Should people be allowed to break the set laws of society for their own desires? In the famous play “Romeo and Juliet” these laws have affected the main character Juliet in many ways. In this play these laws not only prevent her from having true happiness with Romeo, but they also force Juliet into a marriage that she does not even want. They even force her to have a fake her own death to be with her one true love; however, Juliet breaks these set laws though to have true happiness with the one she loves. Although Juliet goes against society, she does it in order to be happy with Romeo, avoid being wed to Paris, and not having to listen to her family.
The First way that Juliet goes against society is by dating, and falling in love with Romeo. The first example can be seen by how Romeo and Juliet should hate each other are supposed to due to their own families. Acknowledgement for this can be seen when the play starts and the chorus says, “Two households, both alike in dignity. / In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, / From an ancient grudge break to new mutiny. / Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. / From forth the fatal loins of these two foes / a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; / Whose misadventures piteous overthrows / Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife.” (I.i.1-8). This clearly shows that the parents of the two lovers families have a quarrel over transgressions that each have committed towards one another. This proves the point that by dating Romeo; that Juliet has gone against society by dating her “enemy” to a. The next way that Juliet disobeys society is by meeting with Romeo in secret. This can be seen while Romeo is trespassing and Juliet says, “ Ay me! / she speacks. O, speak again...
... middle of paper ...
...er I did yet behold! O day, O day, O day! O hateful day! / Never was seen so black as this. / O woeful day! O woeful day!” (iv.v.49-54). In her not choosing to marry Paris and faking death she would be doing something that is socially unacceptable at the time; therefore, she would not be abiding to the social laws of her day. Overall though Juliet has truly stood up to most of society’s rules; this is due to her mostly wanting to be her own person and have happiness.
Overall In the play “Romeo and Juliet” Juliet is forced to break the rules set forth by society; however, she only does this in order to gain true happiness. The ways that she breaks the rules range from disobeying her parents to having to fake her own death, but she does all of this for one cause. That cause is simply to live a life that she wanted, and to be with the one person that she truly loved.
In conclusion, in the play Romeo and Juliet both Romeo and Juliet make decisions that, because of their adolescents are quick and are not thought through which really affects their lives and those of the people close to them. In this day and age you see people who are making bad decisions, for example the use of drugs and underage drinking. The decision to do these things is most of the time done by people who are adolescents. These people dont think about the real consequences that it could have later in their live or event the damage that it does to their bodies right now. These people do it without
The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet could have never happened if not for the ideals and emotions portrayed by the characters in the play. Selfishness is a problem that the characters in “Romeo and Juliet” deal with on a daily basis. These same characters also have an excess of anger towards each other and themselves. In the society that this play is based in, honour causes many problems as people fight to protect their honour. In “Romeo and Juliet” some of the most destructive elements are selfishness, anger and honour.
When Juliet goes to the friar and threatens to kill herself if he doesn’t help her get out of marrying Paris he agrees to help her. He gives her a potion to temporarily stop her breathing so she appears dead. The friar says, “Take thou this /vial, being then in bed,/And this distilling liquor drink thou off;/When presently through/all thy veins shall run/A cold and drowsy humor; for no pulse/Shall keep his native progress, but surcease.” (Act IV.i 95-99) “In the meantime, against thou shalt awake,/Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,” (Act IV.i 115-116) He is saying that Juliet doesn’t have to worry about Romeo freaking out about her death because he will tell Romeo about her fake death and they will be there to dig her up once she wakes up from her sleeping potion. Juliet is 100% on board with this plan because she really does not want to marry Paris. She is even willing to make her family think she is dead to be with
One of the standards was that Juliet get married young. At the time, Juliet was in her early to mid teens, which is not really a good time to get married, because you still haven’t experienced life enough to know what qualities are good in a partner. Granted, he dad was going to marry her, but still on qualities he thought was good. Anyway, the marriage probably would not have been good. Also society thought that she should marry someone her dad chose for her, as shown by this quote, said by Lord Capulet, “She shall be married to this noble earl,” (3.5.24) This “noble earl” was Paris. If she had not had to marry Paris, I think that everyone would’ve gotten along a lot easier. Society also considered the Montagues and the Capulets to be enemies. So, they didn’t think that two children of opposing families should express love to each other, rather than
Most importantly, Romeo’s poor choices and decisions lead to the tragedy of the drama. From the beginning of the story Romeo reveals his immaturity and ill-equipped emotions. His first mistake reveals itself when he claims to be deeply depressed. Romeo claims that he feels like “sinking ‘under love’s heavy burden’,” (Dupler). At this point Romeo has succumbed to his emotions, due to the fact that a girl named Rosaline refuses to reciprocate his love for her. Romeo’s friends Benvolio and Mercutio “urge him to stop philosophizing about his lost love and to seek another young lady as a new object of his affections” (Dupler).Romeo now demonstrates that he seems incapable of listening to his friends’ suggestions and chooses to continue in a juvenile state of depression. Romeo makes another fatal decision when he nurtures an undeniably damned relationship. Romeo admits that he still loves Juliet once her lineage appears as Capulet when he says, “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foes debt” (1.5.115). Romeo irresponsibly supports the idea of a relationship between himself and Juliet only because “The young hero is simply shifting his attention to a more receptive subject as he responds to the erotic spurring implicit in his name” (...
