Analysis of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
'Romeo and Juliet' was a play written by William Shakespearein 1595.
William Shakespeare died on St. George's day, 23rd April, 1616, making
'Romeo and Juliet' one of his earlier plays; written in what is now
described as his second period, from his joining the Lord
Chamberlain's men in 1594 to the opening of the Globe Theatre in 1599.
The diversity of Shakespeare's work included comedies, histories and
tragedies as well as poetry. 'Romeo and Juliet' comes under the
category of a tragedy, tragedy meaning an event in which something
dreadful occurs, or in a theatrical sense a serious play with a tragic
theme, often involving a heroic struggle and the downfall of the main
character. This definition of tragedy relates to 'Romeo and Juliet'
because it is a play in which both the principal characters die in
preventable circumstances at the close of the play. The downfall of
Romeo and Juliet occurs by the fact that both characters start as
young, beautiful descendents of powerful families and find themselves
fleeing the city of Verona in fear of their lives and their
relationship - both banished by the authorities or their own
households.
However, an alternative view could be developed by looking at the
perception of the word tragedy when the play was written; in the late
16th century. People of the time were of the view that if something
tragic were to happen it must happen to a person of innocence,
otherwise it is not technically tragic. Romeo is not an innocent
person because he takes the life of another person on more that one
occasion, with the murders of Tybalt and Paris. Even th...
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...point. Romeo uses the word 'he'
to imply God. He is therefore saying that God is 'steering' the course
of his life; his life being the ship on which he talks about the sail.
William Shakespeare uses the imagery of ships to symbolise life
because people of Shakespearean times would be able to relate to it.
The fact that somebody else, God, is determining the course of his
life means that he is totally out of control of it himself which in
turn shows us how Shakespeare wants us to understand 'Romeo and
Juliet'.
I believe that nobody can be individually blamed for Romeo and
Juliet's deaths; they were made to suffer by a vicious feud between
two households that, along with many other small interventions, caused
the dramatic, brutal and sadistic climax to the play. I believe that
Romeo and Juliet were victims of fate.
The author shows the reader the sea just as the sailor does as death, but more than death
Who would be willing to die for their loved ones? Romeo and Juliet would and did. Romeo and Juliet’s love and death brought two families together who could not even remember the origin of their hate. When the parents saw what their children's love for each other, they realized that their fighting had only led to suffering and insoluble conflict. Romeo and Juliet loved each other to an extent that they killed themselves rather than live apart. They did it with no hiatus. Juliet says before she kills herself, “O happy dagger, This is thy sheath. There rust and let me die.”( 5, 3, 182-183) demonstrating how she would rather die than not be with him.
...He is still anchored to his past and transmits the message that one makes their own choices and should be satisfied with their lives. Moreover, the story shows that one should not be extremely rigid and refuse to change their beliefs and that people should be willing to adapt to new customs in order to prevent isolation. Lastly, reader is able to understand that sacrifice is an important part of life and that nothing can be achieved without it. Boats are often used as symbols to represent a journey through life, and like a captain of a boat which is setting sail, the narrator feels that his journey is only just beginning and realizes that everyone is in charge of their own life. Despite the wind that can sometimes blow feverishly and the waves that may slow the journey, the boat should not change its course and is ultimately responsible for completing its voyage.
Romeo changes throughout the book. When Romeo went to the Capulets party, he was in love with Rosaline. He saw Juliet and immediately loved her. In act two scene two it Romeo says this about Juliet, "Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return." He compares her eyes to stars in the night sky. Romeo talks about Juliet and is wanting to talk to her. This shows how Romeo is loving and sweet. In the last act of the book Romeo sees Juliet dead in the tomb. She is not really dead, but he doesn't know that. He kills himself so he can be with her in heaven. Romeo is a very loving person, but in one scene he turns into a very hateful person.
