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Shakespeare and his characterization
Shakespeare and his characterization
Shakespeare and his characterization
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In the novel The First Stone and the play Romeo and Juliet, the authors use the protagonists to demonstrate that when teenagers are overwhelmed by emotions it leads to anguish. First, the protagonists in both works of literature are overcome by their feelings leading them to act recklessly. In The first stone Reef is submerged in feelings of sorrow due to his past which results in his irrational action of throwing the rock. Prior to throwing the rock, Reef thinks about his past and mentions “ [he] [...] liked pretending that it was possible to protect those [he] loved. In the end, he hadn’t been able to save the one person who’d mean everything to him” (Aker 35). Here, Chad mentions how he liked to pretend he had the same protective qualities …show more content…
of a reef. In the past Reef wanted to protect his grandmother from his grandfather's abuse and pain of cancer much like reefs protect tropical islands. However, Reef was unable to support the one person he admired which left him overwhelmed with emotions of anger his whole life. This pain, that Reef went through in the past in what eventually leads him to aggressively letting out his emotions.
Likewise, in the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is swamped by emotions of anger causing him to act impulsively. After Tybalt murders Mercutio, Romeo becomes overwhelmed with feelings of immense rage. This rage overshadows his thoughts thus causes him to act impetuously. Both Reef and Romeo make thoughtless decisions due to the loss of control over their emotions demonstrating that teenagers act impetuously when overshadowed by emotions. Second, the thoughtless actions made by both protagonists causes distress for people involved. During the plot of The First Stone, Reef impulsively throws the stone leading to Leeza’s injury then he quickly falls in love with her. It is through Reef’s thoughtless action that he and Leeza are forced to suffer when they realize who is the cause of Leeza’s injury. Similarly, in Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s foolish decision to kill Tybalt leads to the distress of several people. Through killing Tybalt, Romeo causes his wife’s agony. After Juliet hears of Romeo’s banishment, she weeps for a hours time and mentions “ Romeo is banished/ There is no end, no limit, measure, bound,/ in that word’s death; no words can that woe sound” (Shakespeare
3.2. 123-126) . Here Juliet explained the grief that she is going through due to Romeo’s banishment. She mentions how the news brings her infant death and how there are no words that are able to describe the pain she is going through. All of the pain that Juliet is going through could have been avoided if Rome was able to manage his feelings and act wisely. In both works of literature, the protagonists are compelled to go through anguish due to the irrational choices of someone else. The similarities drawn between both works of writing demonstrate that feelings of sorrow are a result of teenagers actions when overwhelmed by emotions.
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare is a play about two lovers from different families that have an internal feud between them. It ends in both lovers, Romeo and Juliet, committing suicide as they could not openly live with each other. An important idea in this play is that of the impetuosity of youth and the rash decisions that young people may make. This idea is continuously brought up throughout the play and is explored through the concepts of overreacting and being blinded by anger, desperation in forbidden love and taking your life for love.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet demonstrate the ignorance and susceptibility of men to making impulsive decisions without considering the consequences. Juliets beauty instantaneously mesmerizes Romeo, which ultimately diminishes his previous affection for Rosaline. In this scene, impulsive behavior and decision-making are greatly portrayed. During Romeo and Juliets first encounter, he asks for a kiss “[my] lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand, / To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss” (I.v.95-96). In his initial reaction to seeing her, Romeo boldly approaches Juliet with the sudden desire to kiss her.
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare is a play about two lovers from different families that have an internal feud between them. It ends in both lovers, Romeo and Juliet, committing suicide as they could not openly live with each other. An important idea in this play is that of the impetuosity of youth and the rash decisions that young people may make. This idea is continuously brought up throughout the play and is explored through the concepts of overreacting and being blinded by anger, desperation in forbidden love and taking your life for love.
Romeo acts irresponsibly throughout the play refusing to accept responsibly for his own actions. This is highlighted by his reckless behaviour towards Tybalt in the street brawl and at the party which he irresponsibly attends. Romeo also persuades Juliet out of her morals and beliefs throughout the play, especially in the balcony scene where Juliet shows apprehensions but Romeo acts persuasively towards her making her forget her doubts, highlighting Romeo’s controlling and doctorial behaviour. Romeo is seemingly responsible because his actions are self centred throughout, instead of talking to Rosaline about why she has rejected him he falls in love again immediately at the party for Juliet, highlighting his selfishness and inability to have compassion for others. Romeo lacks self control because he gets hot tempered easily, especially in the street brawl were he knows he will get banished if he hurts Tybalt , but being the self centred person he refuses to care for his actions killing Tybalt. This has a chain reaction effect on Juliet because her parents wish to make her happy after the loss of Romeo and encourage her to marry Paris, but Juliet has to refuse because she is already married to Paris, upsetting her
Most importantly, Romeo’s poor choices and decisions lead to the tragedy of the drama. From the beginning of the story, Romeo reveals his immaturity and ill-equipped emotions. His first mistake reveals itself when he claims to be deeply depressed. Romeo claims that he feels like “sinking ‘under love’s heavy burden’,” (Dupler). At this point Romeo has succumbed to his emotions, due to the fact that a girl named Rosaline refuses to reciprocate his love for her.
