Comparison Of Humanism In Romeo And Juliet

634 Words2 Pages

Maria Carballo
February 27, 2014
English
Romeo and Juliet

During the Renaissance in 1405 through 1650, the people of England lived through various events in time in which hopes and fears arose, along with various movements. Humanism was one of them. This movement was founded by Petrarch with reference to his view that God gave the people ability and talents so you can achieve great things. They were to celebrate the fact that they achieved these things which is why Humanists seeked and trained their abilities and talents. In addition to this, Christian Humanism was created which tied in more with the Catholic church and people’s relationship with God. This was founded by Erasmus. His idea differed but it had some similarities to Petrarch's; The abilities and the talents that you had received from God must be used to make a more perfect Christian world. This can be found ironic due to the fact that the Catholic church had many ongoing issues that were yet to be solved. A great majority of priests and churchgoers or members of the church were purchasing and selling indulgences along with the situation of people going against the church as well. The Renaissance was also a time where people started acting as individuals, and not wanting to get caught up in the corporate identity. It is said that the Renaissance was when individualism was created. Martin Luther was a person who greatly valued individualism. He believed that anyone could be their own priest for the reason that all believers were equal and none possessed more piety and power then the other. These movements and ideas were fully seen in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. The play reflects the concern of people living in England during the Renaissance .
In Romeo and Jul...

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... are many types of arranged marriages such as arranged exogamous marriage, arranged endogamous marriage, and consanguineous marriage. Arranged exogamous marriage is where the bride and groom are not in the same social, economic, and/or social group. Arranged endogamous marriage is where the bride and groom are selected from a specific social, economic, and/or social group. Consanguineous marriage is similar to endogamous marriage, but instead its where the bride and the groom share a parent or ancestor. In Romeo and Juliet, a form of arranged marriage is seen. Over 50% of self arranged marriage finished in a divorce. This proves that it’s not always a good thing to select your own partners. Romeo and Juliet did not end up divorcing, but they did end up taking their own lives because of their marriage and their loved ones not being able to accept their decisions.

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