With long debate, is Shakespeare still relevant in the 21st century? William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ should be included in the ninth-grade curriculum because it offers an understanding of modern English and wrote various plays or poems that readers can create a connection towards. However, several opposers believe that Shakespeare’s material can be difficult to understand in today’s modern language.
To begin with, William Shakespeare’s plays and poems create a significant understanding of the idea of modern English. The article ‘Why Do We Force Students to Read Shakespeare?’ states: “Shakespeare is essential to understanding the literary influences of modern English, or that reading ‘Hamlet’ helps students appreciate literary devices” (‘Why Do We Force Students to Read Shakespeare?’, Rajat Bhageria). This explains that his writings, including the tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’, not only create an understanding of how to use literary devices but have been the main influence on how modern English is known today.
Furthermore, Shakespeare’s writings contain meanings that have allowed readers to feel or connect to the pieces of writing. In the article ‘In Their Own Words: Why Is Shakespeare Relevant Today?’, the author claims: “His plays and poems teach society how to not only love, dream and hate all at the same time, but they’re also used as a message” (Linfield Magazine). In the case of the tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’, this explains that the text expresses general emotions commonly felt by modern society and creates a detailed message that the reader can easily understand.
However, even though his material may be used to this day, several naysayers believe that due to the brilliant writer existing in a different time period, his material can be difficult to understand when teaching his work to a younger audience. An article titled ‘Why It’s Time to Give the Bard the Heave-ho!’ says: “The trouble is that most school children today don’t like him and don’t get it. And this isn’t their fault. Shakespeare wrote over 400 years ago. Few people realize how much English has changed in just the last generation” (Robshaw, 433). William Shakespeare’s writings may be difficult at a glance, but it isn’t impossible to understand.
To conclude, William Shakespeare is a useful poet who creates great meanings as well as gives examples of literary devices, and is a key contributor to today’s writings. Instead of washing it away due to being difficult to understand, when understanding his work can lead to another side of poetry. Therefore, his works, especially ‘Romeo and Juliet’, should be included in the curriculum of the ninth grade.
With long debate, is Shakespeare still relevant in the 21st century? William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ should be included in the ninth-grade curriculum because it offers an understanding of modern English and wrote various plays or poems that readers can create a connection towards. However, several opposers believe that Shakespeare’s material can be difficult to understand in today’s modern language.
To begin with, William Shakespeare’s plays and poems create a significant understanding of the idea of modern English. The article ‘Why Do We Force Students to Read Shakespeare?’ states: “Shakespeare is essential to understanding the literary influences of modern English, or that reading ‘Hamlet’ helps students appreciate literary devices” (‘Why Do We Force Students to Read Shakespeare?’, Rajat Bhageria). This explains that his writings, including the tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’, not only create an understanding of how to use literary devices but have been the main influence on how modern English is known today.
Furthermore, Shakespeare’s writings contain meanings that have allowed readers to feel or connect to the pieces of writing. In the article ‘In Their Own Words: Why Is Shakespeare Relevant Today?’, the author claims: “His plays and poems teach society how to not only love, dream and hate all at the same time, but they’re also used as a message” (Linfield Magazine). In the case of the tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’, this explains that the text expresses general emotions commonly felt by modern society and creates a detailed message that the reader can easily understand.
However, even though his material may be used to this day, several naysayers believe that due to the brilliant writer existing in a different time period, his material can be difficult to understand when teaching his work to a younger audience. An article titled ‘Why It’s Time to Give the Bard the Heave-ho!’ says: “The trouble is that most school children today don’t like him and don’t get it. And this isn’t their fault. Shakespeare wrote over 400 years ago. Few people realize how much English has changed in just the last generation” (Robshaw, 433). William Shakespeare’s writings may be difficult at a glance, but it isn’t impossible to understand.
To conclude, William Shakespeare is a useful poet who creates great meanings as well as gives examples of literary devices, and is a key contributor to today’s writings. Instead of washing it away due to being difficult to understand, when understanding his work can lead to another side of poetry. Therefore, his works, especially ‘Romeo and Juliet’, should be included in the curriculum of the ninth grade.
The story of Romeo and Juliet is possibly the most beautifully constructed display of ideological love the world knows today. Ideological because it is the essence of a form of love not known to modern man. Richly woven in the prejudices and social conflicts of the late Renaissance era, it reflects popular misconceptions of what love really is. Several stories of similar context have been made and reworked over time, such as Tristan and Isolde and the cult-movie West Side Story, and although there is debate as to what form of the story came first, Romeo and Juliet is largely accepted as the epitome of love-tragedy. Looking more closely at the character of Romeo, we need to ask though: what type of person was a
He and why did he fit the profile of the condemned lover so well? To analyze his character, it is necessary to understand the Italy into which he was born.
Written in the 1500’s, William Shakespeare explored as much the Renaissance city as he did the characters. The Renaissance (re-awakening or re-birth) was indicative of a new school of thought, a time when all moral obligations and previously Dark-Age thoughts were being irreconcilably challenged. The Renaissance in Italy was a time in which historians and writers were most active, sparking a new wave of literacy in the Italian world, said to be the father of Renaissance Europe.
Literature was beginning to be written in the vernacular as opposed to the high-Latin, which often had eliminated ordinary people from writing due to the social status surrounding those who wrote in Latin (Hutchinson, 2006). It stands to reason thus that old social values at the time were also challenged. For instance, in the case of castes and social class barriers as seen in Romeo and Juliet, more emphasis was being placed on the value of the ‘common’ person than had previously been explored. Looking at Romeo as a character, his obvious insistence on flouting the norms of social practice reflected the rebellious nature of the Italy he was born into, the Italy of Renaissance thought-freedom.
Questionable in this story, however, is whether Romeo’s source of love was true, or based on lust-driven infatuation. When considering firstly the fact that Romeo had been in love with Rosaline prior to his meeting Juliet, this sheds a shadow of doubt upon his true intentions with Juliet. In Act I Scene I we already see the Capulet-Montague squabble breaking out as Benvolio, Romeo’s friend and Tybalt, Lady Capulet’s nephew decide to make war in the public streets, which appears to be not an unusual scene. The scene of tension already draws the attention to the true situation of conflict between the families. Also in Act I Scene I, we see a melodramatic Romeo lamenting his love for Rosaline:
“Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still,
Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will!
Where shall we dine?” (Romeo, Act I Scene I).
