William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Within the play of Romeo and Juliet fate is very important and is
often mentioned. The events that lead up to the deaths of the couple
could either be seen as bad luck or a direct result of Romeo and
Juliet's own personalities and actions.
The prologue tells us the story in advance, allowing us to overview
the actions of the couple. We know from this prologue that Romeo and
Juliet are spoken of as 'star-crossed' and that fate is supposedly
against them. The prologue tells us that the deaths of the
'star-crossed lovers' is the only way to end their 'parents rage.' In
this essay I am going to discuss the references to fate within the
play and to what extent fate, Romeo and Juliet's own personalities and
actions and the actions and personalities of different people around
them are responsible for the lover's tragic end.
The first reference to fate is made even before the play really
begins, when the chorus tells us, 'from forth the fatal loins of these
two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life' This
implication suggesting that even before the play has begun it is fate
driven, the chorus also tells us that 'lovers take their life' here
Shakespeare is telling us the ending before the beginning.
Romeo himself refers to fate when he is about to enter the Capulet's
party, (act 1, scene 4) he says; 'I dreamt a dream tonight' here Romeo
uses premonition. He is almost telling the reader that something bad
may happen and predicting his own death. Later in the scene Romeo
expresses a sense of doom for he 'fears too early….some consequences
yet hanging in the stars' shall bitterly lead...
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...age,' Unlike girls at this time Juliet is not playing
'hard to get,' not only does she allow Romeo to kiss her but she
encourages him to do so again by complementing him 'you kiss by the
book,' again proving that she knows exactly what she wants.
If Juliet was not like this then the play may not have taken the same
course it did….
Within this essay I have explained and discussed the many references
to fate and talked about to what extent Romeo, Juliet and other
characters in the play may be held responsible for the couple's tragic
end. I believe that I wasn't one or the other that cause death of the
pair but the lethal combination of everybody's personalities, actions
and fate itself. In the play each character made individual choices
and actions, resulting in the awful love tragedy which is Romeo and
Juliet.
To show that the Nurse is not very well educated she does not speak in
Baz Luhrmann's Production of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Julie in Baz Luhrmann's production of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", our expectations are swept aside and a modern film appears. When I sit down to watch one of Shakespeare's plays, I expect to see medieval clothes in a rural setting with plenty of poor people. I also expect the words and acting to blend together harmoniously. Instead Baz Luhrmann chose to set the opening scene at a beachside, gas. station.
Surely if he did not have such a hate for the Montagues he would not have gone after Romeo after seeing him at the ball. If he had held back his sword instead of smiting Mercutio, Romeo would not have been angered to murder and in turn be banished. But also when Juliet?s parents heard that there daughter?
Juliet apart, there was not a clear individual who stood out, both characters gullible and in a since
Juliet act very serious. The reader can tell this by the way the two speak.
Juliet, his role and actions in the play have a large part to play in
Romeo & Juliet Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy, but it did not have to be. Many things could have been done to prevent their deaths. Many characters contributed to their deaths. The sole character that was responsible for their deaths is Friar Lawrence. Friar Lawrence is responsible for the deaths of the lovers because he was secretive with their relationship, he was unable communicate effectively, and he had a cowardly persona.
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet At the beginning of the play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is portrayed as
A tragic hero must be from a noble, royal or a rich family; they must
Juliet rejects all previous standards for women. She will not be confined to a relationship with Romeo that adheres to the courtly love tradition.
The story of Romeo and Juliet written by the all famous William Shakespeare is truly inspiring. Two star crossed lovers from families that hate each other change this feud around by dying to be with each other. Compared to the original play, Romeo and Juliet the movie by Baz Luhrman has a better representation of the story because the setting relates more to present day and the props and costumes grab the attention of the audience.
... and is ready to swear the vows of marriage with Romeo. Juliet’s reckless and hasty decisions demonstrate her impulsiveness. Juliet’s love for Romeo largely dictates her brash decisions and speech. If Romeo did not enter Juliet’s life, she would never have known the hurt and heartbreak she experiences throughout the tragedy.
The significance of Juliet’s change in character is to show her accelerated transformation from a young girl into a mature woman. In the beginning of the play Juliet is unable to make her own decisions. However after her meeting with Romeo, Juliet becomes more assertive and defends her love for Romeo. In conclusion, individuals cannot be forced to love; love is nurtured and nourished but also is always put to test.
Shakespeare was a very fine play writer, who examined human nature and exposed it through literature. One of his famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, depict many different themes such as, fate vs. freewill, duty vs. self, feuds, appearance vs. reality, parents choose who we marry, love at first sight and confidante. Appearance vs. reality is one of the themes that are portrayed through out the play. It means, things aren’t always what they seem to be. Something or someone might appear to be another thing, but the reality is different. Romeo and Juliet show appearance vs. reality through out the play because of their secret marriage. Examples of appearance vs. reality are when Juliet finds out about Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment. Juliet’s parents think that Juliet is crying about Tybalt’s death, but she is crying about Romeo’s banishment, when the couple (Romeo and Juliet) get married, but everybody thinks they are still single and when the nurse finds Juliet dead and the Capulet’s have an unnecessary funeral for Juliet even though she is not dead and had only swallowed Friar Lawrence’s potion, which put her into a long sleep.
Juliet also undergoes a change in character, far removing herself from the naïve fourteen year old of Act One, she becomes increasingly strong and practical (Spencer 67). At the beginning of the play Juliet talks of marriage as ‘an honour that I dream not of’ (1.3.67) but by Act Two Scene Two it is Juliet who brings about the subject of marriage, encouraging Romeo to arrange their wedding. Romeo may have insisted on declaring their love for each other but Juliet takes it a step further ‘thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow’ (2.2.144).