Women In Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare displays a powerful love between two adolescents that ends in tragedy with both lovers dying for each other. Shakespeare sets the play in a society where typically women are expected to be submissive and considered lesser than men. However, in the characterization of Juliet who displays qualities befitting of a man, Shakespeare breaks the standards in which females are held to in that time period, depicting the actions of a strong female character driven and motivated by her love for a man. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses the characterization of Juliet as a symbol to convey the devastating consequences of going against societal norm for a powerful cause, displaying how far Juliet

Juliet, besotted by Romeo, falls hard for him upon meeting him for the first time. At the Capulet’s party, where they first meet, Romeo, who does make the first move flirts with Juliet who reciprocates. Later, that same night, Juliet allows Romeo to talk with her on the balcony at night and in a rather forward move states to Romeo “If that thy bent of love be honorable, Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow By one that I’ll procure to come to thee Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite,” (II, ii, 140-145) Her proposal to Romeo isn’t even a question but a statement based on the one conditions that he loves her as much as she loves him. Juliet, coming from a royal family should be even more withdrawn and more aware of her standing in society as a female but instead Shakespeare shows her as a strong female who does what she wants to in the name of love. After a day where a lot of events happen including Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment, Lord Capulet, mistaking his daughter’s tears for grief over Tybalt’s death arranges her to be married to Paris. Juliet, refusing and wanting to stay true to Romeo pleads to Friar Lawrence for help. There, she pressures Friar Lawrence to think of a solution telling him “Be not so long to speak. I long to die If what thou speak’st speak not of remedy” (IV, i, 68-69) Friar, frightened by the implications of what she has said, that she will die if the next words that come out of his mouth are not words that will help her out of her situation, offers her the poison. That same night, she drinks the poison saying “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink. I drink to thee.” (IV, iii, 59) dedicating her death to him, to their love that cannot be ruined by her betraying their marriage. Juliet asking Romeo to marry her even and