Romeo And Juliet Speech Essay

753 Words2 Pages

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is one of English literature’s immortal love stories. In Act II, Scene 3, the character of Friar Lawrence, a wise and respected clergyman, is introduced. He makes this speech when Romeo confides in him about his new love for Juliet, whom he had met just the night before, and asks the Friar to marry them that very day. Friar Lawrence is shocked at the fickleness and inconsistency of Romeo’s affections for Rosaline, his previous love. The main theme of this speech is the dangerous impulsiveness and unreliability of young love. The Friar’s tone of disbelief, shock, and disappointment effectively reprimands Romeo for his impulsiveness and his speech ends with a stern reminder of the importance of consistency in a relationship. The last line of his speech sends out a very strong message of reliability and consistency to all men if they want their women to remain faithful to them. In this passage, Shakespeare uses the techniques of figurative language and structural elements to highlight the theme of dangerous impulsiveness of young love. For the purpose of emphasizing the theme of dangerous impulsiveness of young love, Shakespeare has effectively used the technique of figurative language in this passage. Verbal irony and visual imagery are two main examples of figurative language used in Friar Lawrence’s speech. He laments, ‘How much salt water thrown away in waste/ To season love, that of it doth not taste!” [II.iii.71-72]. This verbal irony effectively emphasizes Romeo’s futile agony and distress at the loss of Rosaline whom he had never truly loved her. He had shed so many tears in vain to “season love”, which was so easily discarded and forgotten [II.iii.71-72]. Shakespeare has also very e... ... middle of paper ... .... This caesura is a very important tool used in the speech to convey the message of fidelity and consistency to all men if they want their women to remain faithful to them. The reader appreciates and agrees with the Friar’s words of wisdom to Romeo and understands how the caesura develops the theme of dangerous impulsiveness of young love by highlighting that fickleness and inconsistency can ruin a relationship. In conclusion, Friar Lawrence very effectively expresses his disapproval of Romeo’s impulsive obsessions and reprimands him for his fickleness and unreliability. The two main techniques used by Shakespeare in this passage, figurative language and structural elements, help the reader to understand the theme of dangerous impulsiveness of young love and its drastic consequences. The Friar also gives a very important message about consistency in relationship.

Open Document