, he is so taken with Juliet he must return. He climbs the Capulets wall and sneaks up to Juliets balcony. There the two lovers exchange their passionate declaration of love for each other. 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