...Romeo and Juliet Essay A writer has more power when they create life like characters, when having them use juxtaposition, and paradox. When william Shakespeare creates the two main dueling genders in romeo and Juliet, he makes them more realistic with such power. He gives them life coming from paradox, oxymoron, paradox, and juxtaposition characterization. The power William Shakespeare puts to use, allows the audience to see the characters interact, and contrast. Speech like paradox, oxymoron, paradox, and juxtaposition express the characters even more, as they are constantly on this rise if life's next challenge. Helping hand Friar Laurence uses both juxtaposition, and paradox, saying their love to the terrible fall it might create. he...
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...ROMEO & JULIET Prologue (ACT 1) As a prologue to the play, the Chorus enters. In a fourteen-line sonnet, the Chorus describes two noble households (called “houses”) in the city of Verona. The houses hold an “ancient grudge” (Prologue.2) against each other that remains a source of violent and bloody conflict. The Chorus states that from these two houses, two “star-crossed” (Prologue.6) lovers will appear. These lovers will mend the quarrel between their families by dying. The story of these two lovers, and of the terrible strife between their families, will be the topic of this play. ANALYSIS This opening speech by the Chorus serves as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet. We are provided with information about where the play takes place, and given some background information about its principal characters. The obvious function of the Prologue as introduction to the Verona of Romeo and Juliet can obscure its deeper, more important function. The Prologue does not merely set the scene of Romeo and Juliet, it tells the audience exactly what is going to happen in the play. The Prologue refers to an ill-fated couple with its use of the word “star-crossed,” which means, literally, against the stars. Stars were thought to control people’s destinies. But the Prologue itself creates this sense of fate by providing the audience with the knowledge that Romeo and Juliet will die even before the play has begun. The audience therefore watches the play with the expectation that it must...
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...what Romeo and Juliet did. Romeo and Juliet are victims of their own actions because of their young age. Every action they take is too rash and too unexpected. In the beginning, Romeo chooses to go to a Capulet party even though he is not invited to attend the celebration. Next, he chooses to marry Juliet, even though he only knew her for six hours. Lastly, Romeo chooses to die to be with Juliet forever. To begin, Romeo chooses to attend the Capulet party, which he is not invited to attend. His friends talk him into attending since he is suffering from a broken heart. “ I’ll go along, no such...
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...issues in The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is that of choice. The main question is do the characters have the ability to choose what they want, or are their fates simply left to destiny? There are many pieces of evidence of fate in the play, which greatly affect the plot and characters. Fate is the dominating force that foreshadows the ironic destinies of that protagonist, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Fate is evident from the very beginning of the play. In the opening prologue it states that Romeo and Juliet “Are a pair of star-crossed lover/…Death marked/…[and] with their death bury their parents stifle”(6-9), which foreshadows their doom and ironically ends their parent’s feud. People say that when the stars are allied lovers meet and fall in love; however, with these two star crossed lovers their stars lined up and than crossed. Showing that the stars and universe are controlling the aspect of their life and are a metaphor for fate. The characters believe that their lives are controlled by destiny and luck, and Romeo is a prime example of this philosophy. When Romeo and his friends go to the Capulet’s ball, Romeo hesitates to go because he has had a bad dream: My mind misgives Some consequences, yet hanging in the sky Shall bitterly begin this fearful date With this night revels and expire the term Of a despised life closed, in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death (1, 4, 116-121). Romeo here states his fear...
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...In Shakespeare's Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, many characters led up to the death of Romeo and Juliet. The three main characters were Fate, Lady Capulet, and Juliet. Fate could have been blamed because Shakespeare wrote the the story so Romeo and Juliet could be a ideal love story. Lady Capulet led to the death because she had a very poor relationship with Juliet, she encourages Juliet to get married to Paris. Finally, Juliet led to her own death. As soon as she sees Romeo she falls in love with him, she says “so the heavens smile upon this act” (DBQ: Project, 2013) A II Siiiiii Juliet thinks that they are mean for each other even though their family has a feud. Fate played a part in the two lovers death because Shakespeare wrote the story so that people would strive to have a love like Romeo and Juliets. Shakespeare says “ a greater power than we can contradict” (DBQ: Project, 2013) A V S iii. Then quote says the love they had for each other was greater than we expected and nothing can separate them. When Romeo saw Juliet he immediately fell in love with her. due to the fact that one was a Montage and one was a Capulet it was hard for...
