the device Shakespeare uses to show the negative side of
love is an oxymoron. By placing opposites side by side, he generates nuggets of wisdom
concerning the darker side of love. In modern English we use similar idioms such as
"love hurts' or "love to hate." There is a firm belief that the stronger one's love, the
stronger the ability to hate,
For Romeo his dissolving
feelings for Rosalind and his as yet unrequited love for Juliet create the beautiful
oxymoron Shakespeare has him utter. In addition, Romeo will battle out of love, but will
hate the necessity to do so.
Note that in modern times,
traditional marriage vows express opposites or extremes: for better for worse, for
richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. By reading on, notice Shakespeare's
continued use of the oxymoron as he gives further examples of the duality of love,
duality being a favored motif/theme device of Shakespeare's.
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