Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays and has

been described as a romantic tragedy. I will be looking at the

different types of love in the play and how the language and drama

reflect these.

The play opens with a Prologue from the Chorus who warn of the tragedy

to come.

“……….A pair of two star-cross’d lovers take their life:……. ”

Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet are the star-crossed lovers who die

because their families, who have been feuding for generations, cannot

accept the young people’s love for one another. The phrase

‘star-crossed’ evokes the recurring theme of celestial forces

directing the outcome of the story. When Romeo first meets Juliet it

was ‘love at first sight’ which quickly developed into something

deeper and more profound.

This is reflected in the language which changes from blank verse to

sonnet form (I.5. 93-106). This raises the tone of the emotion and

illustrates for the audience, the empathy in thought and feeling,

between Romeo and Juliet. The imagery is religious, tender and

sensual.

“My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand”

Romeo is hoping for a kiss from Juliet who stalls him by playing along

with the imagery.

“For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm

is holy palmers’ kiss

There are lots of ‘o’ and ‘s’ sounds which slow the pace of the

exchange, and this is in contrast to Tybalt’s harsh, clipped language.

In Romeo and Juliet we see how Shakespeare creates dramatic tension

using the contrast between the public and private scenes. We notice

that the private scenes are betwe...

... middle of paper ...

...ed to leave their families and friends to

be with each other. Then, by a twist of fate, they take their own

lives, rather then live without each other.

In conclusion, Shakespeare uses a range of techniques to present love

through language and drama in the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’. He uses

different language styles including the sonnet form of poetry,

imagery, language techniques, the idea of fate and destiny and by

using techniques such as oxymoron’s to emphasise and heighten the

character’s feelings. He also highlights Romeo and Juliet’s

relationship by structuring the play so that their scenes are separate

from those involving hatred, death and darkness. This creates a play

with romance, comedy, tragedy, and a deeper message about the

importance of family, society, morality and their relationship to each

other.

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