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...Though Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most stereotypical love story in the English language, it portrays with a specific kind of love: young, irrational, passionate love. In this play Shakespeare ultimately suggests that, that type of love that Romeo and Juliet feel leads lovers to act out in a selfish isolation from the world around them. The two lovers anticipate officializing their marriage, but it does not define their love. Instead, their young lust is one of the main reasons why their relationship grows so intense so fast. But through all of their love and intense lust their families were still in the dark about the two of them being together and still budding heads even turn they take. Love versus hate and the many forms love takes; its power to challenge hate; the assurance of young love; the irrationality of hate and its capacity to destroy. The tragedy in Romeo and Juliet is that the two lover struggle with the fact that their families have been in a century-long feud. Like different tragedies, which ends in fatality, this play end is the death of the "star-crossed lovers." Throughout the play it creates strong feelings, or moods. In Act Five, Scene Three of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses imagery, symbolism, and irony to create such a tragic mood....
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...role in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Change Slide: What is fate? Fate is the idea that the future is already planned even if people do not know what is going to happen to them. I’m going to talk about Romeo and Juliet, a play by William Shakespeare's, one of the greatest love stories of all time. This story has been known to be timeless even though it was written around 1595. This play is a story of forbidden love that is resolved in two tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet, who come from feuding families. Their ignorance of defy and falling in love is not accepted by their families. For the five short days they share love, many events take place. All of the events surround characters from both the Montague and Capulet families. The powers and affects of love and hate are also very evident between the two families throughout the play. In the end, Romeo and Juliet's love finds a tragic way to overcome the hate between their families. The story mainly revolves around Juliet while she grows up and falls in love, only to have fate keep her from complete happiness. Change Slide: Juliet is the beautiful, courageous young daughter of Capulet, a rich man in Verona. Shakespeare made her character a mere thirteen years old, but she acts very mature compared to her age. She appears to be practical, honest, and loyal to herself and her family. The play is about how she discovers and loses love. She appears to have thought very little about love and marriage, but she grows up...
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...Light Over Dark: The Choice Romeo and Juliet Didn’t Make The purpose of the light/dark motif in Romeo and Juliet is to show how Romeo and Juliet are unable to tell light from dark, or good from bad. I think everyone has the potential to distinguish what choices lead to “light” and what choices keep them in the “dark”. So Romeo and Juliet had that potential but I don’t think they wanted to know about that, since nothing else mattered to them but them. In this play, Romeo and Juliet do never make a clear choice of light over dark because they almost do not want to deal that decision in the middle of their romantic journey. They could have brought their situation which was becoming more of a mess each day, into the light by talking openly about it. However that would’ve ended the feud between the families that would have to be dealt with in some way and I’m sure Romeo and Juliet would not have lost their lives doing that. By ignoring their responsibilities and ignoring the darkness that was rising on them quickly both Romeo and Juliet allow tragedy to take them both. In the first scene, Romeo is depressed because his love for Rosaline is a one-way love. His parents are worried because Romeo spends all his time in the dark. Even when it is light, he shrouds himself in darkness to reflect his dreary mood: Away from the light steals home my heavy son / And private in his chamber pens himself / Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out / And makes himself an artificial night (I...
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...16 May 2014 The Utter Infatuation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Over time, writing has become exceedingly prominent, and throughout generations it has tremendously improved, leaving behind some of the best literature pieces in history. Since writing began, many great authors, playwrights, and poets have emerged, contributing to the literary society and producing countless works of literature, some that are still read today. A few notable composers that left behind numerous classics include Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, and William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time due to his many great plays and his vast contribution to the English language. Some of his works include Hamlet, Othello, and the infamous Romeo and Juliet. Wrote in 1597, the tragic comedy tells the story of young Romeo and Juliet, who find themselves “in love at first sight”. Unfortunately for them, their love story goes awry when they learn their parents are mortal conflict between their parents, which ultimately caused their demise. Woven throughout the plot, many examples become present that show that the star-crossed lovers are not in love. It becomes clear Romeo and Juliet are merely infatuated with each other. The ill-fated couple focus only on each other’s physical appearances and are severely impulsive throughout the tragic story. “The play then impresses upon us the intensity of youthful love, at once joyful and desperate, while at the same time...
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...Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is one such text that uses the play form to address the impact of emotions overruling people’s thoughts and decisions. Shakespeare, demonstrating how their love is destroyed by the irrational hatred created by society, explores the impetuous and romantic love of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare examines the complexity of love and the inevitability of fate through the ingenious use of literary and dramatic techniques. Love is a convoluted emotion that sparks intense feelings of passion. The understanding of the emotion, its causes and consequences is timelessly relevant. The obsessive nature of love is...
