Romeo and Juliet

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is about two star crossed lovers dreadful fate. Each act of Romeo and Juliet is carefully crafted to provide the audience or reader with dramatic tension, mainly by foreshadowing and creating a suspenseful sensation. In the play, the theme -- some things aren’t meant to be -- has a major role in the development of the plot, and is represented in each act with foreshadowing. Shakespeare does this by making symbolic references, displaying the characters thoughts, and his use of tone. These together provide suspense and a deeper understanding of the plot as a whole.

Act I incorporates foreshadowing early on to suggest that the love of Romeo and Juliet will have terrible consequences. Shakespeare's use of symbolism and tone in this act further suggest that Romeo and Juliet were never supposed to fall in love. Romeo wasn’t even supposed to be at the Capulet’s masquerade ball. Romeo first sees that “this night's revels” (I.iv.109), the night he meets Juliet, will “expire the term/ of a despised life” (I.iv.110), yet he still goes to the party with those risks. This decision sealed the fate of Romeo and Juliet. Tybalt, upon seeing Romeo at the party, promises that his confrontation, “now seeming sweet” (I.v.89), will “convert to bitter gall” (I.v.90). The curse Tybalt issues will later come true, upsetting the joy that Romeo has, bringing him and his love farther apart. Juliet was pulled from her dance as well, having been “interrupted by Juliet’s[her] mother” (Bloom 44), who had seen her flirting with another man; she talks to Juliet about marrying Paris. Juliet’s absolute refusal to do so foreshadows that the issue will come up again later, and Juliet would be forced t...

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...up the plot, while foreshadowing to the end of the story. As the story progresses, the tension builds as Tybalt and Mercutio die, and Romeo is banished from Verona. Every time Romeo and Juliet are happy, an unfortunate event tears them apart, driving them to desperate measures. In the end they die together, devastated that their love ultimately was never meant to be.

Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. New Edition ed. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2010. Print.

Kim, Yoojin Grace. "The Human Drama in the Work of William Shakespeare."Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 13 Mar. 2014 .

Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet." McDougal Littell Literature. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2009. 942-1049. Print.