Mrs. Voth's English



Alex TollerMrs. VothHonors English 9BFebruary 6, 2015Persuasive Essay: Love at First Sight as an Illusion as Demonstrated by Romeo and JulietAlthough the classic Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet depicts love at first sight between the two titular protagonists, such is not likely attainable. Mainly, this is due to the nature of true love, which requires more than what can be obtained upon first sight, or even over the course of a few days, as in the case of Romeo and Juliet, where it is illustrated that the protagonists are so deeply in love with each other that they consider their romance to be of a higher priority than their own lives; that they had been willing to sacrifice themselves for their lover. In addition, it is highly possible that Romeo and Juliet had mistaken their self-perceived infatuation for the other, entirely realistic and viable upon first sight, as true love. Finally, in refutation of the point that one could instantly fall in love with someone due to their resemblance with an ideal image, the lover does not know their earnest character or being.One of the primary reasons that love at first sight, in the established and pure sense of the term, is not viable, is that love itself requires that both involved know deeply who the other actually is as a person, and what actions they would take, along with what emotions they would exhibit, in addition to the demonstration of mutual respect and admiration, alongside the sharing of similar values in all of life. This knowledge set cannot possibly be attained upon initially encountering someone. The passionate emotion depicted within the work, on the contrary, must be infatuation: undeveloped attraction often strengthened by external circumstances. For instance, as an event that pervades the entire work, in Romeo and Juliet, there exists an ongoing conflict between the Montague and Capulet families over who their children should marry. Specifically, each family explicitly tells their child that they are not permitted to marry the other, and threatens to implement severe consequences if they do, further catalyzing the attraction between Romeo and Juliet. This is due to the psychological aspect of external refusal, especially applicable in the case of love: if one is refused a privilege, opportunity, or likewise, one is often more compelled to go against the set rules or boundaries, simply because of their existence and imposition.Further supporting the assertion that love at first sight, in the traditional sense, is not a feasible fate is that the depiction of true love is not wholly impervious to illusion enhanced by external circumstances. Although it is indeed exposited that Romeo had committed suicide via the poison he had purchased from the apothecary upon hearing the misleading news that Juliet had died from drinking a potion granted to her by Friar Lawrence, leading Juliet, upon discovery of that occurrence, to strike Romeo’s dagger through herself, due to the extent to which they were romantically connected, it had been their extreme emotions, to them perceived as earnest love, which had interfered with rational decision and eventual victory against the forces of Romeo’s exile and the conflict between the Capulet and Montague families, and had ultimately cost them their lives. This is especially heightened by their natural rebellion against their respective families, which, as aforementioned, had both fervently forbidden the lovers from marrying or even seeing each other. As a precursor to this event, and as justification for the passion which both had carried, a reflection upon the exposition of the work must follow. When Romeo had opted to join the Capulet party, due to the presence of Rosaline, he had then spotted Juliet, and had forgotten about Rosaline completely. At this moment, Romeo had been pursuing a figure which he had idolized; someone whom he had been envisioning for a lengthy period of time beforehand as a perfect fit for his life. However, although such may be understandably perceived as love, it is more properly classified as infatuation, due to the necessitations imposed by the underlying nature of love, particularly mutual respect and admiration, and the sharing of fundamental values and priorities. Against the point that love at first sight is evident in Romeo and Juliet, and that the two protagonists are illustrated as being so much in love that they are happily willing to die for the other’s sake, when Romeo had noticed Juliet, he could not have seen or known more of her than her physical figure and her immediately evident demeanor. This is inevitable due to the fact that initially, Romeo had been affixed upon Rosaline, and had not even known about Juliet before, despite the clear connection (albeit a highly negative one) between the Montagues and the Capulets. As such, familial tension extended to the lovers, which had potentially casted the illusion upon both Romeo and Juliet that they loved the other for who they were, and not merely because they were disallowed from doing so in the first place, the fact that Romeo had only been exposed to the figure of Juliet and fallen in love with her figure, perfectly aligned with his personal dreams or idolizations in terms of the ideal woman to marry and live with, as he had never even seen her or heard about her before, and the requirements of deep love, in direct conjunction with the “first sight” characterization of the concept of love at first sight, pose the contrary point to the conception that it is possible to truly bond with an ideal.Conclusively, despite the seemingly evident support for love at first sight in Romeo and Juliet, and in society, the very concept is highly pervious in terms of its basic reliances, and as such, cannot foster a solid implementation. At the forefront, bidirectional, withstanding love demands more than what can reasonably be inferred from one or a few encounters with a person: it requires that both are well-versed in the other’s morals, character, and values, will support each other without hesitation in dire situations, and will demonstrate extensive reverence and admiration towards the other party. All knowledge of these characteristics is only attained in lengthier periods of time, and in more intense connection. Secondly, first sight can only segue into infatuation, or physical attraction, rather than deep, earnest love. Such is enhanced due to external circumstances may interfere with introspection and distort perception of the other person. This is upheld in Romeo and Juliet, where long-standing family controversy between the Capulets and the Montagues intends prevention of contact between Romeo and Juliet, with the Capulets instead opting for Juliet to marry Paris, a man whom she does not carry any special emotion or passion towards as she demonstrably does towards Romeo. Especially in the case of those involved in potential romance, interdiction fuels innate drive, and causes the lovers to experience even more thorough romantic ardor towards each other than before, or without the outside turn of events. Finally, in contrast to the reasonable, yet flawed, counterargument that one may fall in love and consider themselves inseparable with someone matching one’s ideal visions of a permanent partner, one does not know the other person solely based on their appearance, or any other trait that may be inferred upon first sight. Overall, although love at first sight seems a great plausibility, it is not fully sound, and its attempted implementation in the real world, along with its supposed manifestation in Romeo and Juliet, is marred by differences in character and value. Simply because one has discovered a perfect fit in physique does not guarantee that the person is also aligned with the aspiring lover in descriptions of morality and reciprocation of that fondness, and vice versa. Upon encountering a person for but a short time, or consistently analyzing them at only shallow levels, it is virtually impossible to detect and integrate their underlying being into the hypothetical relationship, and into the remainder of one’s life. ................
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