...The Crisis of Romeo and Juliet: Who is to Blame? Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous tragic love stories of all time. This somber masterpiece is interwoven with death, forbidden love, and fighting. Though, who is to blame for all this sorrow? As Shakespeare’s work is examined further, it is evident that all of the characters and events contribute to the dramatic ending of the play. Romeo is the character most to blame for the tragic events in Romeo and Juliet because he was the one who started the entire affair, his involvement caused much death, and everything he does in the play are for his own selfish reasons. First, Romeo is the character that holds the majority of the blame for the events that occur in Romeo and Juliet because he was the one who started the conflict. “Tybalt: Uncle, this is a Montague, our foe, a villain that is hither come in spite, to scorn at our solemnity this night. Capulet: Young Romeo is it? Tybalt: ‘Tis he, that villain Romeo” (Rom. 1.5. 69-73) The Montague and Capulets are mortal enemies and have been for years. In this scene, the Capulets are holding a party and Romeo and his buddies decide to crash it, which causes a massive uproar. Tybalt spots Romeo and becomes furious; and this fury would last until...
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...one of William Shakespeare’s plays entitled, Romeo and Juliet demonstrated the impact hatred has on the people it surrounds. Romeo and Juliet is a play set in Verona, Italy in which two people, infatuated with each other, venture to extreme lengths to complete their desires in opposition to the venom held between their families, conclusively leading to their demise. This feeling of detest blinds entities from morality and influences them to commit regrettable mistakes, much present in modern society through...
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...do I sink” - William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet page 36. In the well known play, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, two young lovers want to be together, but there are many unfortunate affairs keeping them apart. The play follows two young people in love and the events that eventually lead to their demise. While many people contributed to the death of the lovers, the ones who are ultimately to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s untimely death are themselves, Mercutio, and Friar Laurence. Two people who could ultimately be considered guilty for Romeo and Juliet’s death, is themselves. Romeo and Juliet didn’t even attempt to talk to their parents about their love for one another, in hopes they might...
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...The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Critique The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, set in the city of Verona, Italy, was written in the 1500's by William Shakespeare where two young people fall in love in rebellion to their parent's rules because of a feud that has lasted many years between their two families. In the play, Juliet's furious cousin Tybalt wants to kill Romeo, and in the process ends up killing Romeo's cousin Mercutio. In this series of events, Romeo kills Tybalt for revenge of his cousin's death and is banned from the city. This causes bad communication between the lovers and Romeo kills himself thinking Juliet is dead, which makes her kill herself because she is grieved by the loss of her beloved Romeo.By using irony, Shakespeare's...
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...far do you think Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as victims of fate? “Romeo and Juliet” is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1597, when people believed that their lives were controlled by fate, like a force or spirit that decides the course a person’s life should take. They believed in magic, horoscopes and that the Sun, Moon and stars could change their destiny. In this play Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as victims of fate in many different ways. At the prologue of the play the chorus describes Romeo and Juliet as "star-crossed lovers". This suggests that they fight against (or cross) their fate, which is written in the stars. It means that they are in love but fate is against them, their families have been arguing for years, so they have grown up hating each other, however Rome and Juliet are inseparable. Secondly, the Capulets and Montagues are at odds with each other. After the prologue, members of each house, as well as their servants break into a sword fight, crossing swords with each other. Sampson says "Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 60). The feuding between the two families motivates Sampson to challenge the Capulets. Another example of how the two houses despise each other is what Romeo and his friends have to do to get into the Capulet feast. So they will not be recognized, Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio wear comic masks to hide their faces. Romeo and his friends would never have known...
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...The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet,” is a very well known play. This play is known for its romance and its tragic ending. One question that is often asked is who is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death? This topic is very debatable, but there are a few people that can be held responsible for their death. The people to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s death are the Capulets and Montagues, Friar Laurence and Romeo and Juliet. The feud between the Capulets and Montagues could have possibly led to the death of Romeo and Juliet. This play starts off with a fight between the Capulets and Montagues to show the audience that these families do not get along. The biggest problem is that Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, are in love. Do to the fights between their families, it would be impossible for Romeo and Juliet to be married if their parents knew. Therefore, they felt it was best to keep their love a secret. Juliet’s parents had basically set up an arranged married for Juliet, which is hinted by her mother, Lady Capulet, in Act I, Scene III. When Romeo and Juliet first met, they instantly thought they were meant to be together. Because of Juliet’s arranged married, they were caused to speed their relationship up and they got married as soon as possible. If Romeo and Juliet could have been honest with their families then maybe the feud would have ended. In Act III, Scene I; Romeo’s cousin, Mercutio, and Juliet’s cousin...
