Was Romeo and Juliet's love based on looks, rebellion, external forces, or was it in actuality true love? There is no denying the fact Romeo and Juliet is a great play and an exceptional Shakespearean work, but upon closer inspection, is it a story of true love? Many hints and clues may lead one to the belief that the "love" exhibited in this play is truly due to no more than lust or some other reason.
             The first and most obvious reason for why Romeo and Juliet fall in love is due to their infatuation with each other's beauty. Throughout the entire play they were both entirely fixated on each other's physical appearance. Both Romeo and Juliet aspire to find no other quality in their "lover" other then that of good looks. Towards the beginning of this drama, Romeo had already received a reputation for enjoying only beautiful women. Romeo expresses that to him beauty is a greater quality than knowledge or personality. Paralleling Romeo, Juliet appears to find other qualities attractive in her men. When she considers the marriage of Paris in the beginning of the play his apparent beauty does not sway her decision to hold off marriage. But as soon as she meets Romeo, of all the good qualities he possesses she speaks only of his splendour and attractiveness. Which would definitely lead one to believe that they find nothing more than appearance desirable when it comes to "falling in love".
             I believe this is most recognisable in the very beginning of the play. As he gazes at her he is completely astonished by her beauty. Not even knowing her name or anything about her personality, Romeo's superficial nature overpowers his common sense and he apparently falls in "love". As he describes her he articulates how he sees her in saying "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear beauty too rich for us...