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Verse:For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. —Song of Solomon 8:6, 7
Love is an amazing, compelling, and transforming power.
It’s easily nourished and difficult to constrain.
But the way humans express love can assume various forms, including strange ones. When reciprocated, love becomes almost boundless; when betrayed, it can easily turn into strong hatred. Most often, when we are betrayed by someone, we end up hating them with the same intensity with which we used to love them.
William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet (1597) is the story of probably the most famous lovers ever. They have even become symbolic of love itself. The story is based on the marriage of Romeo Montocchio and Juliet Capelletto at the church of the Minorites, Cittadella, Italy. Although there is some dispute, most sources date the marriage to March 11, 1302. We really do not know why Shakespeare wrote his play with such a tragic ending, with both characters taking their own lives in order to, at least, stay together in death. At any rate, the play conveys the message that even in the worst circumstances a couple may face, true love always comes through.
Several insightful points are made in the play.
For instance, an appeal to empathy is found in Romeo’s words, “He jests at scars that never felt a wound.” The tendency to overestimate physical attraction as genuine love is lamented by the friar: “Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” The annoying habit of speaking too much is ironically addressed by Romeo’s reference to a gentleman “that loves to hear himself talk.” One of the nicest expressions in the whole play comes from Juliet: “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.” This beautiful quote expresses the very essence of true unselfish love: the more we give love, the more we have love! True love is a gift from God that we cultivate so that we may reflect it to those around us. Love always takes the initiative. As God took the initiative of loving us while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:8), so we should take the initiative of loving our fellow human beings (Matthew 5:43–48).