There was no time in the history of art, in which the topic of love was left without attention. It is not surprising, as every single person can find his/her own meaning in it and show it from different sides. For me one of the most interesting and prominent histories of love is Shakespeare’s outstanding play that first saw the world back in 1595.
Although today centuries have passed already, but still the story makes our hearts flutter, as this eternal theme is always fascinating for us – the one of love that was dramatically interfered. First Shakespeare's tragedy tells us about deep people’s feelings, faced with inhuman world. The plot glorifies the loyalty of feelings. The more persuasively Shakespeare talks about loyalty of Juliet, the more he writes about her fiance, Paris, not ugly and not a villain (Moseley 28).
Although the main heroes die, hey are not left alone. By dying side by side, death gets conquered by their immense love, as this terrible reality puts an end to the life-long enmity of their families. Their parents and relatives start to think that it is better to stop this fight, as it took away the most valuable people in their life (Lewis 156).
In my point of view, love of Romeo and Juliet cannot be related uniquely to hedonist, epicurean or stoic orientation, as it is too complex and cannot be defined as the one fully concentrated on pleasure, or body, or something else. In here, it is all about the immense force of love. The quote of Aristotle, however, is very appropriate here: “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies” (Schwartz and Sharpe 380).
I am sure that love and happiness are always so complex in art, because they have so many possible variants and forms that it is impossible to find some compromise and make it all simple. As it touches every person, it become very complex and strong. The sphere of play allows different forms for emotions and feelings expression – different words, mimics and play of actors make it all possible.
Works Cited
Lewis, Clive Staples. The allegory of love. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Moseley, Alexander. "Philosophy of love." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2010).
Schwartz, Barry, and Kenneth E. Sharpe. "Practical wisdom: Aristotle meets positive psychology." Journal of Happiness Studies 7.3 (2006): 377-395.