In effect, Romeo is quite selfish, his actions are about himself and this does not bode well for the futures of anyone involved with him. His actions are hasty, without much thought given to what the consequences of his actions will be. It could be postulated that his love either for Rosaline or for Juliet could not be terribly realistic. As he marries Juliet, they have not known each other long, but rather caught up in the impulses of attraction, Romeo decides that to marry Juliet before she can be forced to marry Paris would be the answer to the problem.
Yet in Act I Scene IV, Romeo is invited to a dinner which Rosaline will be attending, so infatuated with the idea of Rosaline, it is Juliet who catches his eye, putting a fair amount of doubt on his true emotions for Rosaline in the first place. After having wooed Juliet with the usual affectations, he discovers she is a Capulet and again the attention is drawn to the terrible woes of his life:
“Is she a Capulet?
O dear account! my life is my foe’s debt.” (Romeo to Benvolio, Act I Scene V).
Comparing for instance, Romeo’s character to that of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it can be seen that many of Shakespeare’s men were rather selfish in nature. Where Romeo is intent on getting what he wants, regardless of the circumstances or consequences, Hamlet goes forth and loses everyone that is precious to him with the exception of Horatio in a selfish tirade against his step-father. Romeo also makes conjectures that he has not thought about, wishing in Act II Scene II, that he could change his name and no longer be a Montague, also stating:
“I have night’s cloak to hide me from their sight;
And but thou love me, let them find me here:
My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.” (Romeo to Juliet, Act II Scene II)
This is not only foolish, but filled with the carefree nature of youth, Romeo is not thinking about the bigger picture, but more or less about what he wants from Juliet. Bearing in mind that he met Juliet the night before, there is not much logical change that he is in fact ‘in love’, but more infatuated with the beautiful Capulet when only the night before he was harping the same professions of Rosaline.
As a character, Romeo is a little scattered. He strikes the reader as being filled with idea’s about love and romance and though obviously driven by these emotions, he does not stop to think that the consequences may be grave for his actions. Juliet is incapacitated by the same emotions of youth, which make the situation volatile. Romeo had had a dream which had posed itself as an omen surrounding this particular event, but instead of seeing it as a warning, his emotional entanglement with Juliet rules above the logic of his mind.
He not only puts himself at risk, but also his other loved ones or Juliet’s. This is with particular reference to his murder of Mercutio, which put Juliet in a particularly difficult situation of having to choose between Romeo and her family. Romeo is not in actual fact the type of person who is worthy of as much acclaim as he has been given. His actions, along with those of Juliet, have been romanticized over time. Although his flouting of social norms of the period may have questioned the harshness of social realities, the personal meaning of his actions were devastating and in the end…tragic.
Sources
Hutchinson’s Encyclopaedia of World History. 2006. “Renaissance”. Web.
Shakespeare, William. “Romeo and Juliet”. Shakespeare’s Homepage. Web.
Although Shakespearean plays have been written several centuries before and the epoch of postmodernism suggests completely different genre and style, the poems written by the Swan of Avon are one of those kind that never age. With help of the tiniest details and the sense of harmony, Shakespeare created the poems which will become as eternal as Rome. One of the aspects of his poetry which made it so fantastically natural, real and filled with passion was the accuracy in details which he drove to complete perfection. Thus, the greenery which he described in the poems, whether those were the thick bushes concealing the traitor or a rose grown in the place where two hearts broke, played a role as important as those of kings and queens.
This peculiarity of Shakespeare’s works came into the spotlight in his two plays, Romeo and Juliet and The Winter’s Tale. Without the details of the scenery which depicted the botanical imagery of the plays, the latter would have been incomplete. Because of the importance of the role of plants and trees in the two abovementioned plays, it would be reasonable to consider each of the plays in detail.
It is impossible to imagine The Winter’s Tale, one of the most fantastic plays of Shakespeare, without the description of the plants and trees which come into background as the main action unwinds. With a certain “touch of Chaucer” (Driver 232) in his play, Shakespeare could not help sparing several passages devoted to the beauty of nature. Whether the scenery conveyed certain idea or was merely a work of art in the middle of the play is rather hard question.
However, it would be possible to suggest that Shakespeare used the greenery images to emphasize certain elements of the play. Since the play comprised both the Shakespearean world picture and certain elements of the medieval times, it had to bear the traits of the two styles. Taking into consideration that the influence of Chaucer was more than obvious in The Winter’s Tale, and Chaucer’s passion for the descriptive elements, it could be suggested that the botanic details of the play were predetermined:
The Winter’s Tale tracks back to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, especially those of Patient Griselda and Mebilee; and even The Tempest, which seems contemporary with Shakespeare, inspired as it was by a shipwreck of 1609, employs inescapably medieval allusions. (Driver 11)
Creating a fairytale atmosphere in the story, Shakespeare added truthful details with help of greenery description. Imagining the trees and flowers growing in a faraway land, the readers would feel that the miraculous place is but a few steps away. There is no doubt that without such details the characters of the play would seem a little bit more distanced in time and space from the readers, and Shakespeare knew it well. Adding the descriptions which made the readers see the make-believe with their own eyes, Shakespeare did impossible – he made the characters of the story stand in front of the public’s eyes and turn completely alive.
Without the greenery mentioned in the play, the peculiarities of the characters would have been not so obvious. Once some plant is mentioned, it produces the image which is bound to be connected with the given character all the play long. A clear-cut example of such phenomenon is Autolicus’s appearance in the play:
When Daffadils begin to peere, With heigh the Doxy ouer the dale, Why then comes in the sweet o’the yeere, For the red blood raigns in y winters pale, he sings, creating certain image in the reader’s mind. From this very moment on, the young man is taken as a very open-hearted good-for nothing, a man whose sole roof over the head is the sky of blue. Daffodils, the plants which grow even on bricks and look as if they are spots of sunshine, are as light-hearted and carefree as Autolicus. A weed they are, but harmless and filling people’s hearts with joy, sweet morning dew dripping from their petals.
However, these are not only the joys of life which Shakespeare speaks about in the tragicomedy. Sometimes flowers and plants are used as a metaphor for people, with their own grieves and sorrows. With help of the ideas which certain flowers inspire, Shakespeare suggests an elegant and tragic wordplay:
Pol. Shepherdesse, (A faire one are you:) well you fit our ages With flowres of Winter, where “flowers of winter” are supposed to mean the results of the mean and tyrannical deeds of Leont. The words mean much more than an eye can meet: flowers growing in winter are bound to die, that is, Perdita id doomed. Such tragic hint wrapped in the “botanical” poetic metaphor sends shivers down the reader’s spine. However, Perdita’s answer reveals even more to the audience:
Perd. Sir, the yeare growing ancient, Not yet on summers death, nor on the birth Of trembling winter, the fayrest flowres o’th season Are our Carnations, and streak’d Gilly-vors, (Which some call Natures bastards) of that kind Our rusticke Gardens barren, and I care not To get slips of them.
