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Romeo & juliet william shakespeare interpretations
Name a modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet different interpretations
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“Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you’re willing to sacrifice everything else for it.” (J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan). Throughout our lives we will always be surrounded by the sacrifices of people around us and people in history. I like to think that in many ways sacrifices will turn out good in someway, whether it is the moment after or hundreds of years later. From the books we read in class the two largest sacrifices were intended for good and were based off of the love for the people they cared about in their lives. We saw this in Romeo and Juliet when they both went to great lengths to be with each other. Spoiler alert, in the end they both had plans so juristic that they collided and concluded with both dying over each other. Another example of this sacrifice in Cyrano …show more content…
In the beginning of Act II when Romeo goes to Juliet’s Party directly disregarding the Prince. When the Prince had before in the Act bans the Montague’s and the Capulet’s to disrupting the “quiet of our street” (1.1.6) punishable by death which again shows that he is risking death from Tubal by going to see Juliet. Then in that same night, love-struck Romeo decides he has to go see Juliet again. He chooses the best course of action is to jump over the wall surround the house of Juliet where he sees her out on her balcony. After they start to talk she asks Romeo “How calmest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, And the place death, considering who thou art, If any of my kinsmen find thee here.” (2.2.66-69). So what Juliet is saying, modern translation; “how did you get here? Why are you here? The wall is really big and hard to get over. If my family finds out you’re here they’ll kill you because of your family.” Which shows us that yet again Romeo is risking death to see Juliet and knows the consciences if he were to be
In the Elizabethan period, woman of higher social classes were supposed to embody “obedience”(Gerlach et al. 1) and this is shown throughout the text. In the beginning of the book, Lady Capulet tells Nurse to summon Juliet, so she can inquire about her getting married. As Juliet enters the room she says,“Madam, I am here. What is your will?” (1.3.7). Here, we can see not only Nurse being obedient to Lady Capulet’s wishes, but also Juliet being obedient and going to her mother after she is summoned. Similarly, after a discussion with Count Paris, a noble man who seeks Juliet’s hand in marriage, Lord Capulet decides that Juliet will marry him and tells Lady Capulet to deliver the news to Juliet. Not happy with this, Juliet expresses her opposition
Juliet strategizes her disastrous plan and worries, “How if, when I am laid into the tomb, I wake before the time that Romeo come to redeem me?” (Lines 30-32 of Act Four, Scene Three). Juliet is desperate to see Romeo, ergo she plans to fake her death. Her thoughts of Romeo finding her lifeless foreshadows their future. Romeo is deprived of the news of Juliet’s real state of health, therefore he says, “Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. O mischief, thou art swift to enter the thoughts of desperate men!” (Lines 34-36 of Act Five, Scene One). Once again, Romeo’s perception is only focused on Juliet. His mental instability leads him to think Paris is in the way obtaining true happiness, thus he slays him. Romeo acquires poison, stands beside Juliet, and states, “Here’s to my love! (Drinks.) O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” (Lines 119-120 of Act Five, Scene Three). Romeo observes Juliet’s body and determines that he should die beside her. Juliet wakes to his lifeless body, and determines she should commit suicide, as well. Romeo’s foolish decisions lead to the death of himself and
In the beginning of the play Romeo and Juliet make many rash decisions that change the course of the play. Such as, when Romeo decides to sneak into the Capulet’s garden to have a conversation with Juliet. If Romeo was spotted by any of the guards or a resident of the Capulet household, he would have been captured and killed. When Juliet asks how Romeo snuck into the garden he replies to her, “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls, For stony limits cannot hold love out…” (2.2.66-67). Romeo states that he snuck in with love’s wings and that nothing can stand in the way of love. Romeo shows that his love for Juliet can lead him to make rash decisions and not to think his actions through. An example of Juliet making a rash decision
In the book The Odyssey, Odysseus is a very good example of how sacrifice contributes more to heroism than success. In the Odyssey, when he is trapped at Calypso's island he states that “By nights he would lie beside her, of necessity, in the hollow caverns, against his will, by one who was willing, but all the days he would sit upon the rocks, at the seaside, breaking his heart in tears and lamentation and sorrow as weeping tears he looked out over the barren water.” (5.154-158). In reality, he states that he just wants to go home because he does not like being trapped and also in this chapter was where he was told he had to sacrifice six of his men to the six-headed monster they were going to face on their way home. Odysseus wanted to tell him men but he did not want to freak them out, going back to say that sacrifice is more heroic than success. In life, people make plenty of sacrifices for other human beings for example, when your mother has to drop out of
Romeo and Juliet’s true love is being mistaken for infatuation because they are in lust and are not emotionally stable enough to be in true love.
When Romeo is leaving Juliet's chamber and climbs down to the ground to leave Juliet sees him as pale: "O God, I have an ill-divining soul. Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low. As one dead in the bottom of a tomb"(Rom. 3.5.54-56). Juliet describes Romeo as looking dead when he is descending from the tower. In the scene Juliet is sensing something wrong but doesn't think much of it and brushes it off. She then after goes back to saying goodbye to Romeo. This shows that their love has caused Juliet to not think of the uneasy feeling she had felt. The purpose of this scene connects to the message of Shakespeare because it shows that in the end they both have killed themselves due to the fact that they love each other so much. The two lovers feel they can not live without each other and cause them to make the irrational choice of taking their lives. Another scene foreshadowing the two lovers death due to their love for each other is shown in a quote of dramatic irony. Romeo is begging Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet : “Do thou but close our hands with holy words, Then love-devouring death do what he dare” (Rom.2.6.6-7). Romeo is saying in this quote that as long as they are married then love-destroying death can do whatever it wants to them both. He is prioritizing his love for Juliet and her being his wife over what could happen to them in the future. Being so in
Reprehensible Sins in Romeo and Juliet Religious authorities are perceived as holy icons that distribute words of blessing and wisdom to others. They most definitely do not perform sinful actions nor violate rules. These authorities are idols that people admire because they are respectful, considerate, and play many different roles in the lives of many people. In William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Friar Lawrence does not demonstrate the characteristics that are admired in a religious figure. Though he does things to help someone in need, Friar Lawrence is disrespectful, selfish, and violates regulations.