While Juliet is not as overzealous with love as Romeo is, his effect on her expresses a different side about herself even she did not know. Romeo’s influence on her takes a completely different direction in which she was raised. ‘O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore are thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name.’/ ‘or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet’ – (Act 2, Scene 2 L. 33-36). Juliet grows up in a very patriarchal society and that means the father is the head of the house. What he says, go. When Capulet, Juliet’s father, hears of her refusing to marry Paris he retorts ‘How, will she none? Doth she not give us thanks?’/ ‘Is she not proud? Doth she not count her blessed,’/ ‘Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought’/ ‘So worthy a gentleman to be her bride?’ – (Act 3, Scene 5 L.142-145).
Romeo acts irresponsibly throughout the play refusing to accept responsibly for his own actions. This is highlighted by his reckless behaviour towards Tybalt in the street brawl and at the party which he irresponsibly attends. Romeo also persuades Juliet out of her morals and beliefs throughout the play, especially in the balcony scene where Juliet shows apprehensions but Romeo acts persuasively towards her making her forget her doubts, highlighting Romeo’s controlling and doctorial behaviour. Romeo is seemingly responsible because his actions are self centred throughout, instead of talking to Rosaline about why she has rejected him he falls in love again immediately at the party for Juliet, highlighting his selfishness and inability to have compassion for others. Romeo lacks self control because he gets hot tempered easily, especially in the street brawl were he knows he will get banished if he hurts Tybalt , but being the self centred person he refuses to care for his actions killing Tybalt. This has a chain reaction effect on Juliet because her parents wish to make her happy after the loss of Romeo and encourage her to marry Paris, but Juliet has to refuse because she is already married to Paris, upsetting her
Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare, where a boy and a girl fall in love with each other during a party hosted by Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet. The two teenager decide to get marry, despite their family's hate for each other and only meeting each other a few hours ago. However, the Montagues (Romeo’s Parents) and the Capulets end their feud after they discover that their children killed themselves. Romeo and Juliet’s death was caused by Juliet’s parents, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence.
Juliet as a Disobedient Wretch in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The quote that Lord Capulet said to Juliet, calling her a "disobedient" wretch" in Act III Scene 5. He enters the play delighted because he has good news that Juliet is going to marry Paris. Juliet refuses this and as soon as Juliet tells Lord Capulet this, he is furious.
The societal roles and expectations forced upon Juliet regarding her identity impact her actions and decisions. Juliet’s expected contributions to society are based on her gender, her age, and her family name.
In the short span of less than a week, Romeo has gone from being lovesick over a girl named Rosaline to falling deeply in love with Juliet, who also loved him back. They got married, and not even a day after, Romeo was banished from Verona and Juliet's parents had made wedding plans for Juliet to marry the county Paris. It would be quite accurate to state that the story of Romeo and Juliet's lives were a warning of the hastiness of youth and adults and where rushed decisions could lead, as the two star-crossed lovers eventually both took their own lives; resulting in grief in both households, and a future warning to all to think decisions through, as one wrong choice could cause harm, bloodshed, and even the end of lives.
Romeo and Juliet choose their own actions through their judgments, which were caused by their belief of everlasting love. Due to their unsound and absurd attitudes, both characters are dazed by love in a puerile manner. The relationship they created was actually built on lust and desperation. Firstly, Romeo is the first character whom shows immature love in the story as a whole. Once Capulet’s party is over, Romeo’s attitude leads him to jump over the wall to Juliet’s house and exclaim to her,” And what love can do, that dares love attempt./Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me”(2.2.68-9). The effect of love caused Romeo to not pay attention to the consequences of jumping over the wall and talking to the daughter of his enemy. The flaw is that he is beginning to think that his love is as hard as nails. It is illogical for Romeo to think this...
...oked down upon by her parent for not wanting to marry a man twice her age at least. When Juliet’s parents ask her about Paris she is obedient and not allowed to speak her mind. Juliet quietly and obediently says what her mother wants like; Juliet is a slave or burden to her family. Clearly, Romeo and Juliet is an Aristotelian tragedy because it makes the reader feel pity and fear.
... Juliet bringing news for Juliet to “hie you hence to Frair Laurences’ cell; there stays a husband [Romeo] to make you a wife” (Act II.5.73-74), Juliet is ecstatic. This portrays Juliet as being disobedient because while she accepted Romeo’s proposal, her family has already arranged a marriage between Juliet and Paris. Juliet’s disobedience continues until her death in scene five when Romeo’s dagger finds “thy sheath” (Act V.3.170) in Juliet’s body.
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in the 16th century, at a time where the role of the woman was to be subservient to men and act as a wife to their husband and a mother to their children. Women were expected to conform to the expectations of society, and were seen as possessions by their fathers and husbands. Fathers arranged their daughters’ marriages, usually for financial or social gain for the family. In Romeo and Juliet, the unfair treatment of women is conveyed through characters such as Juliet, a young girl who is growing into the expectations of society, and Lady Capulet, who represents a traditional side of love and values social position rather than men themselves.