The tragedy of Perdita’s life is conveyed in those simple yet moving lines. Associating herself with those flowers, she pictured her entire life better than anyone else could – a life of a flower it was, for everyone to admire and for no one to care for. Shakespeare’s choice for flowers is impeccable here; the wild beauty of carnations, so simple and yet fragile and gentle, is the very picture of Perdita. Adding to the images of the lead characters and describing them better than their actions or words, the greenery in the play is much more than merely a setting. Used metaphorically to describe the characters of The Winter’s Tale, flowers create visions much more picturesque than any words can.
The Tragedy and the Triumph of Love
In contrast to The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet suggests another idea of plants role in the play. While In The Winters’ Tale plants are used to depict the characters’ personalities better and to tell the story of their life, the role of greenery in Romeo and Juliet is somewhat different. In Romeo and Juliet plants are rather used as a means to depict the situation in the play and to put accent on certain emotion.
However, it cannot be denied that Shakespearean metaphors make use of plants to describe people as well. It must be kept in mind though that the Swan of Avon uses greenery to depict rather appearance than certain features of character or someone’s fate. Thus, to show the beauty of young women on the on-coming ball, Shakespeare compares them to flowers:
Such comfort as do lusty young men feel When well-apparell’d April on the heel Of limping winter treads, even such delight Among fresh female buds shall you this night Inherit at my house.
It is undeniable that Shakespeare is a master of metaphors. As the given passage shows, he uses not only various types of flowers to describe people’s appearance, but also different stages of flowers blooming. Indeed, young women who are only entering the adult life, in the gentlest age, can be called only buds. In spite of the seeming unattractiveness of a flower bud, it is even more beautiful than a flower blooming; for it has the charming uncertainty of youth which even the ripe beauty cannot be compared to. As Capulet pronounces this word, the reader can feel every single emotion of the old king, starting from his love to the daughter up to his pride on the beautiful child who will soon turn into a beautiful woman. Shakespeare uses the same trick in the talk between the Lady Capulet and the Nurse, describing the “valiant Paris” who seeks Juliet’s love:
Nurse A man, young lady! lady, such a man As all the world–why, he’s a man of wax. LADY CAPULET Verona’s summer hath not such a flower. Nurse Nay, he’s a flower; in faith, a very flower.
Thus, Shakespeare uses flowers in the play to describe the beauty of the characters or certain traits of their character (light-mindedness in this case), not going deep into details and not even specifying the kind of flowers. It could be suggested that in this play Shakespeare wanted to put greater emphasis on the action and the emotions of the leads, which made him be rather brief about depicting the leads with help of flowers. As Bloom noticed,
It is worth while to pause and note Shakespeare’s method of treating external nature as the milieu or enveloping medium of human passions; while sometimes, in addition, between external nature and human passions Shakespeare reveals acute points of special contact. (87)
It goes without saying that Shakespeare plunged deep into psychological description of characters with help of botanic elements in The Winter’s Tale, while in Romeo and Juliet the poet tends to make the descriptions more generalized. It is peculiar that in Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare even makes Mercutio makes wise but rather critical remarks jokingly with help of “herbal” elements: “Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut”, Mercutio says about ladies.
Because of the specific story of love and vengeance, the entire play is a battle of the opposites. Such trait of the play also has its effect on the role of plants mentioned in the play. Owing to the fact that the play depicts the confrontation of the two families, the role of the botanical imagery in the play often plays antipodal parts. As Spurgeon noted,
In Romeo and Juliet, also, we find the general light and darkness symbolism reinforced by touches of both black and white, and red and white, the first bringing out the peerless quality of each of lovers in the other’s eyes, the second enhancing the horror and the tragedy of the fate of youth in the play. (64)
Such contrast, which is not characteristic for The Winter’s Tale at all, concerns not only colors. It can also be seen in the botanical imagery throughout the play. For example, when Romeo says, “Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear/ That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops,” the readers feel the mystery and infatuation soaring in the air. It seems that the trees around are giants who are going to tell away the secrets of the two. Meanwhile, the idea of trees as a shelter is conveyed in the passage with Mercutio and Benvolio talking about Romeo and his blind infatuation:
Come, he hath hid himself among these trees, To be consorted with the humorous night: Blind is his love and best befits the dark.
It is quite peculiar that the famous Shakespearean sense of humor did not escape the poet in this play as well; the poem is rich with the witty dialogues where flowers and other botanical issues are touched upon. Te use of the peculiar “botanical” element can be explained by the elegance which the puns in the poem obtained as the flowers were used as an idiom. In contrast to The Winter’s Tale where all idioms were used to emphasize the characters’ individuality, in Romeo and Juliet the puns were designed to make the readers feel the hopelessness which the poem was sewn through with.
MERCUTIO Nay, I am the very pink of courtesy. ROMEO Pink for flower. MERCUTIO Right. ROMEO Why, then is my pump well flowered.
With help of the word “pink”, which is also the name of the flower, the sarcasm of Romeo is enlarged to grotesque size. Although the tragic situation does not suggest excessive fun, the gloomy remark s made even more stinging due to the usage of pink. Thus, Shakespeare makes the readers feel the vengeful air which the war between the Montagues and the Capulets created.
Conclusion
Because of the specific Shakespearean manner of using greenery in metaphors and to describe the specific atmosphere in the story, the poems The Winter’s Tale and Romeo and Juliet reveal certain similar traits. It would be a mistake to claim that only the botanical element in the both stories made them unique, but there is no doubt that the abovementioned element contributes sufficiently to the feeling of the inimitable Shakespearean style. However, it must be admitted that the botanical element used the two stories serves different purposes in each of the poems.
Without the botanical element in The Winter’s Tale, the characters’ personalities would not have been depicted so brightly and vividly. Using plants and flowers to compare them to the people in the play, Shakespeare made miracles of metaphors and comparisons; meanwhile, in Romeo and Juliet the plants and flowers served rather as a background to emphasize the tense situation or as a means to describe people’s appearance. It was rather characteristic trait of Romeo and Juliet to show the sarcasm with help of idiom about flowers.
Botanical issues are an integral part of the two Shakespearean plays and their specific feature. Without this feature, the plays would have something missing; they would seize being complete. Looking for the means to express the things which needed specific wrapping, The Swan of Avon chose the most brilliant of all.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. Romeo and Juliet. New York, NY: InfoBase Publishing, 2008. Print.
