Christian themes such as loving one’s enemy and sexual morality are prevalent in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Perhaps most significant, however, is Juliet’s symbolic representation of Jesus. In addition to her “death” and resurrection, Romeo perceives Juliet as Christ-like. Furthermore, by drawing from the New Testament texts, one can compare the timeline of Romeo and Juliet to that of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ to further support the reading of the play as a secular allegory of Christian love.
It is not Juliet, but Rosaline for whom Romeo first pines; however this too, contributes to Juliet’s Christ-like image. Though she is the object of Romeo’s affection, Rosaline rejects her lover’s endeavors and pursues a life of chastity (1.1.208-209). As both Juliet and Rosaline are Capulets, one could ask whether the outcome of the play would remain had Romeo been successful in wooing Rosaline. However, if Juliet is to be understood as a metaphorical representation of Jesus, then a relationship between Rosaline and Romeo could not produce that which the relationship between Juliet and Romeo does. Rosaline and Juliet are cousins, as are John the Baptist and Jesus, and both Rosaline and John act as precursors to their cousins “coming” (1.2.68-69). John, like Rosaline, could not and did not seek to fulfill his cousin’s position, for he says of Jesus, “’This is the man of whom I said, ‘He comes after me, but ranks ahead of me’; before I was born, he already was”’ (John 1.15).
Juliet and Romeo’s love exemplifies Jesus’ message to love one’s enemy (1.5.140; Matt. 5.43). As Paul writes, Christs’ love for humankind is love for his enemy: “when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son” (Rom. 5.10). Furthermore, Romeo’s love for Tybalt comes from Juliet’s love for Romeo, which reflects the Christian idea, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4.19). Romeo’s love for Tybalt prevents him from acting in character, thus leading to Mercutio’s death at Tybalt’s hand. Following Mercutio’s death, Romeo laments, “O sweet Juliet,/ Thy beauty hath made me effeminate/ And in my temper softened valour’s steel!” (3.1.115-117). Therefore, one can understand Juliet’s love for Romeo as comparable to Jesus’ love for humanity in that both Jesus and Juliet, enable their enemies to love by first loving them.
Juliet and Romeo’s dialogue reflects Jesus’ teaching; for example, she tells Romeo, “Deny thy father and refuse thy name,” which echoes Christ’s message that one should love God before anyone else and die to one’s self (2.2.34; Matt. 10.37-39). Furthermore, Romeo, like a follower of Christ, demonstrates his desire to die to self and be reborn in Juliet’s love when he replies, “Call me but love and I’ll be new baptized” (2.2.50). In the Gospel of John, Jesus explains, ‘“no one can see the kingdom of God unless he has been born again,”’ which is symbolically demonstrated through the rite of baptism, further supporting Juliet’s representation as Christ-figure in the play (John 3.3). In fact, Romeo perceives Juliet as Christ-like in nature when he indicates that salvation, an “immortal blessing,” lies in her kiss: “Thus from my lips by thine my sin is purged” (3.3.37, 1.5.106). Romeo’s claims allude to Jesus’ offer of salvation and cleansing from sin by his sacrifice, which bestows eternal life to all who accept it (John 3.16-17).
Perhaps, the most significant connection between Romeo and Juliet and the New Testament account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection is the timeline of the play. The chronology of Romeo and Juliet, a five-day ordeal, compares to that of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In the New Testament account, the Passover feast marks day one; the crucifixion occurs on day two; days three and four are spent in the tomb, and on day five Jesus is resurrected. For Romeo and Juliet, day one marks their meeting; day two is their wedding day; Juliet’s faux death takes place on day three, Romeo’s actual death occurs on day four, and Juliet’s “resurrection” and final death take place on day five. Though dissimilar to the Biblical account in that day two is not the day of Romeo or Juliet’s death as it is for Jesus, day two is, however, the day Romeo and Juliet marry, which consequently brings about their deaths. Day five for Jesus marks three days passing since the crucifixion and is the day of his resurrection. Similarly, Juliet’s resurrection occurs on day five; however, upon finding Romeo lifeless, Juliet takes her life.
Juliet’s death on day five, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, is reconcilable within the allegory for without her death the peace foretold would not come. Additionally, one can understand Romeo’s death as a reflection of his “baptism” in Juliet’s love by comparing his actions to Paul’s letter to the Romans in which he writes, “when we were baptized into union with Christ Jesus we were baptized into his death” (Rom. 6.3). Juliet’s act of death, one could argue, reflects the notions of Paul in his letter to the Ephesians when he references scripture that ‘“a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” and associates it to Christ and the church (Eph. 5.31-32). With the marriage of Romeo and Juliet – metaphorically the church and Christ – two become one. If peace is to come to the Montagues and Capulets – the world – then both partners must offer sacrifice. According to Christian doctrine, Christ died for humanity and humanity must die to self in return, which Romeo and Juliet demonstrate in their love for one another, their union in marriage, and their mutual death. Therefore, one can view Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as an allegory of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, thereby including a message of Christian love presented in the secular.