The Complexity Of Characters In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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Characters in any fictional work, whether the work is a novel or a play, display various mannerisms that help develop the complexity of their characters. Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare, shows two characters with different but distinct personalities. Both Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, the main characters of the play, exhibit strong personality traits that help readers understand their characters and the influence they have on one another. To begin, Romeo shows his dramatic nature several instances throughout the play by amplifying his emotions. First, Romeo is extremely distraught over Rosaline’s rejection. He says, “Tut! I have lost myself; I am not here: This is not romeo, he’s some otherwhere” (I.i.198-9).
For example, Juliet became dramatic after spending time with Romeo. Juliet announces, “My only love, sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, That I must love a loathed enemy” (I.v.147-150). Juliet says this after discovering Romeo is a Montague, stressing Juliet’s newfound dramatic nature, as she believes Romeo is her only love despite having just met him. Moreover, in addition to making her dramatic, Romeo also influenced Juliet by making her impatient. When Romeo promises to send for her the next day, Juliet responds, “…`Tis twenty years till then,” which demonstrates impatience and drama, for Juliet is exaggerating how slow time passes (II.ii.182). This is similar to Romeo, who, at the beginning of the play, was depressed and also felt that time was going by slowly. Lastly, Juliet had a positive effect on Romeo’s mood. Romeo proclaims, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!” (II.ii.3-4). Upon meeting Juliet, Romeo returned to his normal self, and was no longer depressed. Juliet effectively removed the darkness from his life, hence why he compares her to the sun. Thus, the influence Romeo and Juliet have on each other is clear, and affects their personalities in many

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