Spurgeon, Caroline F. E. Shakespeare’s Imagery and What It Tells Us. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982. Print.
Driver, Martha V., and Sid Ray. Shakespeare and the Middle Ages: Essays on the Performance and Adaptation of the Plays with Medieval Sources or Settings. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009. Print.
Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by Shakespeare and it is thought to have been written in 1595 or 1596. The play is set in the city of Verona. It is a tragic love story and the love between Romeo and Juliet eventually killed them in the end. Romeo and Juliet were responsible for their own destiny and from the start to the end they their love remains strong.
The young lovers Romeo and Juliet are both from families who hated each other for centuries. Their love causes many tragic events to occur as they are from a family of Capulet and Montague. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story of a forbidden love due to their families’ strong objection to their love. The two young lovers’ untimely death ultimately united their feuding families.
“William Shakespeare was born allegedly on April 23, 1564 in Stratford- Upon-Avon. The church records of Holy Trinity show that he was baptized on April 26th, 1564. In reality” (Shakespeare’s Birth para. 1) the actual date of Shakespeare’s birthday is unknown. William Shakespeare father was John Shakespeare who was a Glover and leather merchant. His mother was Mary Aden who was a landed local heiress. According to the church register of Holy trinity, William Shakespeare was the third of eight children.
Little is known about Shakespeare’s education and it is alleged that he probably attended the endowed grammar school of Stratford where he learned “little Latin and less Greek” as referred by Ben Johnson. In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years his senior. In 1587, Shakespeare left his family to pursue his dreams in London where joined Burbage’s company of players. Shakespeare poems marked the beginning of his success.
His poem “Venus and Adonis” became immensely popular in London. After this he wrote a succession of wonderful plays, – Merchant of Venice, As you like it, twelfth night, Julius Ceaser , Hamlet, Mac Beth, Othello, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra etc. “At the time of Shakespeare’s death twenty- one plays existed in manuscripts in various theaters” (William).
There are many controversies as to when exactly Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet. Apart from this, many historians are claiming that the works of Shakespeare are really the work of Edward de Vere. “Many Oxfordians believe that the true author of Shakespeare’s plays was an aristocrat named Edward De Vere” (History of Doubts Surrounding the Authorship of Shakespeare’s Works). Edward de Vere was the 17th Earl of Oxford and was born in 1550. He graduated from Cambridge University at a tender age of 14.
The theories that the work of Shakespeare’s was that of Edward de Vere was based on the upbringing , knowledge , education and many of the similarities of works between the two writer. Many historians believed that the Edward De Vere wrote plays and sonnets under the pseudonym of Shakespeare. Despite all these allegations and theories, there is no concrete proof to that Edward de Vere was the real author of Shakespeare’s plays as many of Shakespeare’s plays were written after the death of Edward De Vere.
In Romeo and Juliet, the development of characters eventually led to the tragedy of the main characters. The characters developed throughout the story. In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to a young girl Juliet. Juliet is the daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet. The development of Juliet in the play is the most dynamic as she undergoes a huge transformation in terms of love, loyalty and maturity. At the beginning of the play Juliet is a carefree and innocent girl who is not ready to settle down in life.
When her nurse jokes about the sexual life of marriage to Juliet, Juliet goes on to tell the nurse that ‘It is an honor that I have not dreamt of’ “(Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5). From this we can see that Juliet is not ready to marry yet and has not taken the responsibility of settling down in life. Juliet in the beginning shows no intention of marrying and has not taken the responsibility of fulfilling her parents wish.
Juliet rapidly evolves into a mature young lady and transforms into a determined, sober-minded woman in the four day span in the play. Her sense of loyalty to her parents is shown in her dutiful determination to try to love Paris, her fiancée, “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move” (Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5). She is an obedient who is respectfully to her mother and sensible towards her parents need, “Madam, I am here, / what is your will?” (Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5).
Juliet rapidly transform from a carefree young girl to a lady after she falls in love with Romeo. She no longer feels the need to comply her parents wish or the need to sacrifice her happiness for her parents. She revolts against her parents by and stands by her decision to die rather than marry a person whom she does not love: “If all else fail, myself have power to die”(Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5 244). Her love for Romeo makes her defy her parents wish.
In her relationship with Romeo, Juliet gives her all and is loving, faithful and strong. She is the one who suggests that they get married even without their parents’ approval. Often times, Romeo is rash in decision, but Juliet always seems to be clear headed. Her maturity is seen in the balcony scene of Act 11, scene 2, when she comments about the rashness of their love “It is too rash, too unadvis’d, too sudden.”
Juliet lives under the control of a patriarch. She has very little freedom and is completely dependent on her father. However, she is prepared to leave everything dear to her life and marry her lover Romeo. She matures throughout the play and abandons her family to be with Romeo.
Juliet bravery is noteworthy as she is a mere child of 14 years old. She makes logical decision and does not rush to anything. Even when Romeo kills Tybalt in his rash decision, Juliet takes time to think about her decision to marry Romeo. She does not blindly follow Romeo when she makes a decision that her guiding priorities should be her true love, Romeo.
After a lot of thinking and reflecting, she finally awakes from her prior social life – the nurse, her parents as well as her social standing in Verona to reunite with her lover. When Juliet wakes from her sleep in the tomb to find her husband dead, she stabs herself with a dagger out of the intensity of her love for Romeo. Juliet development from an innocent, naïve girl to a strong, independent woman is one of Shakespeare triumph in characterization.
The love of Romeo and Juliet is a remarkable love as they have to undergo many obstacles to be united. Many good things come out of their love as their death finally united the family of Capulet and Montague. It is a tragedy that their families have to find out through the death of the young lovers that love always triumphs. The death of Romeo and Juliet finally end the bitter feud between the Capulet and Montague. The Chorus also reminds us that “their death [will] bury their parents’ strife,” (Shakespeare & Pearce 204).
Works Cited
History of Doubts Surrounding the Authorship of Shakespeare’s Works. Oxford Society. 1995. Web.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and it is considered to be one of the most significant plays in world literature. The story has always attracted the attention of the general public, linguists, and litterateurs. Lively descriptions, profound characters, and proper use of metaphors make the tragedy especially emphatic. In this research work, several issues are going to be discussed. The paper will be focused on the image of the lovers and the aspects of love; the metaphorical language of the play will also be studied. The research will allow seeing how the concept of love develops throughout the plot and how the author skillfully portrays his characters.
