In Act 3 Scene 1, Romeo experiences a range of losses-one of which is the death of his best friend Mercutio, at the hand of his rival Tybalt. In contrast to the aggressive tendencies of Romeo’s bloodline, his initial reaction was that of a man who is ashamed and feeling a loss of masculinity. Blaming his new found love for making him “effeminate” suggests to the audience that the guilt (which is obvious through the feeble attempt he makes at excusing his actions) is also making him question his virility. The fact that “effeminate” is said in a demeaning manner exhibits the sexism which is too a common theme throughout. In contrast to this original action, Romeo quickly turns vengeful- perhaps in an attempt to restore the masculinity he felt he lacked- letting “fire eyed fury” be his “conduct.” The alliterative phrase “fire eyed fury” can be interpreted by the audience as a vicious rage, “fire eyed” suggesting that when commencing upon this range Romeo wasn’t acting like his true self.
Romeo develops the theme of gender roles by being an example of society’s view of a male during this time period, Romeo also shows that he is aware of his masculinity when he states that by being around his lover,Juliet, he has become “womanly” and non-masculine, “This gentleman, the Prince 's near ally,My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt In my behalf. My reputation stain 'd With Tybalt 's slander—Tybalt, that an hour Hath been my cousin! O sweet Juliet,Thy beauty hath made me effeminate. And in my temper softened valor 's steel!”(3.1.114-120). In Verona, in Romeo and Juliet, the world of men and the measure of a man was determined by violence, sexual domination, and also conquest, Romeo displayed these characteristics with his first motive to go to the Capulet’s Ball, he went after Rosaline, Juliet’s cousin, whom he was trying to seduce, and this shows that Romeo saw Juliet by accident because he was only at the ball due to his determination to sexually dominate Rosaline and make her his. Romeo has given countless examples of the claim of masculinity through violence, but one example comes from when Romeo kills Tybalt, who had previously killed Romeo 's best friend Mercutio, and restates his masculinity as well as getting revenge on the behalf of his slain friend, “ Alive in triumph, and Mercutio slain!Away to heaven, respective lenity,And fire-eyed fury be my conduct
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.
In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, a quintessential pair of teens fall in love, but their fate ends in misfortune. The pair falls in love in a time where women are seen as unimportant and insignificant. In spite of this, Romeo breaks the boundaries of male dominance and shows a more feminine side. Throughout the play, there is an interesting depiction of gender roles that is contrary to the society of the time period.
Shakespeare’s compelling drama The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, known as the ultimate portrayal of love, contradicts the Christian definition of love in St. Paul’s 1 Corinthians 13. In one instance, the Bible verse states that “love is kind and patient” (1 Cor. 13:4) in contrast to Shakespeare’s drama in which Romeo and Juliet fall in love in four days. In addition, St. Paul conveys that “love isn’t selfish or quick tempered” (1 Cor. 13:5) whereas Juliet pleads to “make the bridal bed / In that dim monument where Tybalt lies” (3.5.212-213), using suicide as a selfish resolution to her love dilemma. Furthermore, according to the Bible, “Love rejoices in the truth, but not the evil” (1 Cor. 13:6), however Lady Capulet emphasizes that Benvolio
When studying a play like Romeo and Juliet, it is easy to assume that it factually portrays the era in which it was made. A plethora of characters in the play such as Capulet, do in fact represent people of this era. However, when researching deeper into the context of the Elizabethan times, Romeo and Juliet, to little/no extent represents Juliet as an ordinary girl living in this period. Shakespeare has crafted Juliet through characterisation (speech and action) as a character that culturally and socially defies Gender roles, marries younger than the social normality and is not looked down upon after taking her life. These all rebel against how young women were seen and represented in the Elizabethan times.
Men in Romeo and Juliet want to be the strongest out of everyone. They think they are becoming stronger because of their attempt to be men. This is called masculinity. According to Appelbaum, masculinity says to reach a certain goal which one has set(Appelbaum, 251). In Romeo and Juliet, masculinity is largely prominent. As Romeo is about to commit suicide, Friar Laurence scolds him, saying “Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art. Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denote the unreasonable fury of a beast. Unseemly woman in a seeming man”(Shakespeare, 3.2.18). In essence, Friar Laurence is asking Romeo if he is a man, and saying he is acting like a woman in the form of a man. Friar Laurence is scolding Romeo for not acting like a man, or following masculinity. The men in Romeo and Juliet are trying to get to a goal, but sometimes it is impos...