In the play of Romeo and Juliet the way Romeo and Juliet act towards their parents is astoundingly rebellious and disobedient. Throughout the play both characters lie and disobey their parents. The way that Romeo acts towards both of his parents is so rebellious that it ends up getting him banished. Juliet disobeys her family and the nurse so much that none of them ever have the slightest clue of the plan which ends up killing her. If either character had thought out their actions through the entirety of the play and told a parent what is unfolding, both of them could have lived. The way that Romeo and Juliet both interact with their parents is a web of lies. The way both families feel toward their children is love
There are a variety of moments in Shakespeare’s sixteenth-century tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, illustrating the suffering that was experienced by Juliet alone and not shared with Romeo. One of the most important recurring examples of both Romeo and Juliet suffering is their families’ rivalry, as the main conflict is the “ancient grudge” present between the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo and Juliet must keep their love a secret in fear of creating any more rift between the houses. Juliet describes this by saying, “O Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou Romeo?// Deny thy father and refuse thy name.// Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,// And I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (II.ii. 36-9). Although Romeo and Juliet both suffer tremendously throughout the play, Juliet experiences more grief suffering than Romeo.
Often times, many believe that the future is beyond their direct control. However, it is human nature to seek reason in past events, whether they cause happiness or pain. The “why” often harasses a person’s mind, especially when tragedy occurs. This being said, individuals search for a concrete reason that explains the occurrence of death, sadness, and pain. Although many personal actions affect the future outcome of an event, how the actions are carried out play the major role. Regarding this, William Shakespeare, a classic playwright, utilizes literature to communicate the main cause of disaster. For example, in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the characters of Romeo, Friar Lawrence, and Lord Capulet demonstrate that haste is most responsible
Timeless stories are always available for some sort of modern twist just like other popular
When one looks closely at the story of Romeo and Juliet, one will see that it is a story with many ethical aspects. The first ethical concern was the two feuding families. How moral is it to hate someone only because they have a certain family name? This all come from a time period when people were fairly focused on religion, which teaches us not to hate. I also question this because I think it is ironic that both Romeo and Juliet seem to be fairly religious, since the first person Romeo went to for help was Friar Lawrence, and a few scenes in the play took place in or around the church. I think that this hatred is especially bad in the case of the Capulets and the Montagues, because I was always under the impression that the families had been feuding for so long that no one really knew why they hated each other anymore. This was the beginning of the problems for Romeo and Juliet. They had a moral decision to make. Should they stay true to their families, and deny their love, or should they stay true to their feelings and disgrace their families? In order to resolve this dilemma, Romeo turns to Friar Lawrence, who perhaps could be seen as the most moral character, to begin with. Because he was a holy man, he was the most logical confidant of anyone in the play. People see men of the cloth as reliable and a good source of advice. Of course, Friar Lawrence has every intention of helping the two lovers, also hoping that he could reunite the feuding families. However, unbeknownst to him, everything he will do throughout the play will have an unnerving consequence. No matter what he did to correct what he had done wrong, it only drug him deeper into trouble. Who ever would have thought that by marrying the two young lovers, he would have caused all of this heartache for the families, and really for all of Verona? No one ever considered the fact that two young people wanting to get married would have affected the entire city. Friar Lawrence was only trying to be a good friend and ally, but everything he did just ended up backfiring for him.
In Capulet’s tomb as the guard’s approach Friar Laurence anxiously says, “Stay not to question, for the watch is coming. Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay.” With Romeo’s death Friar Laurence tells Juliet they need to leave and he does not want to stay with the guards approaching. She responds to him, “Go, get thee hence, for I will not away.” Juliet is heartbroken of Romeo’s death and wishes to stay while the friar is scared he will be caught and decides to leave then this allows Juliet to kill herself. Friar Laurence’s action to leave Juliet alone were because he was afraid to get caught and face the consequences of all of the things he has done to the lovers. With his disappearance Juliet is given an opportunity to end her life; therefore, the Friar can be blamed for the two lover’s
Literature throughout history and all around the world frequently manifests sacrifices as the highlights of love. In the French novel Manon Lescaut, Abbé Prévost 's Des Grieux, the protagonist, becomes a thief and murderer for Manon--a girl who values luxury over love. Des Grieux sacrifices moral principles, innocence, and pursuits of becoming a theologian for his love. However, he does not regret making these sacrifices; in his eyes, being with Manon is worth losing everything. In many stories like this one, one idea is constant: love takes great sacrifice, which may lead to dire tragedies. This idea is explored in depth in William Shakespeare’s tragic play Romeo and Juliet, where the title characters are doomed ¨star-crossed lovers¨ from
"(Act II, Scene 2, Lines 71-74) Romeo is saying love will make a man try anything and even a stone wall couldn't keep him out. Love had the authority to make Romeo fearlessly climb the walls risking getting caught. Love seized Juliet’s actions. Juliet was so in love that she was willing to drink the potion and appear to be dead all to be with the banished Romeo in the end.