Secrecy in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

744 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How to interpret romeo and juliet

Long before the women’s rights revolutions of the early 1900s, the women of Verona, Italy were restricted by intensive social bounds. Expected to be polite and submissive, girls were married off as young as thirteen, and bore children shortly after. In Juliet’s soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 2 of the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Juliet is awaiting her first night with Romeo as his wife. Her parents are unaware of this endeavor, because Juliet has hidden it out of fear of their disapproval. While Juliet followed social law in the earlier acts by showing modesty and tentativeness when meeting Romeo a mere day earlier, she now breaks free but is buried in misconceptions. The personification and symbolism of night, in addition to the words describing it in Juliet’s soliloquy suggest alternate views on women's rights.
Juliet’s personification of night identifying the secrecy of darkness as a positive quality is also Juliet defending her own secrecy. Literally, darkness makes Romeo and Juliet’s love possible by masking it from their parents. Juliet asks in the beginning of the soliloquy, “spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, / That runaways’ eyes may wink” (3.2.4-5). The night’s darkness hides Romeo and Juliet’s love much as a curtain blocks the view of a room from curious onlookers. If anyone were to see, Juliet’s reputation would have suffered greatly, as well as her relationship with Romeo. Later on, Juliet asks the night, “Hood my unmanned blood; bating in my cheeks,” (3.2.13) Not only is Juliet thankful that night will allow her to meet Romeo in secret, she is also thankful that the night conceals her affection for him. Women in Verona were expected to be polite and moderate, yet Juliet’s affection fo...

... middle of paper ...

...mage of religious and sexual purity for Romeo’s love.
As Juliet welcomes the darkness of night, she is accepting the religious and social consequences of her actions. This is Shakespeare commenting on how the social norms imposed on the women of Verona were trivial and harmful. Truthfully, Juliet was probably never informed about what a healthy relationship was because love and sex were not something to be talked of, and that lead to her untimely death. Many of these restrictions remain today, despite women being allowed to vote, work, and hold positions of political power. Sex is not something girls are frequently informed of by their parents, only in health class. The media defines love as sacrificing one’s self, even one’s life, for the well being of someone else. In reality, no true love will ask one to sacrifice part of one’s self, only to care unconditionally.

Show More
Related

  • Juliet's Emotional Currency in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    In an attempt to push away from medieval love conventions and her father's authority, Shakespeare's Juliet asserts sovereignty over her sexuality. She removes it from her father's domain and uses it to capture Romeo's love. Critic Mary Bly argues that sexual puns color Juliet's language. These innuendoes were common in Renaissance literature and would have been recognized by an Elizabethan audience. Arguably, Juliet uses sexual terms when speaking to Romeo in order to make him aware of her sexuality. When he comes to her balcony, she asks him, "What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?" (2.1.167). Bly asserts that "satisfaction in her hands, becomes a demure play on the sating of desire" (108). Following this pun, Juliet proposes marriage. She teases Romeo with sexual thoughts and then stipulates that marriage must precede the consummation of their love. Juliet uses "death" in a similar sense. She asks night to "Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die / Take him and cut him out in little stars" (3.2.21-22). Death holds a double meaning in these lines. It connotes both "ceasing to be and erotic ecstasy" (Bly 98). Based upon this double meaning, one can infer that "she sweetly asks 'civil night' to teach her how to lose the game of love she is about to play for her virginity" (Wells 921). She tells her nurse, "I'll to my wedding bed, / And death, not Romeo, take my maidenhead!" (3.2.136-137). Placing death opposite Romeo highlights the irony of the situation; both death and Romeo should claim her maidenhead together. These sexual puns reveal Juliet's awareness of her sexuality. She entices Romeo, forcing her sexuality to act as emotional currency.

    Read More

  • Reverse Gender Roles In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

    397 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Juliet's Feelings in Act 3 Scene 2 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    Also the night will shield them from anyone seeing when they make love to each other. From this we can tell that darkness is one of the main themes in the story as it revolves around tragedy and misfortune because many characters die. Juliet shows us that she wants the darkness to come when she says: 'And bring in cloudy night immediately. Spread thy close curtain, love performing night' Not only does this quote indicate to us that Juliet wishes for the night to come however, it tells us that she wishes to make love to Romeo: 'So tedious is this day' Also this quote tells us that she cannot wait for the day to be over.

