During this lesson we are going to analyse and discuss whether Romeo & Juliet were a fatal love story (a tragedy) or a stereotype of courtly love also making references to similar stories through history to the present day and we will demonstrate that Romeo & Juliet are in fact, a fatal love story.

To do this we must firstly understand what we actually mean by a fatal love story and what we mean by a courtly love stereotype.

A fatal love story is a love story doomed from the beginning, also referred to as star-crossed or star-crossed lovers:  a pair of lovers whose relationship (love story) is often opposed by outside forces usually ending tragically or with an unhappy ending.

The definition of courtly love stereotypes is a literary term given to relationships that began in the courts of palaces and castles in the middle ages, it was a secret and generally not practiced between husband and wife.  The typical lover was usually a young male, who loved a lady, probably of higher rank than himself and carrying out deeds of chivalry for the sake of the lady. 

The typical lady would be of higher rank, usually married or promised, and would enjoy the advances made to her by a younger male of the court.

We can argue that Romeo & Juliet can be classified as both a tragic love story as well as a courtly love stereotype however one will hold truer than the other.

We can demonstrate that Romeo & Juliet can easily be categorised as a fatal love story as per the definition above and it was also classified as a ‘tragedy’ by Shakespeare himself.  The play written by Shakespeare was based upon the poem “The Tragical History of Romeus & Juliet” written in 1562 by Arthur Brooke and the title of the poem speaks for itself.

Romeo & Juliet were referred to as star-crossed lovers as pointed out in Shakespeare’s prologue:

                “From forth the fatal loins of those two foes,

                A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life”.

In Act 1, Scene V the play clearly begins dramatically with a tragical note when Juliet is asking Nurse the identity of the man she noticed and when Nurse tells her that .”His name is Romeo, and a Montague, the only son of your great enemy”, Juliet says “My only love, sprung from my only hate!...”

We will now try to give examples of a stereotype of courtly love, since the process of love starts with the sight of the woman and in Act 1, Scene V (lines 41-42) Romeo first sights Juliet:

“What lady is that, which doth enrich the hand

Of yonder knight?”

The man worships the lady from afar;  Act 1, Scene V (lines 44-53)

“O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!

It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night

Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;

Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!

So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,

As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.

The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,

And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand

Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!

For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”

The man declares his passionate devotion;  Act 1, Scene V (lines 93-96)

“If I profane with my unworthiest hand

This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

However, in all the definitions we have found on courtly love, none make reference to Romeo & Juliet as an example.  As mentioned before, Shakespeare mocked courtly love making a reference to it with Romeo’s courtly love for Rosaline. 

However, we need to remember that in Shakespeare’s day, most marriages among the nobility had little to do with the modern perspectives of what constitutes love, and courtly love was a way for nobles to express the love not found in their marriage.  And this is not the case between Romeo & Juliet who were profoundly in love to the point of not wanting to live without the other.

So what has changed throughout the centuries as far as tragic love stories go?  Simply put, not much.

There are many examples of famous star-crossed lovers in a variety of written works throughout the centuries up to modern day: 

Pyramus and Thisbe are usually regarded as the source for Romeo & Juliet, featured in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream;

Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliffe from Wuthering Heights written in 1847 by Emily Bronte.

Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina tragically ends with her suicide for an impossible love.

In 1961, the famous film ‘Westside Story’ was based on the Shakespearean classic Romeo & Juliet.  This tale revolves around two warring gangs in New York and the two lovers, Tony and Maria are members of the opposing gangs who fall in love.  Like Romeo and Juliet, they try to keep their love a secret however it ends with Tony being shot and dying in Maria’s arms.

In the 1970’s another tragic love story was the ‘Love Story’.  A film based on Oliver, a wealthy student studying at Harvard University who meets and falls in love with Jennifer, a working class student studying at Radcliffe college and despite their families disapproval, they decide to marry after college.  Unfortunately, after many struggles and difficulties, Jennifer falls ill and dies.

And, finally, in the 1990’s we have Titanic where a wealthy privileged Rose falls in love with penniless Jack who forsakes his life for hers.

All these love stories end tragically just like Romeo and Juliet.

Therefore, as you can see there is not much difference between a tragic love story written in the middle ages and today.  Actually, after centuries of stories being written and movies being made, Romeo and Juliet are still rated as the number one most tragic love story of all time, world-wide!

In modern day the real definition of courtly love doesn’t really exist or perhaps it exists behind the walls of palaces and castles.  A modern kind of courtly love is portrayed in films and TV series having the side effect of tending to glorify love affairs destroying all confidence in marriage as an institution with the media placing the attraction of ‘getting together’ above all else.  Consequently, the decision to settle for casual partners to make up for the frustration of searching for the long-term partner separating sex from love as a painless solution as portrayed in the television series ‘Sex and the City’.   However, real life is quite different from a television series.

The literature and customs of courtly love are often denounced by scholars as frivolous, decadent, unrealistic, and as a means of romanticising the restraining social customs of a past era.  Despite the fact that we’ve spent decades working towards gender equality in politics, family, education, and the workplace, that dynamic of chivalry and courtly love seems to have left a lasting mark on our cultural psyche – you can see its influence in works of literature ranging fromTales of King Arthur – Lancelot and Guinevere to the Twilight series.

To conclude we have shown, without a doubt that when listing tragic romances, the story of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers has to come in at number one, having endured for centuries, to be made into countless plays, moves and adaptations.