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name;” (Shakespeare, 536). In the book, ‘Romeo and Juliet”, by William Shakespeare there is a deeper meaning that Shakespeare is trying to portray other than parents cannot control their children’s hearts. He is trying to portray that a name is only a name and it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things and that even with a different name that person will still be the same person they have always been. Shakespeare is using the characters: Juliet, Romeo, Lord Capulet, Friar Lawrence, and the Nurse to get this message across to the reader or the viewer.
In act one scene three of Romeo and Juliet Lord Capulet states “…She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.” This means that Juliet is not quite fourteen years old and her father is not sure if she is ready to become a wife and mother. There are many differences between how people marry today, and how they married in the time of Romeo and Juliet. Some of the differences are when the people marry, why people marry, and also the level of maturity people marry at.
of a book a person may want to know what’s the basic outline of the
Through the flaws in the characterization of his characters, Shakespeare allows their weakness to manipulate and cloud their judgment. This fundamentally leads to the outcome of Romeo and Juliet, with each weakness presenting a conflict that alters the characters fate. Being especially true with the star-crossed lovers, William Shakespeare leads their perfect love into tragedy with these conflicts. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet, Friar Lawrence, and Tybalt all contribute to conflicts that enhance the plot. From destructive flaws in their characterizations, Juliet, Friar Lawrence, and Tybalt are all consequently controlled by their weakness, therefore affecting the outcome of the play.
Romeo is the only son of Lord Montague, the head of a reputed and rich
What makes a piece of literature relevant or irrelevant to a society? There have been many debates on the relevance about particular pieces of literature, especially old literature, in the modern day. Their relevance can be judged by how they address issues happening in society when they were written compared to those same issues today. It can also be judged on whether the themes present can apply to the modern day. And even if a story portrays issues that are either resolved or irrelevant today it can still have value on how it portrays human nature The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a relevant work for a person in modern times due to its themes on suicide, human recklessness, and violence and revenge.
The human voyage into life is basically feeble, vulnerable, uncontrollable. Since the crew on a dangerous sea without hope are depicted as "the babes of the sea", it can be inferred that we are likely to be ignorant strangers in the universe. In addition to the danger we face, we have to also overcome the new challenges of the waves in the daily life. These waves are "most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall", requiring "a new leap, and a leap." Therefore, the incessant troubles arising from human conditions often bring about unpredictable crises as "shipwrecks are apropos of nothing." The tiny "open boat", which characters desperately cling to, signifies the weak, helpless, and vulnerable conditions of human life since it is deprived of other protection due to the shipwreck. The "open boat" also accentuates the "open suggestion of hopelessness" amid the wild waves of life. The crew of the boat perceive their precarious fate as "preposterous" and "absurd" so much so that they can feel the "tragic" aspect and "coldness of the water." At this point, the question of why they are forced to be "dragged away" and to "nibble the sacred cheese of life" raises a meaningful issue over life itself. This pessimistic view of life reflects the helpless human condition as well as the limitation of human life.
Accidentally, incidentally, unintentionally, intentionally; no one ever really knows, but we are for certain one thing: “the heart isits own fate.” For Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two star-crossed lovers in Shakespeare’s masterpiece play ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ this holds especially true. Romeo and Juliet’s “misadventure piteous overthrow” is fueled by their love for each other and their determination to be together, no matter what. Romeo and Juliet’s love with stands the hate surrounding them. Thus, fate is undoubtedly the most responsible influence for the two young lovers’ heartbreaking tragedy.
Scene 1 Act 1:Scene one opens with a fight on the streets of Verona between servants from the Montague and Capulet households. While attempting to stop the fight, Benvolio is drawn in by Tybalt. The heads of both houses (Montague and Capulet) arrive on the scene. Prince Escalus arrives and stops the fight, forbidding any further brawls.
Literary Analysis of Romeo and Juliet “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet). ” This quote from Act II explains how Juliet feels about marrying someone for their status instead of who they really are.
of Tybalt's death. He felt that he fell into one of fate's many cruel games