Understanding Romeo and Juliet

1. What values does your character most cherish? What values does your character reject?

The value Romeo most cherishes is privacy between him and Juliet. The value of privacy is expressed through the metaphor of night. Through night, darkness is a veil that removes any obligations to social institutions and implications, rules and regulations. In short, night is the individual’s escape from the public world. In a way, the lover’s eventual suicides may be viewed as an eternal night. Romeo rejects the values of his surrounding public and social institutions. The placement of familial power on the head masculine figure of the household creates a profound obstacle between Romeo and Juliet. Both lovers must rebel against their lineage especially Juliet. Because of the patriarchal power structure, Juliet’s love is not hers to give away. There is a strong hostility between their two families that conflict with the renaissance value of honor.

2. What is your character's conception of sin? Of justice?

Romeo’s concept of sin is not taking action. Romeo and Juliet defy the whole social world of the play: their own families (“Deny thy father and refuse thy name”), friends (Romeo abandoning Mercutio) and ruler (Romeo’s return to Verona after being exiled). In a religious form of sin, Romeo rejects many of the values and traditions of Christianity and often thinks of his love in blasphemous passages. Romeo is quick, rash and impulsive towards justice most likely because of his naïve immaturity. Romeo, while refusing to obey many of the social norms, still acts within masculine honor. All values and morality associated with rational thought fall wayside to unconditional love.

3. How much of your character's action is an exercise of ...

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... song represent the lack of power or control the lovers have on external jurisdiction. The powers of fate and fortune also dominate this scene as discussed above.

6. How is love, sexual desire or friendship expressed in this monologue?

This scene focuses on the grown maturity of love between Romeo and Juliet. The love between Romeo and Juliet can be described as an overpowering almost violent force wrought with overflowing passion that takes precedence over all other values, social loyalties or feelings. In a sense, this particular scene is a reverse balcony scene where Romeo must leave instead of Juliet. The lovers placate each other through reversals of thought, giving in to each other’s will. The willingness to give anything for every second together including death is the essence of the scene. Romeo lacks the capacity for moderation of emotions and feelings.