Main Themes and Conflicts and Their Role in the Play
In Romeo and Juliet, love is the central theme of the tragedy, and the images of the protagonists are mostly shaped by the relationships and challenges they had to face. With the help of his characters, Shakespeare showed that love may bring both happiness and struggle. In order to understand the concept of love and other aspects that shape the protagonists, it would be useful to analyze scientific sources.
Although love is often associated with happiness and a promising future, the relationships between Romeo and Juliet are challenged by their feuding families, violence, and the pressure of society. According to Kottman, the play presents “a conflict between the lovers’ individual desires and the reigning demands of family, civic, and social norms in relation to which those desires are formed” (1). He emphasizes that the main obstacle for the characters’ relationship is the rivalry of their families, where fathers have a decisive role. King emphasizes that “the patriarch’s dominance results in a division of self: the emotional self, and the public self” (38). As an example, Juliet obeys her father regarding marriage at first, though inside, she accepts her love for Romeo. At the same time, religion, represented by the character of Friar Lawrence, appears to support the relationships of protagonists, as this character tries to assist Romeo and Juliet in their escape.
Struggle between the protagonists and the external forces is an important element of the play that influences the characters. When the protagonists fell in love, they realized that they are “neither bound to, nor separated from, one another by any “third” power— nature, mortality, family enmity, or civic norms” (Kottman 37). The conflict brings suffering to Romeo and Juliet but helps them with self-realization and recognition of each other.
As it is possible to notice, the concept of death is another essential theme of the story. According to Lindell, the play changes from comedy to tragedy “with the almost accidental, almost incidental, stabbing of Mercutio” (166). An important scene that shapes the character of Juliet is the death of her cousin, Tybalt. Juliet had to choose between her cousin and her love; however, she protects Romeo. This scene is another symbol of the protagonists’ confronting their families and society.
However, death in the play is not only a negative notion. Cano and García-Periago confirm that the death of Romeo and Juliet reconciled the rivaling families (338). Moreover, with the help of the suicide scene, Shakespeare shows that even mortality is not able to separate lovers (Kottman 38). As a result, romantic love, struggle, the idea of death, and conflict between the protagonists and the external forces became the factors shaping the characters and the play itself.
The Aspect of Love
Modern Studies
Since romantic love can be considered the major theme of the tragedy, it would be useful to analyze it in detail by discussing modern research works. For example, Isea and Lonngren used mathematical tools to analyze the stability of the protagonists’ relationships (1). With the use of mathematical formulae, the researchers evaluated how much time the couple could spend together and alone and to what extent they enjoyed each other’s company. Some of the additional factors covered the challenges that couples may experience nowadays: the time spent on social networks and the tolerance towards each other’s way of spending money. The analysis of four different scenarios showed that in most of the cases, Romeo and Juliet had stable relationships (Isea and Lonngren 3). In the conclusion part, the authors suggested that such a study can help couples understand their relationships better.
The relationship between love and stigma was also an important research subject. Brooks et al. used the example of the protagonists to study stigmatized relationships and called “a seemingly positive aspect of stigmatized relationships” the Romeo and Juliet effect (104). The findings of the study showed that people who face stigma are likely to be more involved in each other. Moreover, they suggested that there is a positive correlation between “the amounts of stigma a couple of faces and the amount of love that they are perceived to have” (Brooks et al. 108). This idea proves that stigma expressed through pressure from family and society contributed to the protagonists’ mutual self-recognition and their deep feelings.
Metaphors as the Means of Emphasis
The unique language of the story makes the play more dramatic and touching. Metaphor is one of the stylistic devices that Shakespeare uses to portray the characters and their romance. The love affair of Romeo and Juliet itself is depicted as the symbol of feelings that are powerful and tragic at the same time. In this part of the paper, the most significant metaphors of the play will be analyzed.
The beginning of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is marked by the frequent use of metaphors. Their feelings develop very fast: the protagonists fall in love at first sight and get married within a couple of days. Accelerated love is a metaphor for life brevity; Shakespeare implies that lovers should enjoy every moment spent together since life is unpredictable and changeable. Characters themselves use metaphorical language; for example, Gibbs emphasizes the metaphor “Juliet is the sun”, which conveys Romeo’s admiration of Juliet (83). In general, all metaphors at the beginning of the play are bright and optimistic since young love is considered a tender and entirely positive feeling.
Further, metaphors in the book appear in more negative circumstances. In the scene of Tybalt stabbing Mercutio, the latter describes his wound as a “scratch” (Bleakley 6). He then says that he is “peppered, warrant for this world” (Bleakley 6). With the help of these metaphors, the character demonstrates courage, even though his wound is fatal. It is also possible to notice that some of the metaphors can be related to real life. According to the opinion of the general public, the following metaphor is considered one of the brightest in Shakespeare’s works: “Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes” (Wilson 14). Such an opinion remains today, as many people agree that men pay more attention to the external, rather than internal qualities of their lover.
At the same time, entire scenes and elements of the story can be called metaphorical. For example, the rival families and the secret love of Romeo and Juliet is a metaphor of “our struggles for freedom and self-realization” emphasized by Kottman (3). The scene where Romeo sees Juliet on a balcony can be interpreted as a metaphor of unhappy or impossible love. Moreover, a couple being apart is a symbol that would help readers predict the tragic ending of the story.
To sum up, by using metaphors in the play, Shakespeare helped readers understand both the protagonists and supporting characters and their relationships in a more profound way. Moreover, through this technique, readers could predict how the story would develop. Finally, metaphors allow the author to accentuate certain scenes or important moments in the plot, draw the reader’s attention and make the story more appealing and gripping.
Conclusion
The story of Romeo and Juliet is an example of how twisted plot and memorable language combined to create a masterpiece of world literature. The message of the author was to accentuate the value of love and that lovers need to appreciate every moment with each other. Then, he confirms that in relationships, people sometimes face difficulties, which, however, can make their feelings deeper. Shakespeare describes their love affair and obstacles they had to overcome, which are the major factors that shape the lovers. In addition, the themes of the rivalry between two families, the pressure of society, death, and faith, also influenced the images of the characters. Finally, with the help of vivid metaphorical language, the author allows readers to understand the characters and their relationships better.
Works Cited
Bleakley, Alan. Thinking with Metaphors in Medicine: The State of the Art. Routledge, 2017.
Brooks, Thomas. R., et al. “Romeo and Juliet: Perceptions of Love of Stigmatized Relationships.” Interpersona, vol. 11, no. 2, 2017, pp. 102-112.
Cano, Marina, and Rosa García-Periago. Jane Austen and William Shakespeare: A Love Affair in Literature, Film and Performance. Springer Nature, 2019.