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.
What does it mean to be masculine, and is there an actual definition of masculinity? Depending on the time period, the answer changes to both of these questions. The denotation of masculinity is having traits traditionally attributed to men. But what are these traits? In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows many kinds of men that vary on the spectrum of masculinity. Due to societal pressure, men craved to be the perfect balance of both chivalrous as well as courageous and strong. Being considered ‘effeminate’ was diminishing to one’s sense of self-image. Shakespeare makes it so no man in Romeo and Juliet displays ‘perfect’ qualities. Although Shakespeare shows varying extremes of flawed man, represented by Romeo and Tybalt,
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.
The beginning of Act one opens with a brawl in the street between the servants of the Capulets and the Montagues. The origin of the fight introduces the important theme of masculine honor. Sampson, one of Capulets servants, shows this masculinity by saying, “Draw, if you be men.” (I.i.64). Later on in the play in Act II, scene i. the display of honor and masculinity comes up again during the fight between Mercutio and Tybault. As Mercutio lay slain Romeo says to him, “Courage, man. The hurt cannot be much.” (III.i.96). Even as his friend is dying the two men try and act masculine because they did not want to show their fears. But on the other side of this masculinity is love. For Elizabethan society believed that a man who loved too much lost his masculinity. Romeo clearly subscribes to that belief when he states that his love for Juliet made him “effeminate.”
The references to "fire" and "sea" are signs that these are lines of passion rather than love. Romeo sees himself as subjective to his situation, "Doth add more grief to too much of mine own." and is wallowing in his self-pity as well. Romeo is only forgiven these faults because he is young, naïve, and destined to die. Were he an older character audiences would not so easily forgive him. Mercutio's levelheadedness serves to provide a contrast to which Romeo can be endeared. Were both doting depressives, the play's roster would be off balance.
Who are you? There are many labels that describe each of us. What is your race? Gender? Sexuality? These questions of identity, so prominent in our society, are they what make you who you are? Racism. Sexism. Heterosexism. These acts of oppression in society become internalized. Shakespeare shows the effects of this internalized oppression, the foundation of the insecurities of many people, in Othello. These insecurities cause people to perceive themselves as worthless even when they are valued by others and see others as better when they are no different from them. In Othello, Othello and Desdemona reveal that suffering is caused by misconceptions due to insecurity.
The famous love story condemned by fate and feuding families has been an inspiration in the literary world for many decades. Known as Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, evokes such literary beauty, the presence of Verona, and strong values/beliefs. The world of men during this time in Verona was of great power, evoked masculinity and sexual domination. Women were known as objects, inferior, simply the caretakers. Romeo and Juliet challenge these ideas through the reversal of gender roles. Romeo defies the idea of masculinity and is rather portrayed with more feminine and submissive traits. Juliet is portrayed with dominance, strength and courage. Romeo and Juliet both exemplify the reversal of gender roles in this romantic tragedy by going against societal norms.
However, throughout Romeo and Juliet, Romeo possessed little to none of these traits. “Men in Renaissance society were expected to engage in public affairs in the way of soldiers, politicians, and other leaders; to be talkers, decision makers, and move events forward. Their lives were duty-bound to the state and were aggressive and self-satisfying.” (Leann Pettit 1). When Romeo is upset about having to be away from Juliet, he goes to friar Lawrence for help. When Friar Lawrence is talking to Romeo, he says that he is being preposterous and not acting like a man for sulking around and crying. Men were supposed to be valiant, and it was not very brave of Romeo to talk about attempting suicide as Friar Lawrence points out. Friar Lawrence says “Hold thy desperate hand! Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art.Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denote the unreasonable fury of a beast. Unseemly woman in a seeming man,Or ill-beseeming beast in seeming both!” (3.3.118-123). Friar Lawrence tells Romeo he is being very feminine, and that instead he should be brave and act how an Elizabethan man should. Another way in which Romeo breaks gender roles is when he blames Juliet for his lost manhood. Prior to meeting Juliet he has always been feminine, yet he blames it on the fact that because he was hanging out with Juliet all the time he became womanly. Romeo cries “O sweet Juliet. / Thy beauty
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.