Identity In Romeo And Juliet

635 Words2 Pages

Effects of Identity
In the land of Verona in the 1500s, there were two star-crossed lovers who believed they were destined to be together in the play Romeo and Juliet that was written by William Shakespeare. This would be seen as a simple romantic play except there was one problem in their way. The only problem was that they come from two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, who have been in a feud for several years With Juliet being the daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet and Romeo being the son of Lord and Lady Montague, there was no chance of them being together. Although, this did not stop them. They proved that they would stop at no costs to be together… even if it meant death. With this is mind, the choices they’ve made throughout the play have molded their personalities which then created their identity. Family affiliation and social class have been prominent roles in creating …show more content…

As mentioned before, the Capulets and Montagues have been in a feud for several years thus causing rivalries between the two families. Even under the circumstances, Romeo and Juliet believe that they are destined to be together. For example, Juliet says, “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.” (2.2.34-36) In this excerpt, Juliet states that if Romeo does not deny being a Montague, she will no longer be a Capulet. Furthermore, it shows the reader how being a part of the Capulet family effects Juliet's mindset. Another example is when the Prince said that if the two families have another dispute on the streets, death would be the consequence. The statement alone shows how the Montagues and Capulets have developed their identity over time. This then creates an expectation in the way members in those families are supposed to act. On the other hand, family affiliation is not the only aspect into creating one’s

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