Isea, Raul, and Karl E. Lonngren. “Analyzing the Love Affair of Romeo and Juliet with Modern Mathematical Tools.” Journal of Mathematics & Statistics Science, 2018, vol. 1, no. 1, pp.1-3.
King, Griffin. “Am I Not Fallen Away: Surrogate Fathers in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1 and Romeo and Juliet.” Verso, 2019, pp. 36-46.
Kottman, Paul. A. “Defying the Stars: Tragic Love as the Struggle for Freedom in Romeo and Juliet.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 63, no. 1, 2012, pp. 1–38.
Lindell, Kiki. “Putting the Fun Back into Funerals: Dealing/Dallying with Death in Romeo and Juliet.” Comparative Drama, vol. 5, no. 2 & 3, 2016, pp. 165-181.
Romeo and Juliet are unquestionably the most famous pair of lovers in world literature. Since the play’s inception in the 16th century, they have fallen in love and died in each other’s arms innumerable times. Just as the actors performing the play are bound by Shakespeare’s script, the actions of the characters within it have been predetermined by the hand of fate. There are repeated references to destiny, fortune, and the futility of trying to escape or subvert them. Thus, the play Romeo and Juliet demonstrates that fate is the invisible, unavoidable force behind the entirety of the human experience.
Main body
Firstly, the inevitability of fate is coded into the main plot of Romeo and Juliet. The Capulets and Montague have been embroiled in a blood feud with no other reason given than an “ancient grudge” (Shakespeare Prologue 3). The origins of the conflict are inexplicable but accepted as an unavoidable fact by all the characters. Similarly, humans submit to the workings of fate even if it remains inscrutable to them. Romeo and Juliet fail and die in their attempt to escape the family feud; the same tragic ending awaits any person who cannot accept their fate. Therefore, the main characters’ failure to escape the age-old vendetta between their families is reflective of the human inability to subvert destiny.
Secondly, the prologue establishes that the events of the play have been predetermined not just by the author, but supernatural forces. The main characters have sprung from “the fatal loins” of the two rival families, and nothing but their death can put an end to the conflict (Shakespeare Prologue 5). They are a “star-crossed” couple, consumed by love that is “death-marked” (Shakespeare Prologue 6, 9). Thus the atmosphere of the play is imbued with the inevitability of tragedy. The following events, from Romeo’s fight with Tybalt to the lovers’ double suicide, are not just the result of bad luck and coincidence. The prologue has dictated the action from the very beginning. Fate is playing a chess game and slowly pushing all the players into the correct positions. The prologue divests humans of their free will and presents them as ignorant pawns in a larger cosmic scheme.
Thirdly, the characters themselves are preoccupied with the rule of fate over their lives. They do not remain blind to its machinations but verbally acknowledge their fears about its callousness. Juliet laments that “heaven should practice stratagems upon so soft a subject as myself” (Shakespeare 3.5.209-210). Romeo sighs that he is made a “fortune’s fool” after Tybalt is slain (Shakespeare 3.1.127). Both Romeo and Juliet recognize their lack of autonomy and long to flout the decrees of heaven. Once Romeo learns of Juliet’s death, he declares that he wishes to “defy you, stars,” and later “shake the yoke of inauspicious stars” (Shakespeare 5.1.25, 5.3.111). Romeo and Juliet believe that they are choosing to die for their love as a final assertion of personal will. However, the prologue hints that even this decision was predestined in order to finally heal the rift between the Capulets and Montagues. The constant references to the stars and fortune display that humans are cognizant of fate’s power, but that does not save them from falling prey to it.
Fourthly, the characters do not simply fear the possibility of doom but experience direct premonitions of the tragic fate that awaits them. Romeo fears that “some consequence [is] yet hanging in the stars” upon entering the Capulet ball (Shakespeare 1.5.107). Before even discovering his family name, Juliet looks at Romeo and predicts that her “grave is like to be [her] wedding bed” (Shakespeare 1.5.134). On the balcony, she exclaims that she has an “ill-divining soul” and sees Romeo “as one dead in the bottom of a tomb” (Shakespeare 3.5.54-56). Fate in Romeo and Juliet is not just a retroactive justification of the characters’ impulses or ignorance. They predict that their end will be unhappy even before learning that they come from rival families. Therefore, fate is not a rationalization for human foolishness but an active, supernatural force that puppeteers the characters and leads them to their deaths.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the central tension in Romeo and Juliet is not between the lovers and their families but between free will and fate. Shakespeare demonstrates that destiny is an omnipotent force that humans can neither comprehend nor resist. The futility of subversion is coded into the play’s central plot; Romeo and Juliet’s failure to overcome the family feud is reflective of the human inability to deny destiny. The prologue establishes humans as pawns in a cosmic chess game that they cannot escape even if they acknowledge their role. The characters predict their death even before they learn each other’s names, proving that fate is not simply an excuse but an active force. The self in modern Western culture is understood as a self-contained, self-determining, independent unit. However, a story about the calamitous consequences of attempting to defy destiny still retains a strong hold over the Western imagination.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Edited by G. Blakemore Evans, Cambridge University Press, 2003.
The love story of Romeo and Juliet is well known to most people, but one might forget that Romeo was initially not in love with Juliet; he met her later. His first love was a girl named Rosalina, who, like Juliet, was from the Capulet family. To see Rosaline, Romeo came to the Capulets’ house for a masquerade ball, and it was there that he first met Juliet. At the beginning of the play, the hero behaves like an immature romantic; he desires to conquer an inaccessible girl:
“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs, Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes, Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears” (Shakespeare 1.1.180-185).
In this way, it is clear that love is not always soft but sometimes harsh, heartbreaking, and distressing. Romeo understands that this emotion is not easy; it can bring hardship and disappointment. He uses the metaphor “love is a smoke”, thus demonstrating that feelings obscure his eyes and mind. Romeo interprets love as the result of the countless heartaches that one endures, which leads to despair and sadness.
The metaphor in Romeo’s monologue conveys all the emotions and experiences of the hero. His love is impulsive, reckless, and spontaneous in its emergence, which so profoundly embraces the whole being of the hero that it becomes difficult for him to continue his ordinary life. Meetings with friends recede into the background, for his only goal is to win the heart of his rebellious lover. The head character is so excited in his wild passion that he is like lightning looking for a place to strike. Therefore, it becomes clear that the love and tragedy of Romeo and Rosaline’s love are intertwined in Act I. Romeo’s discouragement with true love suddenly turns into a budding love for Juliet, who comes from a lineage with which Romeo’s family has had a long-running feud.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Dover Publications, 1993.
