“Falling in love is easy; staying in love is a challenge.” This quote, by an unknown author, is a huge part of life. Many people just want to fall in love with someone and spend the rest of their life with them. This is so much easier said than done. It’s universal to think that someone’s closest family and friends will always have their back; in reality, the biggest challenge of staying in love is overcoming what others around you believe. This idea is prominent in the classic play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, where Juliet is part of the Capulet family and Romeo is part of the rival family, the Montagues, as well as in the heartfelt musical West Side Story directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, with Maria a part of the Puerto Rican gang called Sharks and Tony, her love, is with the Italian gang the Jets. In both works of fiction there is a big division between two groups of people. Even though the groups may be different, both performances provide an example of how the divisions can tear apart relationships.
The first performance that exemplifies how tensions can tear apart relationships is Romeo and Juliet. The best place to start is when Romeo climbs over the palace wall to stand in the backyard of Juliet’s room, speaking to her about his newfound love for her. Soon after beginning the conversation, Juliet proclaims, “And the place death, considering what thou art, if any kinsmen find thee here,” (Shakespeare Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 64-65). In simpler terms, Juliet is telling Romeo that if any of her relatives see him there, they will kill him solely based on the fact that he is Montague. Her family doesn’t seem to care about her feelings towards Romeo; who he is on the outside and what they see at first glance are the on...
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...relationships will continue to be destroyed.
It’s easy to fall in love with someone, but the difficult task is staying in love. Many times, the thing that stands between two people is their own people. In Romeo and Juliet, their families’ feud keeps them apart and in West Side Story the racial differences pull at Maria and Tony. Many people want to believe that family and friends will always be there, but these two performances exploit this belief as the family and friends of the lovers are the ones to tear them apart simply because they are afraid. Tensions will modernize and change as society does, and they will continue to pull people apart. People have to begin to decide whether they are too scared to go against everyone around them and what they have done their whole life or if they are brave enough to step out and stay in love with someone different than them.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a play commonly viewed and known as a true love story; however, after analyzing several hints portrayed by the protagonists, it is evident that Shakespeare did not intend to make Romeo and Juliet seem like a true love story but a criticism of how superficial society’s view on love is.
...the intensity of the play, the very sweet and romantic scenes would have intrigued the audience and with the shock deaths at the end it would have saddened then because Shakespeare involved his audience and drew them in with his soft and subtle scenes to the heart wrenching scenes. When, after Romeo and Juliet die, the two families make friends. I would think the audience wouldn’t be surprised because in the prologue it said, “Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife.” This means that with Romeo and Juliet’s death it will end the family’s feud. In conclusion I would say that Shakespeare puts conflict in sense which represents both physical and verbal abuse. It is important to include both aspects because not every character is going to have either a constant physical or verbal fight. Romeo and Juliet without conflict are like Romeo and Juliet without love.
Love is dependent upon the slightest change, but it can cause the utmost drastic consequences. This is the truth of two lovers in William Shakespeare’s furthermost celebrated play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, love is inimical. Romeo comes from the family of Montague while Juliet comes from the family of Capulet. For reasons unknown, these two families are sworn enemies. However, Romeo and Juliet are not. In fact, they are in a secret relationship that only two others know about. The only two that Romeo and Juliet trust, the Nurse and the Friar. While the Nurse, Friar, and Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet, all have good intentions, they are all responsible for the suicides of Romeo and Juliet in the
West Side Story, a film directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, is a relatively modern adaptation of William Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet. As both, the film and text, explore the perceptions of deep-rooted feud between two parties, it also includes the influence and pressure it has on young love. Although numerous similarities are encountered throughout the play and movie, there are distinguished concepts obtaining great difference. However, the two mediums of this tragic love story have three prominent issues of story, themes and characters instilling both similar and dissimilar concepts.
The story of these two feuding families is all too common in everyday life. Everywhere we look there are stories of arguments and fighting that seem too far-fetched to be true. One of the great appeals of this story is that everyone can relate to the situation to various extents. Fighting goes on in the world everyday whether it be between groups of friends or family or even between countries. The persistence and desperation shown by Romeo and Juliet to be with each other keeps audiences enthralled and wanting to watch on. In Zeffirelli’s film, Romeo overhears Juliet on her balcony wishing she could be with Romeo.