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...In the play Romeo and Juliet, there are several themes shown as well as forms of figurative language used to show them. When writing, Shakespeare uses figurative language in the form of metaphors, similes, personification, and imagery in order to advance the overall theme, the brutality of love. The brutality of love in this play is that a boy who may seem to be fully committed to one girl, can so easily turn to be in love with another when he is not given his way, as well as the fact that love may not always last forever when the fate of love is put in the hands of other people, and there are always outside forces urging the two of them to stay away from each other. All of this is seen occurring very early in Romeo and Juliet, and continues...
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...the characters of Romeo and Juliet in Act 1 The famous love story by William Shakespeare depicts the romance between two youngsters who ignorantly fall in love without realising the danger their affections contain. Romeo, the only son of Montague, unknowingly falls for the beautiful Juliet, who is the only daughter of Capulet, his father’s arch enemy. It is truly love at first sight. When we first meet Romeo, he is presented as a character that is insanely in love yet heartbroken and has been taken over by these feelings. However he does not seem himself as he says, “I have lost myself, I am not here, this is not Romeo, has some other where”. We can tell that this is not the real Romeo that we are seeing as he talks in the third person, therefore referring to himself as a whole other person. Shakespeare doesn’t allow Romeos true personality to appear as Romeo says that he is not himself at the moment. Also, this makes the audience wonder what kind of a person he truly is, because although he is depressed that Rosaline does not return his love, he is still saying how much he loves her. Romeo is also presented as confused through his mixture of feelings and the words that he uses. He uses many oxymorons’ such as, “oh heavy lightness, oh serious vanity...feather of lead.....” This shows that Romeo is extremely confused as the oxymoron show that he isn't thinking straight and maybe his feelings are perplexing him further. In a way, this presents Romeo as a hopeless case...
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...There are many themes in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet; the most important themes are love, death and grief. These themes are displayed in the play in a number of scenes and incidents. Romeo and Juliet is the most famous and oldest recorded love story in the English literary tradition. Love is naturally the play’s dominant and most important theme this play may be over 400 years old but, is still relevant today due to popular and common themes in modern times. Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is about two teenagers who fall in love at first sight, but is forbidden and unrequited because the two families (Capulet and Montague) are feuding. The lack of communication between the two in this play leads to both of the lovers taking their own lives so they can be eternally together. Love is unsurprisingly the play’s most overriding and most significant theme. The love that Shakespeare ultimately portrays in the play is a youthful lust that the kind of love that Romeo and Juliet display leads the star crossed lovers to enact a selfish isolation from their parent’s demands and expectations around them. Romeo and Juliet avoid their commitments to anyone else and choose to act selflessly only towards one another. Romeo and Juliet’s youthful lust is one of many reasons why their relationship grows so intense so quickly. Throughout the play, Shakespeare only describes Romeo and Juliet's love as a short-term burst of youthful passion. In most of his work, considering that no other relationships...
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...Literature Explore the Different Attitudes to Love Are Presented by the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied In: English and Literature Explore the Different Attitudes to Love Are Presented by the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied Explore the different attitudes to love are presented by the characters in Romeo and Juliet and the speakers in the sonnets you have studied. Love is presented through the use of characters, themes, linguistic, structural and contextual references. That pieces are ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare, ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare again, ‘Sonnet 43’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘Sonnet 130’ by Shakespeare and also ‘Sonnet 18’ again by Shakespeare. They were all written in the time that was considered the Elizabethan Era. A religious theme is set in both Romeo and Juliet and sonnet 43 to convey the attitudes to love. In Romeo and Juliet the theme of religion is used to express their love between each other and suggesting it is similar to religion can impose that it is a life-long commitment and will always be there even if they lose faith. At that time their attitude towards religion was very strong and it was their integral, which links to the love between Romeo and Juliet that now they have found it fully they will be part of each other’s’ lives for eternity. In Act 2, scene 2 Romeo states that Juliet’s eyes were “Two of the fairest...
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...Friar Lawrence’s plan for Juliet to escape from Verona and Paris to live with Romeo by faking her death. He gave her a potion that will make her appear dead for three days, long enough for her to avoid her wedding to Paris and be placed in her family tomb. It is there where she will awake to find Romeo waiting for her so they can live happily together in Mantua. I think Juliet trusts Friar Lawrence because of the fact that he agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet in secret. Because of this, Friar would be executed if he wed Juliet to Paris as he already marrying Juliet twice while Romeo is still alive. Juliet trusts him because if he doesn’t help her out of this situation he will be executed and his soul will be damned for doing such a thing. Juliet...
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