‘The difference between Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet (1968) and Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo & Juliet (1996) is simply a modernisation created by Luhrmann to attract a teenage audience.’
Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is a tragic love story about two young lovers who are forced to be estranged as a result of their feuding families. The play is about their struggle to contravene fate and create a future together. As such, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood would try and emulate Shakespeare’s masterpiece. This had been done before in many films. Prominent among them were, Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 “Romeo and Juliet” and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 “William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.” Both films stay true to the themes of Shakespeare’s original play. However, the modernised Luhrmann film not only maintains the essence of Shakespeare’s writings, Luhrmann makes it relevant to a teenage audience. This is done through the renewal of props and costumes, the reconstruction of the prologue and the upgrading of the setting, whilst preserving the original Shakespearean language. Out of the two, it is Luhrmann who targets Romeo & Juliet to a younger audience to a much larger extent than Zeffirelli.
Juliet’s weakness to be controlled by love leads her to make unadvised and irresponsible decisions that contribute to her choice of ending her life. Characterized as a young and rash teenager, with no interest in love and marriage at first, Juliet wants to be independent. However, after she first lays eyes on Romeo, Juliet’s perception of love is quick to change. Their strong love easily manipulates and clouds her judgment. Even if she is cautious and realizes their love is too fast, the rush of feelings from having a first love overcomes her. Her soft-spoken words symbolically foreshadow the journey of Romeo and Juliet’s love. “Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee, / I have no joy of this contract tonight. / It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;…/ This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, / May prove to be a beauteous flower when next we meet” (2.2. 117-123). The blooming flower is indicative of their growing love, especially Juliet. Being her first experience of true love, her actions become more rash the deeper she falls in, even ...
Romeo and Juliet choose their own actions through their judgments, which were caused by their belief of everlasting love. Due to their unsound and absurd attitudes, both characters are dazed by love in a puerile manner. The relationship they created was actually built on lust and desperation. Firstly, Romeo is the first character whom shows immature love in the story as a whole. Once Capulet’s party is over, Romeo’s attitude leads him to jump over the wall to Juliet’s house and exclaim to her,” And what love can do, that dares love attempt./Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me”(2.2.68-9). The effect of love caused Romeo to not pay attention to the consequences of jumping over the wall and talking to the daughter of his enemy. The flaw is that he is beginning to think that his love is as hard as nails. It is illogical for Romeo to think this...
Ultimately, Romeo and Juliet become embodiments of impulsiveness. Through their rash words and actions in the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare sets forth that both are too hasty in their decisions, leading them into unfortunate events. As the plot unfolds, Romeo and Juliet’s futile love is torn apart by their family’s hate and animosity towards each other. Despite their constant struggle to let their love survive, it is doomed from the beginning of the tragedy. It is plain that lack of foresight and wisdom leads to disaster all around.
Young love is a very deep immature feeling, which tends to misguide those affected by it, and the affected ones fall too deeply in love, which leads to a tendency of self-destruction. The concept of the young misguiding love is emphasized in the drama, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet are young when they first see each other and make the mistake of loving each other without knowing their family names. Their deep love without any understanding of the concept of love leads to the young lovers committing suicide, which is a rash decision. They do not embrace their situation, and think about other solutions other than suicide. Romeo and Juliet act on impulse and make rash decisions without thinking about the consequences, which results in self-destruction, because of the burden and the extremity of love.
Teenagers that are in love tend to be impulsive and bad at making decisions. In the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, two star-crossed lovers from families that don’t get along have to go against their parents, so they can be together. The language that Shakespeare uses depicts the characters and shows that they are impulsive, which affects the outcome of the play.
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name;” (Shakespeare, 536). In the book, ‘Romeo and Juliet”, by William Shakespeare there is a deeper meaning that Shakespeare is trying to portray other than parents cannot control their children’s hearts. He is trying to portray that a name is only a name and it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things and that even with a different name that person will still be the same person they have always been. Shakespeare is using the characters: Juliet, Romeo, Lord Capulet, Friar Lawrence, and the Nurse to get this message across to the reader or the viewer.
This hasty action resulted in not only his death, but also the death of his love(r) Juliet. Therefore, through reading William Shakespeare’s famous play Romeo and Juliet, the audience learns an important lesson — that impulsive behaviour will have negative consequences as seen through Romeo’s actions starting with him crashing the Capulet’s party with his friends, to his killing of Tybalt, and finally his haste in killing himself to reunite with Juliet, with each action leading to a different consequence for not only Romeo, but also those around him.
This scene focuses on the grown maturity of love between Romeo and Juliet. The love between Romeo and Juliet can be described as an overpowering almost violent force wrought with overflowing passion that takes precedence over all other values, social loyalties or feelings. In a sense, this particular scene is a reverse balcony scene where Romeo must leave instead of Juliet. The lovers placate each other through reversals of thought, giving in to each other’s will. The willingness to give anything for every second together including death is the essence of the scene. Romeo lacks the capacity for moderation of emotions and feelings.