Echoes Of Hate In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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Echoes of Hate With every happily ever after in a story, there comes a less happy counterpart that is often overlooked. This counterpart is hate, an extreme dislike for someone or something. In Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, the characters are prime examples demonstrating how hate can have negative effects. This is a critical element that drives the novel forward. Alongside this, a film based on this novel was directed by Franco Zeffirelli, who consistently shows the theme of hate. Zeffirelli successfully presented the lesson that hate can cause impulsive decisions with consequences, which highlights the deaths of the protagonists of the novel. One literary technique Shakespeare uses in the novel to show what hate can lead to is foreshadowing. …show more content…

It is hosted by the Capulets, a family in an intense feud with Romeo's family (the Montagues). Along the way, Romeo voiced his concerns regarding the feast. The novel states, “Some consequence yet hanging in the stars, /Shall bitterly begin his fearful date, (...) /By some vile forfeit of untimely death” (1.4.114-118). As shown, Shakespeare foreshadows the “untimely” deaths of Romeo and his soon-to-be lover, Juliet (the other protagonist), which occur because of the hatred between the two families. Soon after, Romeo recklessly disregards his dream and goes to the feast, where he meets Juliet. This one decision sets the tone for the rest of their story. Later on in the novel, the Montagues and Capulets encounter each other and then draw swords. In the end, Mercutio is stabbed and says, “I am hurt”. A plague o’ both houses! /I am speed” (3.1.93-94). The hate between the two families is what causes Tybalt (Juliet’s cousin) to impulsively stab Mercutio. Before he dies, Mercutio curses the two families and says they will both face a “plague”, which foreshadows the deaths of their

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