William Shakespeare in “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” present tragic love stories. Although these two plays tell the stories of profound love, immense pain and suffering seems to be customary. In “Romeo and Juliet” there is an unending row between two families, Montague and Capulet (Shakespeare 5).
The main plot of the play concerns Romeo and Juliet whose love defies all odds. Romeo comes from the Montague family while Juliet is a Capulet. Their love is passionate and intense, but their family feud is a barrier. The tragic end in this story demonstrates how love is a cause of misery.
In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” the plot is centered on the deep love between Theseus and Hippolyta who are about to wed. During their wedding preparations, the plot reveals the affections of other characters like Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius, King Oberon and Queen Titania. They find themselves in fairyland where they interact with magic. These characters find themselves in circumstances that trigger pain and suffering because of their love for one another.
The story is full of dreams and magical events, which makes it fantastical. In addition, the play has a humorous tone that underplays the ordeals and hardship faced by people in love. The difference between “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is in their endings. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” has a happy ending while “Romeo and Juliet” ends in tragedy. Both stories depict a dichotomy between profound love and suffering.
This paper examines romantic love as the source of joy and fulfillment in “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. It also examines how love contributes to pain and suffering in both stories.
Love as a source of joy and satisfaction in “Romeo and Juliet”
The love between Romeo and Juliet is powerful. Romeo is attracted to Juliet immediately after meeting her. The two of them are happy and express their affections for each other (Shakespeare 48). After seeing Juliet, Romeo realizes his feelings for her are different. Although their families are at war, their love is powerful.
Romeo is beyond himself with joy because now; he loves someone who also loves him. When the nurse informs Juliet about the identity of Romeo, she has no desire to end their relationship. Instead, she says, “My only love sprung from my only hate” (Shakespeare 52). Later, when they meet, she tells Romeo it is only a name that makes them enemies. This revelation gives Romeo confidence to fight for her. Juliet’s affection is a source of joy to Romeo.
He confesses if Juliet calls him love then; he will be a new man. As their conversation continues, Juliet asks Romeo what will bring him satisfaction. Romeo tells Juliet that marrying her is his only desire. Their love is a source of satisfaction. Her feelings for Romeo are so strong she is prepared to give up her name and her birthright.
Love as a source of pain and suffering in “Romeo and Juliet”
As the plot begins, Romeo is lonely and miserable because he loves Rosaline but, she does not share the same feelings. He makes his room dark during the day because he believes love is associated with light (Shakespeare 16). He barely does anything other than moan for a love which is unreciprocated. Romeo’s friend, Mercutio scoffs at his feelings for Rosaline when he shares his misery. However, Romeo likens his sadness to madness.
When he asks Romeo what makes him sad, Romeo replies “Ay me! Sad hours seem long” (Shakespeare 17). His days are bleak without love. This scene illustrates how love causes suffering. Romeo’s pain causes him to go to a Capulet feast even, though, the two families are fighting. After meeting Juliet, Friar Laurence asks about Romeo and Rosaline.
Romeo answers by saying “I have forgotten that name, and that name’s woe” (Shakespeare 26). This statement depicts how deeply Romeo is wounded following Rosaline’s rejection. Friar Lawrence then wonders how Romeo can forsake his love for Rosaline so quickly. Romeo explains his affections for Rosaline were childish.
In “Romeo and Juliet”, love is a vicious and powerful feeling. Romeo and Juliet contemplate suicide whenever they think of being separated. Romeo tries to kill himself in the presence of Friar Lawrence after he is banned from Verona for killing Tybalt (Shakespeare 65). Similarly, When Juliet finds out about the ban she is desolate. She equates their separation with death. Furthermore, Juliet threatens to end her life when she is forced to marry Paris.
She tells her mother she would rather have the wedding in the graveside (Shakespeare 70). Towards the end of the play, Juliet feigns death in order to stop her upcoming wedding. Friar Lawrence is the mastermind of this plot but, he fails to inform Romeo. He gives Juliet a sleeping pill to induce her into a deep sleep.
In the morning, when the nurse finds Juliet, she thinks Juliet is dead. Juliet’s family also believes the facade and mourns for her. Romeo kills himself when he finds Juliet because he also thinks she is dead. Juliet then wakes up and finds Romeo dead; she takes a dagger and stabs herself. The tragic in this story is the ultimate sacrifice of love.
Love as a source of joy and satisfaction in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Love is a source of joy in this plot. The story begins with wedding preparation. Theseus confesses he won her love through a sword, but he will love her differently (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 3). Because of his happiness, Theseus orders the commoners to stage a play for entertainment (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 3).
His joy and satisfactions causes him to give Hermia enough time to think about her actions instead of judging harshly. Hermia and Lysander are happy just loving each other. When Lysander discloses a possibility of leaving Athens, Hermia gets excited. Although their plan does not run smoothly, Hermia and Lysander enjoy a happy ending. In addition, Demetrius learns to love Helena and the people of Athens witness three weddings. King Oberon after tricking Titania and the four lovers with a love spells finds fulfillment in Titania.
Love as a source of pain and suffering in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Love is the source of pain and suffering in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. As the story begins, King Oberon and Queen Titania love is the source of their suffering. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 20) The two parties are at war because Titania refuses to release the Indian boy to Oberon. She is disgusted with him for coercing her to comply. She declares “I have forsworn his bed and company” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 20).
Consequently, Oberon sends one of his attendants, Puck to find a flower known as love-in- idleness. If this flower is rubbed on a person’s eyelids, the person will fall in love with the first living creature he sets his eyes on. Oberon intends to use this flower on Titania because she refuses to comply with his wishes. It is clear in this story love causes suffering because Oberon loves Titania yet, he desires to seek revenge over an Indian boy. His desire to have a knight outweighs his affections for Titania to a point he harms her.
Similarly, Hermia and Lysander are suffering because of their love for each other. Hermia desires to marry Lysander but Hermia’s father; Egeus forbids the union (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 5). According to the law of the land, the father has a right to choose a spouse for his daughter.
The penalty for non compliance is death or confinement to a nunnery for life. In this story, Egeus believes his daughter has been bewitched by Lysander into selecting him for a husband. He accuses her before Thesius and demands for her punishment if she continues to disobey.
Love is the source of suffering for Hermia who wishes to be with Lysander but, is being forced to marry Demetrius. Hermia declares Athens was paradise before she met Lysander and she wonders what grace Lysander has “that he hath turn’d a heaven unto hell” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 10). On the other hand, Demetrius claims to love Hermia even though he is ready to see her executed for choosing Lysander.
