'Parting is such sweet sorrow…' What this line from Romeo and Juliet tells us about new love

Indian Express

2 days ago

(Written by Taniya Chopra)
Romeo is below in the Capulet orchard. Juliet stands above on her balcony. They have just confessed their love for each other and now neither one wants the night to end. 'Parting is such sweet sorrow…', spoken by Juliet during the famous balcony scene in Act II, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet, tells us about the ache of a love which is just beginning to bloom. Shakespeare beautifully shows the intensity of new love and the fear of losing something that has only just begun.
The sweetness in the sorrow
Shakespeare, with just two words 'sweet sorrow', captures the emotional contradiction that defines new love- the happiness of having someone to miss and the ache of having to miss them. Juliet isn't just sorrowful that she is parting from Romeo, there is also sweetness in that sorrow. That sweetness comes from the fact that now she has someone to miss. Missing someone becomes proof that they matter. Juliet's sorrow confirms the bond she and Romeo now share, a bond which is so intense that even a temporary goodbye is hard to bear.
The sweetness also lies in anticipation. By feeling the sting of goodbye, Juliet is already looking forward to the next time they will meet. Her sorrow becomes a promise that she will meet him again, and that alone makes the pain worth bearing. As Charles Dickens said 'The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again'.
The honeymoon phase
Juliet speaks these words just after she and Romeo have confessed their love for each other. And, just hours earlier, they had met at the Capulet ball. Their connection was love at first sight. It's the kind of emotional intensity that feels like fate. This is what Shakespeare is trying to show. In this early stage of infatuation- the honeymoon phase, emotions are intense and time together seems to go by fast.
People, in their honeymoon phase, feel like they've known each other forever, even if they've only just met. A moment apart feels like the end of the world. This is exactly what Juliet is experiencing, a powerful mix of romantic ecstasy and the fear of being separated from someone who, just hours ago, was a stranger, and is now everything.
A timeless ache
Though written over four centuries ago, this line continues to resonate because it speaks to something timeless- the bittersweet nature of love and parting. A feeling we have all felt at one point in our life, the aching hesitation of leaving someone just as you're beginning to fall for them. Whether in whispered phone calls that run long into the night or in the brief pause before walking away from someone you love, we've all experienced that desire to hold on just a little longer.
That's why Shakespeare's words have withstood time. He perfectly encapsulated the tenderness of new love just beginning to bloom. This line doesn't just belong to Juliet. It belongs to anyone who has ever fallen in love, who has ever held onto a hug too long, delayed a goodbye with one more sentence, one more word. Shakespeare leaves us with a truth that still holds true- in love, even goodbye can be beautiful.
(The writer is an intern with indianexpress.com).