Literary Analysis of Romeo and Juliet
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet).” This quote from Act II explains how Juliet feels about marrying someone for their status instead of who they really are. Names are a big deal to Juliet’s family because their family doesn’t get along with Romeo’s. In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, marriage was significantly different than it is in the present day. Marriage choices, preparation, and ceremonies have all changed since the late 1500’s.
In the ancient Shakespearean time, marriage was based off of commodity, wealth, or political status. Juliet believes this to be wrong and women should marry for desire and whom they wish to spend the rest of their life with. She wanted to
In Romeo and Juliet’s time frame, the bride’s dress wasn’t even white. It was usually one of their best gowns they would wear or they would buy a new one. One reason this happened was because most families were poor which is why women were encouraged to marry rich so the family would benefit from the wealthy side. These kinds of weddings and ceremonies were called Elizabethan weddings. It was also allowed to boys to marry at fourteen and girls at twelve years old. That’s one reason why Romeo was allowed to marry a twelve to thirteen year old girl. Now, most people in America do not choose to get married until they are in their mid twenties or later than that.
Overall it makes sense and is understandable why Romeo and Juliet is different than today. One of the biggest differences was getting married. The meaning behind marriage, preparation, and wedding ceremonies all differ from what they used to be. In a hundred years marriage will still probably change in some way. One thing to remember and learn from is that you should always love the person you marry unconditionally and not just for their
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
The male protagonists, Shinji and Romeo have many differences. Hatsue and Juliet are perhaps not as different from each other than Shinji is to Romeo but still, the distinctions are abundant, as are the resemblances. Both young women seem to be a puppet of their families. Without consulting her first, Juliet’s father chooses Paris to be his daughter’s groom. Juliet obviously despises Paris and loathes the very thought of their marriage, stating that she would rather leap off the battlements of any tower, walk in dark alleyways, be chained to roaring bears, or hide in a mortuary covered with dead men’s stinking limbs and rotting bones (4.1.78-90). Hatsue, too, is forced unwillingly to marry someone whom she obviously has no interest in: Yasuo Kawamoto. When Shinji asks about the marriage on page twenty-two, Hatsue dismisses it with a laugh and says “Silly! It’s a big lie.” It indicates that Hatsue is looking forward to be bonded in holy matrimony with Yasuo about as much as Juliet is looking forward to the day that makes her the wife of Paris. Juliet’s family is wealthy, and so has the adequate amount of money to go through with the wedding. Also, in those days, it was common for fathers to marry off their daughters to a stranger of his choosing. The reader discovers that Hatsue’s family is also wealthy, her father being “Terukichi Miyata, the wealthy owner of two coasting freighters chartered to Yamagawa Transport” (page thirteen). These two rich and noble men both marry off their daughters to a stranger. It is obvious through this that the daughters, Hatsue and Juliet, are merely puppets to their fathers. To bolster this piece of evidence even more, Yukio Mishima reveals in a paragraph on page thirteen that Hatsue was sold becaus...
Juliet’s attitude towards marriage changes throughout Romeo and Juliet due to her defiance, Romeo’s persistence, and her newly discovered romantic personality. “It is an honor I do not dream of.” That was Juliet’s original view on love and marriage; she did not want to get married to Count Paris, even though that was what her mother wished. (1.3. 65-101)
Romeo Montague is considered an atrocious role model because of his repeatedly impulsive and immature attitude. He tends to rush into things and makes major life choices on a whim. “But this I pray/That thou consent to marry us to-day” (2.3.64-65). This proves that Romeo is impulsive and impatient. There was no rational reason for Romeo and Juliet to get married that soon. Had they waited until they received their parents
Marrying an accomplished and wealthy man would make life a lot better for the daughter. The subject of love in plays previous to Romeo and Juliet had nearly always been based around comedy. Never before had this subject of love been seen as serious or tragic. Therefore, the creating of this new way to look at love’s emotions was a dramatic device in its... ... middle of paper ... ...
Romeo and Juliet was first published around 1595. At this time in England the family was one of the most central and pivotal figures of social order. Children were expected to honor and obey their parents and seek their assistance in any decisions made. Especially in choices made concerning marriage. At this time children were finally able to take a more active role in choosing their husband/wife, but parents were essentially given the final decision (Amussen 94). Romeo and Juliet took it upon themselves to make such an important decision and hardly even considered their parents in the process. During the first half of the 17th century the average age for a woman to marry was 26 and for a man, 28 (Amussen 86). Shakespeare’s central characters are barely entering their teen years. As a son coming of age, and more importantly the singular male heir for the Montague family, Romeo should be entering University to prepare himself for handling the family fortune, not marrying in secret. This is merely the beginning of his show of irresponsibility towards his family and ultimately the role he is meant to play in society.
