The story of Romeo and Juliet, which William Shakespeare published in 1597, is regarded on of the most interesting classic love stories of all time. Not only is the story in Shakespeare’s play widely known, but it is also remembered for the tragic end of its main characters, Romeo and Juliet. This essay applies the psychological terms of associated emotions, proximity, repeated exposure, similarity, physical beauty, and familiarity to describe the nature of the relationship between the two classical lovers.
Associated Emotions and the Love Story of Romeo and Juliet
According to Fugère, Leszczynski, and Cousins (2014), associated emotions has effects on attraction happens when someone’s emotions are aroused at the sight or presence of another individual. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was involved in a love competition with Paris for Juliet. In fact, Juliet’s father had planned for a marriage between his daughter and Paris, but the appearance of Romeo at the planned party when he gatecrashed prompted Juliet to feel that she would never marry Paris. While the two had met during a fight on the streets in a family feud involving Juliet and Romeo’s families, Juliet was unsure if she would marry Romeo, which is why she quickly shifted her attention from Paris as soon as she learned of Romeo’s presence at the party (Shakespeare, 2003).
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Proximity and the Love Story of Romeo and Juliet
In attraction literature, the physical distance between two persons in terms of where they live, work, or sit in a classroom among other factors, affects the chances that the two persons will establish repeated contact that would then enhance the development of a romantic relationship (Swami & Furnham, 2007). Romeo and Juliet lived in the same town of Verona, and their families were close until a feud break up between them. The two lovers would see each other often, which is why bumped into each other at a party that they easily gatecrashed. The closeness of their homes allowed their relationship to grow rapidly because Romeo had the opportunity of meeting and talking to Juliet in the evenings over the window of her room. The proximity of the two lovers also allowed Juliet to resist being married to someone that she did not like, Paris, because she could see her true love often despite the numerous attempts from her father to hinder her interactions with Romeo.
Repeated Exposure and the Love of Story of Romeo and Juliet
In the psychology of attraction, frequent contact between people escalates the chances that they will evaluate mild or negative stimuli in a positive way, which would increase the probability that the involved persons will develop a romantic relationship (Swami & Furnham, 2007). While the story of Romeo and Juliet indicates that the two fell in love the first time they met, depicts a scenario in which the close proximity of their homes allowed the two lovers to strengthen their love to the extent that Juliet turned down the chance of marrying Paris.
Similarity and its Application to Romeo and Juliet
Research on attraction suggests that people are more likely to respond to positively to indications that other people are similar to themselves and negatively when they feel that they are not similar. The indicators of similarity, according to Swami and Furnham, (2007), may include the races, gender, socioeconomic status, and other factors. Romeo and Juliet is a classic example of similarity where the two lovers involved in the story could be perceived to be similar in their familial backgrounds—they both belonged to feuding families of high social standings (Shakespeare, 2003). Furthermore, while the play does not mention their racial characteristics explicitly, one concludes that the two must have belonged to the same race—they lived in the same town and their families interacted freely until the wrangle broke out. Consequently, the attraction between them could have been accelerated by the perception of similarity.
Physical Beauty and the Story of Romeo and Juliet
In attraction studies, physical attraction is used to refer to a collection of physical attributes that could be termed as appealing, handsome, or beautiful, which increase the chances that people would be drawn to each other (Rubin, 2013). The fact that Romeo and Juliet fell in love with each other at the first sight during a party that was meant to introduce Juliet to Paris is a suggestion that the two were drawn to each other out of physical attraction. Furthermore, it is mentioned within the play that Benvolio, one of Romeo’s friends, had mentioned to him that he abandons his love, Rosaline, for a more beautiful woman who turned out to be Juliet. Consequently, much as other attributes could have contributed to their love, Romeo and Juliet were physically attracted to each.
Familiarity and the Love Story of Romeo and Juliet
As one would expect, familiarity suggests the chances that people would be attracted to each other in romantic relationships when they feel that they are acquainted with each other. Familiarity in this case is used to suggest the expectation that people who understand each other well are more likely to develop love relationships than those who have little understanding of each other (Rubin, 2013). The familial backgrounds of Romeo and Juliet and the fact that they lived on the same street in Verona could have contributed to their prior understanding of each other, which explains the basis of their relationship.
References
Fugère, M. A., Leszczynski, J. P., & Cousins, A. J. (2014). The social psychology of attraction and romantic relationships . Macmillan International Higher Education.
Rubin, Z. (2013). Liking and loving: An invitation to social psychology . Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Shakespeare, W. (2003). romeo and juliet . Cambridge University Press.
Swami, V., & Furnham, A. (2007). The psychology of physical attraction . Routledge.
