Comparing Romeo's Speeches in Act One Scene One and Act One Scene Five

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Comparing Romeo's Speeches in Act One Scene One and Act One Scene Five What changes in Romeo’s language, feelings and opinion of love can be noted and what conclusions can be reached about the nature of his love for the two women? Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare was written around the 16th century. Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a love-tragedy about two people who fall in love from two feuding families. The intended audience was for Elizabethans who visited the theatre regularly. An Elizabethan lover was very different to a typical lover nowadays. An Elizabethan was a deeply pious person and was typically married at a very young age. This can be illustrated by Juliet who is only 13 or 14 and yet she marries Romeo despite the fact that he is also quite young. The lover would attract the opposite sex by the use of poetry and various romantic words. As well as different characteristics, a typical Elizabethan lover also held different moral values. Society at that time believed strongly in maintaining high moral values and trying to set good examples for the rest of their community. For instance, if two people fell in love with each other, but they were not married at the time, (or were from two feuding families), it would be frowned upon by other members of society for those two people to act upon their emotions & feelings of love. Instead, people believed one should actually obtain permission from their parents before subsequently formalising their love in the sanctity of marriage. The main characters in Act 1 scene 1 are: Romeo (Lord & Lady Montague’s son), Benvolio (Romeo’s cousin); and in Act 1 scene ... ... middle of paper ... ...o becomes an entirely different person. He speaks in an appropriate way; he becomes more mature and does not say things unnecessarily. His language becomes more sophisticated and he describes Juliet with a contrast between ‘light and dark’ with powerful imagery. He also describes Juliet as being ‘holy.’ The reader is given the idea of her being pure and beautiful. Romeo was not in love with Rosaline as at that time, he did not know the meaning of love and he was in love with the idea of being in love, so behaved in a childish manner. Romeo’s love for Juliet is clear and distinguishable. Lastly, Romeo is a quick and indecisive character at the start of the play; he acts childish and talks in an illogical way. During the play, when he first sees Juliet, he becomes more mature and begins to act like an adult.

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