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...Who is responsible for Romeo’s and Juliet’s deaths? William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a play about two teenagers from feuding households, Romeo and Juliet. They fall in love when they meet at a house party hosted by Juliet’s family, the Capulets. Soon after, the lovers discover that they are enemies. However, nothing stops them from loving each other and getting married. Many unfortunate events contribute to their tragic end. Ultimately, due to their unnecessary maintenance of hatred toward each other’s families, Romeo’s and Juliet’s parents are responsible for their children’s deaths. At the beginning of the play, the idea that the opposing families, the Capulets and Montagues, hold an “ancient grudge” is introduced to the audience. In lines 10-11, the play states, “And the continuance of their parents’ rage,...
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...Throughout William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, characters demonstrate impetuosity in everyday actions, which ultimately lead to their demises. Mercutio, Tybalt, Romeo, and Juliet are only some of the characters in the play that have an impulsiveness about them, yet they are some of the most important characters in moving the play towards its tragic ending. These characters also meet untimely deaths that are scattered throughout the play, which cause a domino effect that leads to the death of others. In this play, an ancient feud between the Montagues and Capulets cause Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, to take drastic measures to preserve their love. The unnecessary hate between the Montagues and the Capulets cause the youth of the families to act in desperation. Particularly, Mercutio’s impulsive act of making jokes at inappropriate times led to the demise of characters in this play. When Tybalt is searching for...
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...ROMEO AND JULIET Verona city in Italy is where the upsetting story of the unlucky love affair was set. Romeo a Montague and Juliet a Capulet are 'a pair of star crossed lovers who took their lives in an attempt to bury their parents strife'. The Montague's and the Capulet 'both alike in dignity,' were engaged in an ancient feud, which sadly nothing but the death of their children could stop. Romeo and Juliet two adaptations. Franco Zeffirelli [1968] Original version Baz Luhrmann [1996] Hollywood version Luhrmann chose Leonardo Di Caprio to play Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet. * The updated Luhrmann picture best captures the essence of Shakespeare for the present-day viewer. Through the ingenious use of modernisation and location, while preserving Shakespearean language, the spirit of Shakespeare emerges to captivate a large audience. * Luhrmann modernises "Romeo and Juliet," through constant alterations of the props, which entice the audience into genuinely feeling the spirit of Shakespeare. * First, the movie starts with a prologue masked as news broadcast on television. This sets the scene of the play by illustrating the violence occurring between the two wealthy families, the Montagues and the Capulets. * In Luhrmann's film, the actors, instead of carrying swords with them, hide guns in their shirts and wield them expertly. * The death of Romeo and Juliet is (as always) blamed on the post office, for not delivering the letter properly...
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...Themes of Love and Hate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet 1 Themes of Love and Hate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a play about two young lovers, whose love was destined for destruction from the beginning because of the hatred between the two families, Montagues and Capulets. Therefore, the themes of love and hate are very important in the play as the plot is driven by these two themes. Shakespeare brings out the love between the two rivals through Romeo and Juliet and their relationships with the Friar and the Nurse. I want to argue that in the play, the themes of love and hate are closely linked. To show this, I have selected some of the most important scenes in the play, which illustrate the idea that love and hate are closely bound together. The first example is the chorus, which is found at the beginning of the play, in the prologue. It is a short summary of what the play is about. The chorus is in the form of a sonnet and sonnets were often associated with love in the time of Shakespeare. However, the words of the chorus seem to emphasize the idea of hate although there are some words about love. “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” (Prologue, 3-4) These two lines are about the feud between the families. It shows that it is a feud, which has been brewing for many years. By repeating the words civil, Shakespeare is stressing the fact that they are all civilians...
