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...
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...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.