    Read More

  • Dishonesty in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    An act of dishonesty carried out by haste can result in very unlikely consequences to an individual’s life. Firstly, the dishonesty of Friar Lawrence in choosing to marry Romeo and Juliet without the knowledge or permission of their parents, results in undesirable after effects. Secondly, the sudden cessation of support from Juliet’s Nurse, to continue the relationship of Romeo and Juliet causes harm to Juliet’s feelings as a young lover and contributes to their fatality. Finally, Romeo’s haste to marry Juliet to prove his intentions, accounts for a future filled with even more hasty decisions. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the dishonesty of Friar Lawrence and Nurse and the haste of Romeo and Juliet, results in the deaths of the young lovers.

    Read More

  • Examining the Characters and their Weaknesses in Romeo and Juliet

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    Juliet’s weakness to be controlled by love leads her to make unadvised and irresponsible decisions that contribute to her choice of ending her life. Characterized as a young and rash teenager, with no interest in love and marriage at first, Juliet wants to be independent. However, after she first lays eyes on Romeo, Juliet’s perception of love is quick to change. Their strong love easily manipulates and clouds her judgment. Even if she is cautious and realizes their love is too fast, the rush of feelings from having a first love overcomes her. Her soft-spoken words symbolically foreshadow the journey of Romeo and Juliet’s love. “Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee, / I have no joy of this contract tonight. / It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;…/ This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, / May prove to be a beauteous flower when next we meet” (2.2. 117-123). The blooming flower is indicative of their growing love, especially Juliet. Being her first experience of true love, her actions become more rash the deeper she falls in, even ...

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Deception

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone at some point in their lives lies even when they know that they should be telling the truth. Deception is a key element in William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet are both deceptive to their parents when they do not tell them about their marriage. They then continue to lie, Juliet telling her parents she would marry Paris when she secretly arranged to fake her death and Romeo deceiving Friar Laurence by going back to Verona. All of the deceiving in the play leads to conflicts, which eventually ends in death of both Romeo and Juliet. By showing how Romeo and Juliet being deceptive to their parents and role models led to pain and conflict, Shakespeare shows that you should always be honest if you want to maintain

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Individual Vs Society Essay

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a final point, Shakespeare stresses how support of individuality is favored in Romeo and Juliet provoking ambiguous meetings, despair of morning, and sneaking around tombs, which reinforce the notions that isolation is necessary to be free and night provides safety and isolation. Romeo and Juliet talk about giving up society’s labels placed on them, use birds to express love, and fight for each other’s freedom and individuality. In the end, Romeo and Juliet make a lasting impact on the patriarchal society they are forced to live in while still staying strong individuals and

    Read More

  • True Love In Romeo And Juliet

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Shakespeare introduces Romeo and Juliet as a couple, he shows the immediate, yet haste, intimacy between them. Romeo kisses Juliet, not once, but twice upon meeting while he says, “Then move not while my prayer's effect I take (He kisses her)...Give me sin again (He kisses her)” (1. 5. 105-110). Upon meeting each other Romeo and Juliet proceed to lock lips twice, without even knowing each other. Romeo finds Juliet to be one of the most beautiful maidens that he has ever encountered and he feels like he has reached love at it’s capacity, but it is only lust. Romeo described Juliet’s beauty as he says, “Juliet is the sun. Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief. That thou, her maid more fair than she.” (2. 2. 4-7) Romeo repetitively comments on Juliet’s looks, but never does he expand on what her personality is like, demonstrating the clear difference of his lust for Juliet, as opposed to true love. Romeo and Juliet don’t love each other, they love lust; they find each other so magnificent that they can’t bear not being

    Read More

  • Society is Responsible for the Death of Romeo and Juliet

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine yourself, dear reader, transported to Shakespearian Verona, a bustling, peaceful city (aside from the occasional death or two), with its obligatory social classes going about agreeably (aside from the occasional brawl or two), and all people happy and successful (aside from the occasional poor wretch or two). The Verona in which Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet takes place in is made sinister by the deadly consequences than ensue from its strict, unbending society. Romeo and Juliet paints a tale about two young lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, whose attempts to be together are cruelly thwarted by society. Society’s fixation on honor and disgrace, poverty-creating laws, and austere social roles all have crucial functions in causing the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Forgiveness Analysis

