Romeo and Juliet are portrayed by William Shakespeare, as two young people that fate brings together [`Star-crossed lovers'], irrespective of any other matters. But Shakespeare uses many devices that make it seem as if the two people fall in love in an extremely romantic way, which makes it seem as if the lovers are in romance.

One of the main way in which Shakespeare shows this is that at the beginning of the play Romeo is shown as being depressed while he is in `love' with Rosaline. Romeo is in love with Rosaline, a girl who is so trivial that we don't see her in the play, but the love is unrequited. This causes Romeo to behave strangely; he goes for walks an hour before sunrise and when his best friend, Benvolio, approaches him, he makes fast for the woods nearby [`Where underneath the grove of a sycamore...