On awakening from the long slumber of the Dark Ages, the Renaissance was a time of "rebirth" of culture in Europe. Writers of the time such as Christopher Marlowe and Sir Phillip Sydney created literature that was bold and innovative. Dramatists revived and reinvented the classical traditions of the Greeks and Romans, however no one seemed to match William Shakespeare in terms of variety, profundity, and exquisite use of language (). Known as the most famous love story in the English literary tradition, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two unfortunate lovers whose deaths ultimately brings together their feuding families. In this tragedy, Shakespeare plays on the reader's emotion to portray certain themes.
The reader first feels admiration as the play opens up depicting the power of love. In Romeo and Juliet love is seen as a brutal emotion that seizes the minds of individuals and turns them against the world, and, at times, themselves. This is shown as Juliet states:
O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
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. (RJ 2.2.33-36)
Perhaps the most famous line of the play, here Juliet, unaware that Romeo is listening, pleads that he denies his family for her love. In addition, she states that if he refuses to do so, she will deny her family in order to be with him on the condition that he declares his love for her. The struggle of tension between social life, family, and one’s inner identity, is again proven when Juliet later states:
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot...
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...encing feelings of admiration, awe, and sympathy for a few of the most prominent themes throughout the work, the reader is allotted a better understanding of Shakespeare's work. It is important to be mindful in situations such as this, so that the outcome isn't as disastrous in today's society.
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Juliet is honest with herself. Although she is aware of how dangerous it is to be interested in Romeo, she wishes to ask him to “Deny thy father, and refuse thy name;/ Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my lover,/ And I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (II, ii,
issue “And yet, I warrant, it had upon it brow a bump as big as a
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt et al. The Norton Shakespeare. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1997. Print.
One of the main catalysts in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' is powerful, uncontrollable emotions; love, hate, wrath, infatuation, and outrage are all apparent in the play and have a direct impact on the tragic events that unfold. In act one, scene two, the strongest emotions conveyed are those of despair, love and sincerity. Shakespeare uses imagery, figurative language and powerful vocabulary to convey these emotions to the audience.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Shakespeare, William, and Burton Raffel. Romeo and Juliet. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. Print.
Love is often perceived as something perfect and flawless in today’s society. However, Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare, portrays love as a form of passionate and violent force that comes with both rewards and consequences.The tragedy focuses on two young lovers called Romeo and Juliet, whose families are intertwined in an ancient feud that disrupts the peace in Verona, Italy. For love, the two teenagers are driven to overcome obstacles they will never imagine doing, and as a result, they along other family members are forced to pay the price of their lives. Through the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare exhibits the reality of young love through the portrayal of the Queen Mab Speech, the impulsive actions taken by both lovers, and the results caused by the powerful nature of their love.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2002. Print.
Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet’s love for each other causes them to sacrifice their family, although their families have always had great gravity over the lovers. After the party where the lovers first meet, Juliet stands on her balcony and promises herself to Romeo: “be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet” [2.2.37-39]. In this case, “sworn my love” can be rearranged to mean “my sworn love,” which refers to Romeo as the one that she will always love. For Juliet to become a Montague-- her family’s rivals-- would mean that she would give up many things she and her family value. In their fight over her refusal to marry Paris, Juliet’s parents threaten to not “acknowledge [her]” as their daughter, even if “[she]...hang, beg, starve, die in the streets” [4.1.192-193]. “Hanging,” “begging,” “starving,” “dying” are all very extreme ramifications that Juliet’s parents will give to her if she does not
Love is a very powerful force which some believe has the capability to overpower hate. Within the play, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare displays various events in which the characters convey the message that love can conquer all. The characters in this play continue to forgive the ones they love, even under harsh circumstances. Additionally, Shakespeare effectively demonstrates how Romeo and Juliet’s love for one another overpowers significant emotional scenes within the play, including the feuding between their two families. Furthermore, by the end of the play the reader sees how love defeats the shock of death and how Romeo and Juliet’s love ends the ancient feud between the Capulets and Montagues. Using these three events, the reader sees Shakespeare’s message of how love can conquer all. In the desperate battle between love and hate, Shakespeare believes love to be the more powerful force in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
< http://callisto.gsu.edu:4000/CGI:html> (5 May 1997). Rozen, Leah. "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet."
Kerschen, Lios. “Critical Essay on ‘Romeo and Juliet’.” Drama for Students. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Vol. 21. Detriot: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Dec 2013.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a Renaissance poet and playwright who wrote and published the original versions of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, and often called England’s national poet. Several of his works became extremely well known, thoroughly studied, and enjoyed all over the world. One of Shakespeare’s most prominent plays is titled The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In this tragedy, the concept that is discussed and portrayed through the characters is love, as they are recognized as being “in love”. The general umbrella of love encompasses various kinds of love such as romantic love, the love of a parent for a child, love of one’s country, and several others. What is common to all love is this: Your own well-being is tied up with that of someone (or something) you love… When love is not present, changes in other people’s well being do not, in general, change your own… Being ‘in love’ infatuation is an intense state that displays similar features: … and finding everyone charming and nice, and thinking they all must sense one’s happiness. At first glance it seems as though Shakespeare advocates the hasty, hormone-driven passion portrayed by the protagonists, Romeo and Juliet; however, when viewed from a more modern, North-American perspective, it seems as though Shakespeare was not in fact endorsing it, but mocking the public’s superficial perception of love. Shakespeare’s criticism of the teens’ young and hasty love is portrayed in various instances of the play, including Romeo’s shallow, flip-flop love for Rosaline then Juliet, and his fights with Juliet’s family. Also, the conseque...
In the play “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare shows that love has power to control one’s actions, feelings, and the relationship itself through the bond between a destined couple. The passion between the pair grew strong enough to have the capability to do these mighty things. The predestined newlyweds are brought down a rocky road of obstacles learning love’s strength and the meaning of love.