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love is a wonderful curse that forces us to do unexplainable things. Romeo and Juliet is a famous play written by William Shakespeare, who does an exceptional job in showing the readers what hate, mercy, death, courage, and most importantly what love looks like. This play is about two star-crossed lovers who are both willing to sacrifice their lives just to be with one another. Unfortunately tragedy falls upon the unconditional love Romeo and Juliet have for each other, but along the way they experience immeasurable forgiveness and extraordinary braveness just to be with one another. Sadly enough, love is a cause of violence in the end. Even though the pair spends less time together, it is enough for them to fall in love. It is clearly true

    Read More

  • Infatuation In Romeo And Juliet Essay

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before meeting Juliet, Romeo thought he was deeply in love with Rosaline. Romeo says, “When the devout religion of mine eye, Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fire; And these who, often drowned, could never die, Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars. One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun Ne 'er saw her match since first the world begun.”(Act 1, Scene 2) Here, Romeo rambles on about how there never was a girl so perfect as Rosaline. However, no more than two acts later into the play, Romeo is singing praises into the ears of Juliet, attempting to bed her the night they met. Ann Lander’s poem, “Love or Infatuation?” states, “Love is not based on sex. It is the maturation of friendship that makes sex so much sweeter. You must be friends before you can be lovers.” Romeo and Juliet knew nothing of each other before that fateful night, and in fact were enemies because of their family 's schism. Their relationship is solely driven off off sex, as Romeo stated, “Wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” (Act 2, Scene 2) To be able to have intercourse, Romeo and Juliet rushed to be wed under the secrecy of Friar Lawrence. “The Differences” says, “Infatuation says, "We must get married right away. I can 't risk losing him." Love says, "Be patient. Don 't panic. Plan your future with confidence." Romeo and Juliet did not plan their relationship at all, instead they rushed through it, throwing caution into the wind. If given time and different circumstances between their families, Romeo and Juliet would have had to keep their relationship secret. Alas, they were unable to do so, therefore Romeo and Juliet are not in love, but instead have an intense sexual desire between

    Read More

  • The Use of Language to Convey Strong Emotion in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    436 Words  | 1 Pages

    Shakespeare emphasizes the optimism of the scene by using language that creates positive connotations of the dark - to contrast the depressive connotations of act one, scene two. Romeo is grateful for 'night's cloak' which allows him to visit Juliet in secret without being captured and killed by the guards. This notion is developed later in the play - Romeo and Juliet meet primarily in the night-time whilst the main acts of violence occur during the day. this manipulation of stereotypical imagery, combined with the sense of contrasting and conflicting emotions.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women were supposed to play had an influence on the fate of their lives.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet: Gender Roles In The Elizabethan Era

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Elizabethan era gender roles were much different than they are today. Women were regarded as the weaker sex, and men were always dominant. These “rules” are shown prominently throughout Romeo and Juliet, and paved way for obstacles they went through in their relationship. The gender conventions for women and men were prodigiously stereotypical and unreasonable, as they made men out to be the superior gender. Women should not have been perceived as inferior to men, and these unwritten rules for masculinity and femininity were shown throughout the play. Romeo acted very feminine which contradicted his gender conventions while Juliet did not abide by rules and disobeyed her parents. Romeo and Juliet had many ways in which they followed and

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Great Gatsby And Romeo And Juliet

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    A young girl, like Juliet can be mesmerized by the idea of love and have the thought in her head that love is all that matters. The intensity of love in both of these texts becomes a dangerous and violent thing. Juliet goes through physical pain stabbing herself so she could be with Romeo after his death. Juliet looks at death as a positive thing because it allows her to be with Romeo again. Before she kills herself she says, “O, happy dagger, this is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die” (Shakespeare V.iii.174-175). In most romantic tales, violence is the last thing you would think of when it comes to love, but it would be different in this play. In both of these texts we see love destroy people mentally and physically; instead of bring happiness to their lives. When Juliet notices that Romeo drank poison and had killed himself, she was not only upset about his death but also seemed more upset that he “left no friendly drop to help me after! I will kiss thy lips. Haply some poison yet doth hang on them” (Shakespeare V.iii.168-170). This bond that seems to be unbreakable between them causes more harm than it would have if they were not together like society would want them to be. During this time period in the 16th century, the parents usually arranged marriages, so this goes completely against societal

    Read More

More about Secrecy in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Open Document