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...Immaturity: the Real Poison in Romeo and Juliet In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is a tragic hero with the tragic flaw of immaturity. His immaturity is demonstrated countless times in this love story; he weeps because Rosaline does not return his love, and he hastily kills Tybalt without reflecting on the consequences. If Romeo had properly thought through some of the potential consequences prior to resorting to such extreme measures to see Juliet again, Romeo and Juliet most likely would not have met such a tragic ending. Lastly, the marriage of Romeo to Juliet was impulsive and again lacked forethought. They “fall in love” before even getting to know one another and they fail to think through their situation before getting married without their parents’ consent. There are many examples where Romeo lacks maturity. For example, when he is muddled because Rosaline does not return his affection. Romeo says, “O, teach me how I should forget to think!” (Shakespeare, 1. 1. 217). He is unable to take his mind off Rosaline. A more mature man could do so. Another example occurs when the hopeless romantic is ranting wistfully based only on his experience with Rosaline, “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn” (Shakespeare, 1. 4. 25-26). Romeo’s negative view of love based on a single experience demonstrates his lack of maturity. Finally, Romeo’s breakdown over Rosaline greatly impacts the plot. “At this...
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...Both love and hate emotions has been contributed throughout the play of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; however, it is clearly shown that throughout the tragedy, it’s emphasised more on hate than love. The play portrays that not a single scene transpires in the play without a level of antagonism performing in the backdrop, constantly posing a caution on the characters and one that is present in the interactions of the characters. But that doesn’t mean love doesn’t play a big role in the novel. Either way, It is the hatred between the two families that makes them have to hide their love it's the hatred that makes Friar Laurence have to devise his crazy plan that leads up to Romeo and Juliet killed. Also, death not only get caught with...
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...This story of star-crossed lovers is one of William Shakespeare’s tenderest dramas. Shakespeare is sympathetic toward Romeo and Juliet, and in attributing their tragedy to fate, rather than to a flaw in their characters, he raises them to heights near perfection, as well as running the risk of creating pathos, not tragedy. They are both sincere, kind, brave, loyal, virtuous, and desperately in love, and their tragedy is greater because of their innocence. The feud between the lovers’ families represents the fate that Romeo and Juliet are powerless to overcome. The lines capture in poetry the youthful and simple passion that characterizes the play. One of the most popular plays of all time, Romeo and Juliet was Shakespeare’s second tragedy (after Titus Andronicus of 1594, a failure). Consequently, the play shows the sometimes artificial lyricism of early comedies such as Love’s Labour’s Lost 1594-1595, . 1598) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (. 1595-1596, . 1600), while its character development predicts the direction of the playwright’s artistic maturity. In Shakespeare’s usual fashion, he based his story on sources that were well known in his day: Masuccio Salernitano’s Novellino (1475), William Painter’s The Palace of Pleasure (1566-1567), and, especially, Arthur Brooke’s poetic The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet (1562). Shakespeare reduces the time of the action from the months it takes in Brooke’s work to a few compact days. In addition to following the conventional...
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...as an actor and playwright. Public and critical success quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603) and James I (ruled 1603–1625), and he was a favorite of both monarchs. Indeed, James granted Shakespeare’s company the greatest possible compliment by bestowing upon its members the title of King’s Men. Wealthy and renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two. At the time of Shakespeare’s death, literary luminaries such as Ben Jonson hailed his works as timeless. Shakespeare’s works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following his death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in English was well established. The unprecedented admiration garnered by his works led to a fierce curiosity about Shakespeare’s life, but the dearth of biographical information has left many details of Shakespeare’s personal history shrouded in mystery. Some people have concluded from this fact that Shakespeare’s plays were really written by someone else—Francis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford are the two most popular candidates—but the support for this claim is overwhelmingly circumstantial, and the theory is not taken seriously by many scholars. In the absence of credible evidence to the contrary, Shakespeare must be viewed as the...
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...Public Speaking, Fate and Free Will Tegan Whichello For centuries there has been a universal debate about if fate or free will makes our life the way it is. In Elizabethan times humans believed in a greater or higher power. They believed that their life had been planned out long before they lived, that no matter what choices they made in the end they would end up in the same place. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare challenges us to think about if fate or the choices that we make is what is running our lives. Is Macbeth merely playing the part of a man destined to die a gruesome death or is he a man who chose the path that lead him to be killed by Macduff. At the start of the play Macbeth we are already shown that Macbeth is a fearless and ruthless personality. He is shown as a powerful leader in times of great worry. After the battle in Act 1 Scene 2 seargent says to the king “For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name – disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smoked with bloody execution, like valour’s minion carved out his passage, till he faced the slave; which ne’er shook hands, nor blade farewell to him, till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps.” In this statement to the king, seargent has highlighted that Macbeth when his mind is set on a goal would not let any man stand in his way, even if that means killing men along the way. This technique of foreshadowing tells us that just like in the battle, Macbeth will go to any length...
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