Wilbur Lambertsen Zents 1

Andrew Zents, Madyson Lambertsen, Emma Wilbur,

Mr. Turley
English 1 Honors
02 May 2016
Platonic love
Hi my name is Andrew. Hey Im Madyson. Im Emma and I'm Nick. Today we are focusing
on the topic of platonic love. The definition of platonic love is a close relationship between two
people whether its a guy and a guy, a guy and a girl, or a girl and a girl. These two people are
extremely close to each other and are best friends. Platonic love is non-sexual which means they
are not intimate. I had a platonic relationship with my best friend Cameron OBrien. Hes like a
brother to me. He always has my back in any situation. This is a platonic love situation because
hes one of my best friends and its non-sexual. I remember one time I was grounded and I
wasnt allowed to play any video games at all! Cameron knew I was grounded but we wanted to
play with me. As I was grounded, secretly, we were upstairs playing. After we finished playing,
we went downstairs to get something to eat. My mom had asked Cameron if I had been playing
video games with him. Like a brother, he said no because he knew that if I got caught then it
would be a really big issue for me and him. We would both face consequences because he knew I
shouldn't have been playing. In conclusion, he helped me out in this situation and kept me from
getting in trouble.
This story is connected to Romeo & Juliet because its just like how the nurse is there for Juliet
when she marries Romeo. This connects because the nurse has to hide the love between Romeo
& Juliet just like Cameron hides that him and andrew were playing video games while he was
grounded.

Platonic love is shown a lot in Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio and Romeo, Juliet

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and the nurse as Madyson described, Capulet and Paris, and Romeo and Friar. All of these
represent platonic relationships. Now were going to go further in depth with these examples.
Mercutio and Romeo are very close throughout the story. In one particular scene, Tybalt killed
Mercutio. This made Romeo very upset. In spite of Mercutios death, Romeo seeks to take
vengeance on Tybalt and later kills him. This goes to show that Romeo was very close to
Mercutio. Romeo cost himself his wife but, it was all for his friend. Andrew described the
relationship between Juliet and the nurse earlier, now let's talk about Romeo and Friar. These two
characters display platonic love throughout the play. For example, In act III scene III you had
Friar plot a plan so Romeo could see his beloved Juliet again. What Friar was doing was very
risky and could have easily put him in danger but, he did it for romeo. Capulet and Paris are also
very close. Paris really loves Juliet, and Capulet is trying to force his daughter to marry him.
These two talk a lot throughout the play and are pretty close with each other.
Platonic love has changed between now and the time of Romeo and Juliet. In modern society,
when people see a girl hanging out with a guy, they will generally assume theyre dating when in
reality they arent. The idea of Platonism came from Plato ,the greek philosopher, who came up
with the idea of platonic love. Plato stated that platonic love is a redirection of focus,
basically an interaction of the mind or some outside pursuit of knowledge.
It was easier to consider this idea during the time of Romeo and Juliet since it was uncommon
for men and women to have a friendship. Things have obviously changed since then but not
everyone believes that a man and a women can only be friends. The first friend I ever had was a
guy named Bryce. Our parents would always say how the two of us would end up marrying each
other some day and we hated it. Hes like my brother in a way and since we had grown up
together, it would be weird. There are couples that started out as friends and finish being buried

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next to each other. Im not saying that it cant happen, Im implying that it just doesnt always
turn out that way. Although the definition means love that isnt sexual, a simultaneous lack of
romance, doesnt mean itll always ends that way. The thing about having a platonic love with a
guy or girl is that you dont know whatll happen. It could be a romantic nonsextual
relationship or a non romantic sexual relationship and even a nonromantic nonsexual
ralationship. That last one is what most people think of when it comes to a mutual type of love,
but that doesnt mean its the only kind. If its not romantic and sexual, most likely that means
its strictly platonic.
Platonic love is a love that is non-sexual. It can be seen in various different scenes throughout
Romeo and Juliet, with the friendship of Mercutio and Romeo, Romeo and Benvolio, Nurse and
Juliet, and Friar Lawrence and Romeo. Platonic love can also be seen in modern day society. Just
think about who you are friends with. You, yourself have a platonic relationship. This idea is
important because without this type of love/relationship, there would be no chance for
negotiations, marriage, and reproduction. Love doesn't revolve around sexual interactions. Its a
feeling you get when you honestly care for someone. Quixotic love sets the bar for any other
type of love.

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Works cited

"The Thinking Aro." The Thinking Aro. N.p., 7 June 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.