The Truth About Roses

With petals so fair and a fragrance so sweet, still has its danger where its many thorns meet.

That is my interpretation of the theme "love", especially young love, in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Like the flower most commonly related to romance, "love" is very similar to the rose.  Not only are they alike in their beauty, but their hidden dangers as well. As can be seen from different characters, love has many sides; it is deep and entrancing  for Romeo, wild and free for Mercutio, and perhaps light and innocent for young Juliet. All these views reflect the attractive area of love but as the name of the play suggests, this story won't dwell long on love's petals. My blog post today will be about the many sides of love and its many, many, thorns.

Like the rose, love is very captivating and to many, may be the most beautiful thing in the world, but is it really? Of course, one side of love is very beautiful. With books, songs, poems, and even entire landmarks (ex. The Eiffel Tower) dedicated and centering around love, there is no doubt that this emotion has quite an impact on the world. And perhaps, when something becomes so powerful, it can become dangerous. It isn't a secret to readers that both Romeo and Juliet die in the story, and neither is the fact that love drove them to their graves, but unfortunately, to these two star-crossed lovers, it was. Indeed there are many sides of love in the story and they all show up and make a difference in the story line. Mercutio's wild freedom  perspective is shown in the impulsive actions of Romeo and Juliet; Juliet's innocent view of love takes part to draw these two teenagers together, and finally, the depth of Romeo's opinion reveals itself in the desperate misery that took their lives.

In a way, like the petals of a rose, this choice of death over being separated is beautiful. On the other hand though, like the small pricks of thorns when being too close to the beauty of the rose, being too close to the enticing flower of love has made it so that it wasn't just the petals that were red, but the dagger of Romeo as well. Perhaps it was blind love that drove them together, charm and good looks, but would a pretty visage  lead to suicide? Living a life with the direct of Cupid seems fun, until one realizes that the Cupid's arrow, is still an arrow.

It is sad to read the story of Romeo and Juliet and not feel helpless as their lives tick away without their knowledge. It is like watching a horror movie and seeing the monster behind the protagonist and not being able to warn him. Ironically, the silent killer in the story of Romeo and Juliet, is not a monster at all, but technically, an angel. Knowing that what these lovers cherished most, is what will lead them to their deaths is indeed, like the title, a tragedy.

Though the smell of roses is mesmerizing, if one leans in too far, they will indeed find its thorns and then, if still captured by the beauty of the flower and missing the proximity of the danger, one will most certainly get pricked.

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