Representation of Love against the World in Shakespeare's Plays: Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth

Abstract

William Shakespeare is possibly one of the most important writers in the universal literature. Born in England in 1564, he wrote poetry and more than thirty plays, which have survived the passing of time and have become a milestone in the history of literature. Shakespeare wrote about many themes concerning human life and existence. In this study, the focus will be placed on the conception of love in two of his plays: Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. Other important themes will be the representation of love against the world, and society and love as a tool for social upgrading. It will also be taken into account how love is depicted in each of these plays. Previous research has been done regarding the conception of love in Shakespeare’s drama, but little reflection and bibliographical analyses have been done comparing Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth from the perspective of love against the world. For this comparison, a bibliographical research will be conducted with the aim to try to explain how William Shakespeare expressed this concept in these works of art. Research, philosophical reflections and bibliographical comparison have demonstrated that, in these plays, the author tried to convey two antagonistic points of view on love: the infatuated couple in Romeo and Juliet, in which the main characters fight against society and social barriers among families, and Macbeth, in which love is presented as a tool for social upgrading. Despite the differences, we can state that these two plays represent alternative versions of the concept of love against the world and society, which can be contrasted and compared, underscoring the multiple nature of love.