How Romeo and Juliet Died and Themes Behind their Death

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Recommended: Shakespeare as a poet of love

The purpose of this essay is so that our class understands the play of Romeo and Juliet, what it was like back in Shakespeare time and what hate between two families could do to two lovers. It also makes us understand more about Shakespeare, and that some of his plays he wrote were about romance. So to me, I think Shakespeare had a passion for love. The final scene in Romeo and Juliet is where Juliet is laying in the chapel, waiting for Romeo. She is there because Romeo had to go away after murdering Tybalt, and she took a sleeping potion so everyone thinks she was dead so she hasn’t got to marry Paris, but actually she isn’t dead, the plan was that Friar Lawrence sent Romeo a letter, and explain what was happening, Romeo would have gone to the chapel to get Juliet, and they would of ran away together and they would be happy with no one questioning them. The other characters who are in the graveyard at the start of the scene are Romeos servant Balthasar and Paris.

Balthasar has come to the graveyard with Romeo. He has brought with him a torch, a mattock and a crow of iron; He has also got a purse of money and a letter for his father. Romeo thinks Juliet is dead so basically he has gone to see for his self. Romeo has come to get the ring from her dead finger and to join her in death. The two things that Romeo gives to Balthasar is a purse of money to show his gratitude for their friendship and a letter for him to give to his father. He then said to Balthasar ‘I will tear thee joint by joint, and strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs’. So Balthasar doesn’t leave, Romeo will beat him up. Before Romeo breaks into the Capulet’s tomb, Paris challenges him. Romeo asks Paris to ‘stay not be gone; live, and hear after say, a madma...

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... the language of love, where in the final scene of the play the language of death is used to set the stage for their suicides, pulling together the tragic ending of the play. Throughout the second scene of Act 2, Romeo uses beautiful metaphors and similes to express his affection for Juliet:

‘O, Speak again bright angel, for thou art’

‘As glorious to this night, being o’er my head’

‘As I a winged messenger of heaven’

This passage is used to compare Juliet to an angel, something that is universally held as sacred and lovely.

In this play of Romeo and Juliet there are several themes. One theme deals with ‘eye love’ versus ‘heart love’. Eye love is loving someone at first sight because of their personal appearances. Heart loving is loving someone for who they are, no matter what their appearance is. Another theme of this play is fate and it hands in their lives.

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