Analyzing the Contrast Of Romeo and Juliet

Analyzing the Contrast Of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's greatest and most popular

plays, a romantic tragedy written in about 1593.

An underlying feature running throughout the play is Shakespeare's use

of contrast, love/hate, young/old, life/death, light/dark,

tragedy/comedy and real/unreal.

Shakespeare draws out, illustrates and emphasises those contrasts by

clever use of language, character, and the plot itself.

What I feel is one of the most important aspects of the play is the

contrast between love and hate, and I will deal with this aspect now.

The whole basis of the play is the great love between Romeo and Juliet

which is set against the background of the great hatred between the

montagues and the capulets.

An example of love versus hate occurs through Romeo and Juliet and the

hate between their families. The love that Romeo and Juliet share

completely opposes the deep roots of anger and hate between their

parents. The quote from the chorus ( at the beginning of the play )

best states this.

" Two houses, both alike in dignity … From ancient grudge break to new

mutiny…A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life: Whose

misadventured piteous overthrows, Doth with their death bury their

parents strife "

"Romeo & Juliet" is a play of great love, but there is also great

fighting and quarrelling in the play.

As far as the aspect of love is concerned, when Juliet meets Romeo she

realises for the first time in her life (although of course she is

still not 14 yrs old) what real romantic love is. The attraction is

instant & so immediate that she hopes Romeo is not already marri...

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...d example of the contrast between life and death can be seen in

Act 2 Scene 3 when the Friar is gathering herbs and plants. He talks

about plants that can kill if eaten but that are good for you if

smelled.

"Virtue itself turns vice being misapplied and vice plant Sometimes by

action dignified .....Canker eats up that"

You can see from all I have written Romeo & Juliet is a play in which

Shakespeare makes great use of contrast. He does this through the

characters themselves, the plot itself and the various themes of the

play.

Romeo &Juliet is a marvellous and effective play made, in my opinion,

all the better by these themes of contrast running through it. As

someone who is roughly the same age as Juliet I find it as good as

anything I have read recently, even though it was written nearly 400

years ago"