Another source of disharmony in a love is relationship is portrayed in the romantic situation between Helena and Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 10). Helena feels affection for Demetrius, and Demetrius is attracted to Hermia. This means the two men are fighting for the affection Hermia, while Helena is lonely. Helena’s love for Demetrius brings unhappiness because he rejects her. Helena is constantly complaining about his rejection.
She says “the more I love, the more he hateth me” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 10). As Hermia and Lysander are planning to elope, they see Helena complaining about her affections for Demetrius and confide in her. They hope that she will be happy with Hermia out of the picture (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 14). However, Helena’s affections for Demetrius cause her to betray Hermia and Lysander by revealing their plans to elope. Helena hopes her show of loyalty will make Demetrius fall in love with her again.
In this story, the love is confusing. This confusion brings potent pain and suffering. Initially, Demetrius is attracted to Helena but, after she meets Hermia her affection change. Helena feels dejected by this turn of events. Later, as Lysander and Hermia try to escape, Puck makes a mistake and places the magic juice on Lysander’s eyelids. The first person Lysander sees when he wakes up is Helena, and he falls in love with her (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 55).
Instead of eloping, Lysander turns his attention on Helena. Lysander’s lack of interest hurts Hermia. She holds Demetrius responsible for Lysander’s departure. On realizing that Punk made a mistake, Oberon squeezes the magic portion on Demetrius. Upon waking up, Demetrius falls in love with Helena. Now both men try to win Helena’s heart. Hermia is distressed by the sudden change in Lysander. Similarly, Helena is hurt because she believes the two men are tricking her.
Hermia attacks Helena and blames her for her suffering (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 65). The confusion that arises because of the magic spell stirs up rage in this story. After witnessing the suffering of the lovers, Oberon corrects his mistake, and the love story ends happily. In this story, the course of love faces trials and temptation. Lysander says “the course of true love never did run smoothly” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 8).
The most memorable love stories are the love stories that have sad endings. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, a tragedy play about two doomed lovers, is no exception in that sense. The richness of Shakespeare’s characters in the play along with the emphasis on the main protagonists overshadows many other important characters, whose role cannot be overestimated. One of such characters and the subject of this paper is Friar Laurence, a priest, and Romeo’s advisor and friend.
Friar Lawrence’s responsibilities, as a priest in Italy in the 15th century included procedures such as marrying couples and conducting funerals. In addition a priest at that time was accepting confessions and forgiving sins. Being a Franciscan monk, the members of such order “practice the principles of monastic life and devote themselves to the service of humanity in the secular world.” (“Franciscans”)
“Friars differed from monks in that the monk was attached to a specific community within which he led a cloistered life, having no direct contact with the secular world. The friar, on the other hand, belonged to no particular monastic house but to a general order, and worked as an individual in the secular world. Thus, friar and monk are not synonymous terms, even though in popular usage monk is often used as a generic term for all members of religious orders.”
The position taken by Friar Laurence in Romeo’s life can be sensed throughout the novel. Friar Laurence, as Romeo’s friend, can be described as a person to ask for advice. The Laurence’s position as a friend differs from the position as a priest in advising Romeo in delicate themes. The strengths of such friendships can be seen in the way Friar Laurence accepts and anticipates Romeo’s actions, showing that he is ready to hear him as a friend not as a priest,
“Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign. Therefore thy earliness doth me assure Thou art uprouse with some distemp’rature; Or if not so, then here I hit it right – Our Romeo hath not been in bed tonight.” (Shakespeare and Holland 47).
The weaknesses of such friendship can be seen through the reaction of Friar Laurence to Romeo’s love, where Friar started reproaching him for forgetting Rosaline so quickly and questioning the seriousness of Romeo’s intentions. In this scene the contrast can be seen, as Romeo was coming to ask for the advice, where the problem was in Juliette being a Capulet, and Friar Laurence underestimated the seriousness of Romeo’s confessions as notes of irony could be heard in his words.
“Holy Saint Francis! What a change is here! Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” (Shakespeare and Holland 48).
The role of Friar Laurence as a priest and as a person that is concerned about the ongoing hostility between the two families was his main strength. This strength can be seen through the potential to reconcile the Capulet and the Montague. This potential was fulfilled through marrying Romeo and Juliet,
“So smile the heavens upon this holy act That after-hours with sorrow chide us not!” (Shakespeare and Holland 60).
Friar truly believed that by marrying the Romeo and Juliet, he was acting behalf of the church from one hand and as a peace maker from the other.
“For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone Till Holy Church incorporate two in one.” (Shakespeare and Holland 62).
The Friar Laurence’s weaknesses as a priest are the most apparent where he acted without foreseeing the consequences of his actions. In order for the secret of Romeo and Juliet to be kept, he evaded direct answers when speaking with Paris about why the marriage should not be hastened,
“On Thursday, sir? The time is very short….. You say you do not know the lady’s mind: Uneven is the course; I like it not.’’’ I would I knew not why it should be slow’d.” (Shakespeare and Holland 94-95).
The idea itself of offering the lovers the potions to save their love, can be considered an improper action of a priest, where Friar Laurence should have advised the lovers to think reasonable, although at some point he might have thought that in case he did not help them, they would have done actions with much worse consequences.
The presentation of a character such as Laurence is an appeal in itself by Shakespeare to have the audience sympathy regarding the church. Persuading Romeo from killing himself appealing with his love to Juliet is a confession of the power of love, where a priest did not use religious threat of committing such sin, rather than using the logic of the young blood. In addition, Shakespeare used Romeo and Laurence’ monologues to show the points of agreement and disapproval between the rational old generation and the somewhat reckless young generation, a generation driven by emotions and passion.
Romeo and Juliette’s love is not simply an infringement of family interdictions. It is a call thrown on the century tradition of hatred throughout which many generations of Montague and Capulet had died and upon which the state foundations of Verona were based. Therefore, it can be seen why the feelings that captured both Romeo and Juliet scared almost everyone that surrounds them. For their love, their union undermines bases, and breaks what the laws that were forbidden to break.
Despite the youth and the carelessness, despite all boyish bravery of Romeo and Juliette’s spontaneity, they practically knew from the very beginning their desperate position. The power of their passions, the finality of their decision and reckless determination on everything including death, shocked even the one who, apparently, understands them and not only sympathizes with them, but also helped them in every possible way- Friar Laurence. The friendship of Friar Laurence and his status as a priest make the audience sympathize with him, despite his prediction of the end,
“These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die; like fire and powder,”
Works Cited
“Franciscans”. 2008. The Franciscans. 2009. Web.
Shakespeare, William, and Peter Holland. Romeo and Juliet. The Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.