Secrecy in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

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Long before the women’s rights revolutions of the early 1900s, the women of Verona, Italy were restricted by intensive social bounds. Expected to be polite and submissive, girls were married off as young as thirteen, and bore children shortly after. In Juliet’s soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 2 of the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Juliet is awaiting her first night with Romeo as his wife. Her parents are unaware of this endeavor, because Juliet has hidden it out of fear of their disapproval. While Juliet followed social law in the earlier acts by showing modesty and tentativeness when meeting Romeo a mere day earlier, she now breaks free but is buried in misconceptions. The personification and symbolism of night, in addition to the words describing it in Juliet’s soliloquy suggest alternate views on women's rights.
Juliet’s personification of night identifying the secrecy of darkness as a positive quality is also Juliet defending her own secrecy. Literally, darkness makes Romeo and Juliet’s love possible by masking it from their parents. Juliet asks in the beginning of the soliloquy, “spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, / That runaways’ eyes may wink” (3.2.4-5). The night’s darkness hides Romeo and Juliet’s love much as a curtain blocks the view of a room from curious onlookers. If anyone were to see, Juliet’s reputation would have suffered greatly, as well as her relationship with Romeo. Later on, Juliet asks the night, “Hood my unmanned blood; bating in my cheeks,” (3.2.13) Not only is Juliet thankful that night will allow her to meet Romeo in secret, she is also thankful that the night conceals her affection for him. Women in Verona were expected to be polite and moderate, yet Juliet’s affection fo...

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...mage of religious and sexual purity for Romeo’s love.
As Juliet welcomes the darkness of night, she is accepting the religious and social consequences of her actions. This is Shakespeare commenting on how the social norms imposed on the women of Verona were trivial and harmful. Truthfully, Juliet was probably never informed about what a healthy relationship was because love and sex were not something to be talked of, and that lead to her untimely death. Many of these restrictions remain today, despite women being allowed to vote, work, and hold positions of political power. Sex is not something girls are frequently informed of by their parents, only in health class. The media defines love as sacrificing one’s self, even one’s life, for the well being of someone else. In reality, no true love will ask one to sacrifice part of one’s self, only to care unconditionally.

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