Assignment 1

Romeo and Juliet

Contents:

Page 1 – Contents page
Page 2 – Essay: Romeo and Juliet
Page 4 – Bibliography

Essay: Romeo and Juliet

In this essay I will look at and analyse lines 1 to 30 spoken by Friar Lawrence in Act 2 Scene 3 of the play Romeo and Juliet and prove the importance of these lines towards the plot and how it acts as a premonition of the tragedy to come. I believe these lines prove to be of great importance as they lead the audience to the tragedy that is to come. These lines give the audience an idea of the events that may come to pass as the words spoken act as a premonition of the course of tragic events to come.

In lines one to four of this scene, Friar Lawrence begins by describing the beauty of the sunrise, which in turn contrasts with how Romeo and Juliet had viewed the sunrise in the preceding scene. The couple see the sunrise as a sign that their night together is over and that they must now say good bye, however the friar sees the sunrise optimistically, although we know that light is not always equated with good in the play, just as night is not always linked with evil, bad or other negative connotations. Therefore light could symbolise the dark tragedy that is looming ahead of them, as opposed to something good. The friar’s optimistic view of the sunrise as something good and positive is indicative of his naivety, which proves to be of great importance in the course of the play. These four opening lines of the scene direct the audience or reader into understanding that the friar’s naivety will be the downfall in the play, as his plans and actions will not go according to how he plans and will lead him to become an “unknowing servant of fate” (SparkNotes, 2007). Within the friar’s metaphor in line 4, he states that the sunrise in the sky looks like a pathway made by Titan’s chariot wheels. As Titan is the Greek sun god,