Firstly, being married did not make it true love. According to Lacy Talerico on the topic of 2 teens, Andi Bresher and Mitchel James, that got married at the age of 18, “Even at a young age, these teens say they know exactly what they are looking for in a significant other, and it does not seem to matter that they have found it so early in life” (Talerico para.2). These two teens found love at a young age so it is not far-fetched that Romeo and Juliet could have truly been in love. Also, these teens prove that young people do not have to wait to marry and that young people can make life decisions such as marriage. But according to James C. Dobson, Ph.D, “those who wed between 14 and 17 years of age are twice as likely to divorce as couples who wait until their 20’s,” (Kecskes, para.1). So even if these teens had stayed alive then the odds of them getting divorced or even killing themselves was definitely higher than others. This also could mean that the reason these teens got married was because of lust and not true love. As you can see by these examples you can see how people would think that Romeo and Juliet were in love but just because they got married does not mean that they were experiencing ...
Although the characters in Romeo and Juliet have differing ideas of love and marriage, they all still reflect the opinions of people who lived in the Renaissance. This is revealed through the thoughts and actions of Lady Capulet, Nurse, and Lord Capulet. In Act 1, Scene 3, it is shown that Lady Capulet believes that marriage is way to gain social status and become more wealthy. This idea is brought to life when she attempts to persuade Juliet to marry Paris, the Prince’s son. Paris is very wealthy and is of high social status. If Juliet were to marry Paris, she would become part of the royal family and would become extremely wealthy. To add, Lady Capulet argues that she herself was married at a young age and even
Romeo and Juliet’s actions have a strong rebellious nature, in that they refuse to obey and adhere to society’s norm. They are so deeply in love that they are willing to deny their own names to, in a way, prove their love to each other: ‘My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,// Because it is an enemy to thee’. (Act II, scene II, 55-56). They did not value their names as much as the rest of the society did in Shakespearian times: 'What’s in a name? that which we call a rose // By any other name would smell as sweet’ (Act II, scene II, 47-48). Unlike most people in their time, who believe that a name sets out how you are viewed, the young lovers expresses a very modern notion that a name does not define a person; that a name is nothing more than a title. This is a progressive idea that showcases their rebellious, yet undoubtedly genuine thoughts; their refusal to conform to the common opinion. For all of Juliet’s life, she has been taught to be an obedient daughter;
Before the Renaissance, marriage was all about money which had to do with arranged marriages. This all changed during this time, and Shakespeare hit on this idea in his play of Romeo and Juliet. They became lovers not through arranged marriage, although Juliet was to be wed to another. Romeo used interesting tactics of language to get Juliet to speak to him. The literature book explains this doing as the phrase by Horace, “Carpe Diem.” Adams clarifies this term by saying, “Make the most of your opportunities. It comes rarely.” This phrase translates to seize the day. The textbook will use this as a coverup for
In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Lord Capulet makes Juliet have an arranged marriage despite her love for Romeo. Marriage is between two people that love each other. In different times and different cultures arranged marriage was allowed. Today it still exists. Arranged marriage is bad for the child because it can make the child feel trapped, the child doesn’t know their future spouse, and they could be scared of their new spouse.
While reading Romeo and Juliet many people have noticed that how a marriage works is very distant than how they work today. In this play the marriages are very different because of the proposal, the ceremony, and the reception. These are only some of the many things from Shakespeare’s era that have changed over time.
In Shakespeare’s novel Romeo and Juliet, Juliet’s father decides that she must marry Count Paris. Even if she shows no interest and is already married to Romeo. Marriage is a big life changer for most people which is an important decision. Many cultures allowed them to choose their love, while there are still some cultures that forced arranged marriages. Arranged marriages wouldn’t be supportive and parents now shouldn’t arrange their children’s marriage, because there is a high rate of unhappiness, the children may be in love with someone else but having to marry by their parents’ choice, and there’s a higher than average divorce rate in arranged marriage.
In Juliet’s words specifically, when Lady Capulet asks Juliet about marriage, before the party, Juliet says, “it is an honour that I dream not of’’ [1.3.67]. In other words, Juliet says that she will marry whoever her parents choose for her, but she is not in a hurry to get married, nor does she think about it, but she states it in a respectful manner. After the party, however, her attitude towards marriage changes, she swiftly changes from patient to impetuous. Because, Juliet falls in love with Romeo, she becomes impetuous, and proposes marriage to Romeo. Towards the end of the balcony scene, Juliet proposes to Romeo and she says, “If that thy bent of love
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is about two young people who fall in love and then ultimately die together. It is a timeless classic and one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. There are many marriage customs in Romeo and Juliet that differ quite drastically than ours. Marriages used to be arranged, Almost never for love, and the age of both of the betrothed was a huge gap.