“Romeo and Juliet”, a play composed by William Shakespeare, is about a boy and a girl who are fall in love with each other at first sight, but soon find out that they have fallen in love with the child of their parents enemy. Seeing fate is not on their side due to the ongoing feud between their parents, they are willing to do anything to be together, which unfortunately leads to both of their demise. Many people question if the love between Romeo and Juliet was true. The love between the two was not true because they fell in love with each other’s appearances, they didn’t know each other long enough to actually figure out each other, and they were hardly thinking straight during the relationship.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare incorporates the theme of conflict through many different characters and situations. The definition of conflict is “a fight, battle, or struggle; especially a prolonged struggle; strife” The play mainly focuses on the tragic lives of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet; the two characters belong to the Montague and Capulet households respectively, which have held ongoing grudges against each other for years. The play ends with both main characters committing suicide, to be together in heaven. As with many of Shakespeare’s works, the theme of conflict is a strong one. For a start, there is the ongoing conflict between the two families; the Montagues and the Capulets. The audience is unsure how this grudge started; this reflects how tedious some ongoing grudges can be. This is a vital conflict to keep the structure of the story, as without this conflict Romeo and Juliet would not have encountered the problems they had with their marriage. However, there are different ways of putting this grudge across - through dialogue, such as Mercutio’s intell...
Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most famous story about love in literature. This is in part because of the tension caused by the look the different characters have towards what love means and its role in life. These views were very important for the progression of the story. Their different views collided and caused much grief and sorrow for the characters throughout play. Many important events that propelled the story forward would not have happened without the various feelings towards love the characters have and how they felt of and reacted to the other characters’ view on love.
“Don’t waste your love on someone who doesn’t value it.” In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare exposes the life of two young lovers in the Renaissance period fighting for something they cannot live without; each other. Although fate takes its toll, the everlasting feud between two families, conditional love by parents, and the irresponsibility’s of father and mother like figure are the main causes in the death of Romeo and Juliet. The idea of love is something that is valued in this play from many different aspects of characters, lines, and scenes. Shakespeare leaves the minds of readers soaring over not why it happened, but who was at fault.
Romeo and Juliet’s love story was miserable but captivating in Shakespeare’s play, while in West Side Story it was musical and lively. In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet fall in love, but their families hate each other because of bad history. In West Side Story, Tony and Maria fall in love, but they are in different groups. Jets are American’s, and the Sharks are Puerto Ricans, both of the groups hate each other because they are of different cultures and they can’t accept each other. Also because they are fighting over the territory.
Ultimately`, William Shakespeare shows in many different ways throughout the play, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, that love is the more powerful force than hate. The readers see how the characters continuously forgive one another, even when the conditions are tough. The friendships between specific characters display a loving bond that cannot be broken with hate. Shakespeare demonstrates that Romeo and Juliet’s love can overpower the hate of many events in the play. He shows that their love can even overpower the death of one of their own family members. Romeo and Juliet’s love brings friendship between their feuding families. This story is a true example of how love can conquer all.
The Shakespearean tragedy “Romeo and Juliet” represents the idea that love incurs a price through a range of dramatic techniques. In this play, it becomes very clear that intense and sudden passionate love brings hurt and pain to the lovers involved, as well as their family and friends.
In the play “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare shows that love has power to control one’s actions, feelings, and the relationship itself through the bond between a destined couple. The passion between the pair grew strong enough to have the capability to do these mighty things. The predestined newlyweds are brought down a rocky road of obstacles learning love’s strength and the meaning of love.
The feud between the Montagues and the Capulets causes the young couple to have to sneak around to one another. Broken family relationships in both families add stress since there are less people Romeo and Juliet can trust, and feel comfortable talking too. Miscommunication not only between Romeo and Juliet, but almost all the characters, affect the couple in a poor way because they are constantly being misinformed about one another. Romeo and Juliet may not like that they have been greatly impacted by all these factors but these actions are ultimately what shaped their lives, and affected how they lived them. This demonstrates how the influences around you can change the way you feel about certain things. If they had better family conditions, and ways to communicate, it is possible they could have lived their lives longer and
Have you ever been in love before? Many would say that love is hard to come by, and even harder to maintain, while some would say the opposite. In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, he explores similar concepts related to love and infatuation. Although the reader never directly hears from Shakespeare, one could infer that his own thoughts are similarly mirrored in his characters, with the play serving as a warning tale of sorts, and the various roles echoing different dangers when it comes to love, which there are many. More specifically, Romeo Montague and his actions in the play are very intentional, as they help explain Shakespeare’s intentions and his own personal thoughts on the topic of love and its hazards, as well as its ups, too, which there are many.