William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
4.1. Solution of the dichotomy
4.1.1. Double suicide
At the end of act IV, after Romeo and Juliet have taken their farewell
and Juliet's (second) marriage has been appointed, the situation seems
hopeless. Act III concludes with a soliloquy by Juliet, in which she
mentions the possibility of suicide.
I'll to the Friar to know his remedy.
If all else fail, myself have power to die.
There are lots of other passages which point to Romeo and Juliet's
final death. In the Prologue the Chorus already announces "their
death" and "their death-marked love". The Friar also anticipates the
cruel end of their love when he warns "these violent things have
violent ends".
Shortly before Romeo and Juliet are married Romeo says
But come what sorrow can,
It cannot countervail the exchange of joy
That one short minute gives me in her sight
Basically, he has reached what he has described as his utmost
fulfilment. "It is enough I may but call her mine".
In chapter 3, I explained that the love of Romeo and Juliet appears as
an attempt. But are we to evaluate their love as a success, as a
successful attempt? Or are does their death show that their love was a
failure?
Though the circumstances which led to the death at the end of act V
were coincidence to a large extent, both their deaths are suicide,
committed through their own decision. They both prefer death to a
living without each other.
Romeo hears about the false message o Juliet's death in V. i. His
reaction is immediate and resolute: "Then I defy you, stars!". His man
Balthasar unwittingly has the correct suggestio...
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...meo and Juliet to death. "The point of the play [...] is not how
such a love can arise out of hatred and then triumph over it in death,
but that it does". Therefore, though Romeo and Juliet are responsible
for their deeds, their love is not a question of guilt. "Nowhere in
this play is it suggested that damnation lies in wait for the lovers.
The audience is likely to feel that Romeo and Juliet had dared greatly
The plot shows that Fortune and Death are powers who take place in the
individual deeds of Romeo and Juliet. As love is the motif for their
important decisions in the play, the power of love also belongs to
these forces, it is even the central power.
From the real world's point of view their love failed, but as Romeo
and Juliet at least try to defy their fortune, it was a great success
for the power of love.
Love is considered a wonderful connection between two people that brings happiness to many. Although without hate no one would realize how marvelous love truly is. Does this mean hate is more powerful than love throughout the world? Hate overpowers love because there may be so much love in this world, but with the tiniest bit of hate everything could be changed in a split second. Hate is an indestructible power that will demolish anything in its way, like it did in The Coffin Quilt, by Ann Rinaldi. Roseanna McCoy and Johnse Hatfield’s love was simply not powerful enough to defeat the hate that came along with the love.
Although they are the basis of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, these main characters are dull, undynamic, and do not specifically appeal to certain readers. Nurse could be considered as a more interesting character because she brings her wit, drama and insight into the plotline.
In all of the best works of literature, each of a writer's characters has a purpose whether the role is small or big. Even if it goes unnoticed, the small characters usually play a key role to the story's plot development. These minor characters also add depth to the story's world and also help in the development of the major characters' personality. In William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the minor characters of Friar Lawrence, the Nurse, and Tybalt are in many ways the most pivotal characters to the play's development.
wither in their pride/ Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.” From
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet At the beginning of the play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is portrayed as
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet In act 1 scene 5 Capulet has thrown a party at his house. Romeo and
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would
two families. It was unjust of him to send Romeo away from Verona as a
His love for Rosaline is great but yet she can not say the same and
In the play, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare reveals an underlying message that points to the contrasts between youth and age that are even apparent now today. The youth of society tend to question and then possibly disregard the rules that are important to their parents if they do not have good reason to believe in these rules. The rebellious actions of youth can eventually cause their own untimely destruction. We see today in the headlines many instances where teens have followed their own unguided course bringing about tragic results. Shakespeare shows us in his play how these factors contributed to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
In this essay I shall be writing about why I agree that with the play,
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet I have been studying Romeo and Juliet in class and I have watched a production on television. Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet for an audience used to sixteenth century stage conventions, we must appreciate that these conventions are very different from our own. The Elizabethan theatre was very distinctive, when a play was performed thousands of people would pack inside the theatre, the rich would be able to pay for seats in the stand sheltered from the wind and rain, while the poor had to stand and brave the elements as the theatre had no roof.
his way to speak to him but even though he saw him he turned and
English Coursework: Shakespeare Knowledge of the play Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet was based on a poem about an Italian couple. Shakespeare based "Romeo and Juliet" on a long, boring poem by Arthur Brooke called "The Tragical Historie of Romeus and Juliet." But Brooke's poem was based on a French story by Pierre Boaistrau, and this story was taken from Italian writer Matteo Bandellom, whose story is supposedly a true account from the 11th century. And this chain goes back all the way to a Greek story from around the year 400 A.D. Introduction ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was set in Verona, Italy. I believe that Shakespeare set this play in Verona because the play was originally based on a poem of an Italian couple ‘Romeus and Juliet’.
The famous saying that from a true love to a great hatred is only a