Category: Romeo And Juliet

Introduction

Romeo and Juliet is really an overwhelming play by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet has been categorized as a tragedy by William Shakespeare which has been ranked above most of his other plays. The play revolves around two young star-crosses lovers, Romeo and Juliet whose deaths ultimately fasten together their feuding families.

Romeo and Juliet is a fascinating and interesting story among Shakespeare’s most popular archetypal stories. Shakespeare has addressed the issue of love among teenage and long lovers. The relationship of young lovers has been of great focus in Romeo and Juliet. The play is rated highly among other tragic romantic plays of traditional times. Across the play, the issue of love has been manifested.

It is with no doubt that love is the main theme addressed by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. Various forms of love have been evident across the play. This is evident from the relationships between the various characters in the play. In this paper, the different types of love portrayed in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will be discussed.

Different types of Love

The concept of love has been identified as one of the most misconceived elements in human relationships. This is in relation to the different types of love among people. Basically, love refers to an emotion of strong affection which leads to personal attachment. Love can be identified as a virtue which represents human compassion, kindness, and affection. Love is unselfish and loyal concern for other.

It is imperative noting that love can be identified as the actions towards other people which are based on compassion. Actions to other people based on affection and kindness also signify love.

On the other hand, attitudes, states, feelings, and interpersonal attractions contributing to pleasure are also referred to as love¹. As noted in the play “Romeo and Juliet”, the concept of love has been outstanding. This is demonstrated by the interactions between the various characters and more specifically Romeo and Juliet.

There are different types of love in the human society. Some of the commonly known forms of love are romantic love, platonic love, and religious love. Romantic love is the passionate attraction or intimacy between two people basically driven by sexual love of eros. Platonic love on the other hand refers to familial love or emotional closeness to people within a person’s family members or close friends.

Religious love is the form of love explained by the desire for devotion and oneness². Other forms of love include eros love, Ludus, Storge, Pragma, Mania and agape love. To begin with, Eros love refers to passionate or romantic love. This is a form of love which is driven by ideal or physical beauty for intimacy. Ludus love on the other hand refers to relationship based on deceit and un-commitment.

Storge is a friendship-based love whereby the parties engage in a long-term relationship in which sex is not very passionate or intense. Pragma refers to practical, pragmatic or mutually beneficial relationship which is not basically romantic.

Mania is also a key form of love whereby the parties are possessive or obsessive to one another. Extreme, crazy and jealous behaviors are commonly expressed by people in mania love. Agape love on the other hand is a caring, gentle, brotherly and giving type of love³.

Different Types of Love in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

In Shakespeare’s perspective, the concept of romantic love has been adopted to explain love between the characters. In the entire play, the characters are overwhelmed by romance. Romeo and Juliet are key characters in the play who have been identified with a high sense of intimacy between the two. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet is very romantic thus characterizing the entire story as a love play.

Both Romeo and Juliet are intimately in love with one another. This is evident by the strong passion and compassion for one another. It is worth noting that the two characters has down looked all other factors surrounding them and fell in love. The concept of sex, romance and intimacy overwhelms their relationship. This scenario definitely demonstrates the sense of romantic love between Romeo and Juliet⁴.

Pure or agape love can also been identified in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play revolves around two hormone-driven teenagers, Romeo and Juliet who down looks their families’ long-standing feud. They decided to risk everything together. The point whereby Romeo and Juliet enter into a relationship in contrary to their families’ feud is a manifestation of true love.

The two characters went contrary with their families’ disputes to execute their objectives. It is worth noting that true love is unconditional and honest and is not hindered by personal differences. This is very evident between Romeo and Juliet who enter into an unconditional love. Romeo and Juliet is categorized as the greatest love story. This is based on its high regard on the issues of love between the characters.

The relationship between Romeo and Juliet in contrary to their parents’ objection is a bold move which can only be explained by true love. It is only true love that can lead to people with different backgrounds together. With this in mind, the aspect of true love is evident in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet⁵.

Ludus love which entails deceit and un-commitment is also evident in the play. As observed in the story of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was in great desire to enter into a romantic affair with Juliet. He was much driven by his sexual desires and wanted to have Juliet’s virginity. Through the use of metaphors and polite language, Romeo was in much love with the young girl and was after seeking pleasure from her virginity.

This is an aspect of Ludus love which is based on un-commitment and lies to benefit someone. Despite that Romeo was committed to marry and move on with the relationship, the desire to have sex overwhelmed him. This is a key manifestation of Ludus love. This was not a mutual relationship but rather a relationship driven by hormones and sexual desire. Romeo was a key player in the relationship and looked forward to satisfy his ego⁶.

The concept of romantic love is clearly evident across the play. From the first meeting, the two characters demonstrate a sense of passion and romance between them. The use of metaphor by Romeo and Juliet in their communication was aimed at enhancing intimacy between them.

Romeo was after testing Juliet’s feelings by using metaphors. This is a polite and non threatening communication which enhances romance. By using metaphors, a man will be able to invite and create attention to a lady with little or no harm. Pretence by a woman not to understand will also not cause any harm to a man. With this in mind, the sense of romance is magnified between Romeo and Juliet.

It is worth noting that the communication between Romeo and Juliet clearly demonstrated romance. This is enhanced by Juliet’s response who also uses metaphors. Juliet uses the metaphors of pilgrim, shrine and saint to respond to Romeo. In regards to this communication, the issue of romantic love between Romeo and Juliet is highlighted⁷.

The play by Shakespeare has clearly highlighted the concept of romantic love. This is based on the playwright’s ability to go contrary to rules of normal sequence of courtship. Shakespeare has clearly highlighted the interactions and communication between Romeo and Juliet in their first days. In this case, Shakespeare highlights how Romeo overheard Juliet’s Soliloquy.

Shakespeare brings Romeo into the scene to eavesdrop thus breaking the sequence of courtship. This is a clear demonstration of romantic love which goes beyond the traditional sequence of courtship. The aspects of shyness and modest which were required of a women were not demonstrated by Juliet. It is imperative that the shyness and modest of a woman was a vital aspect to ensure that the man was sincere.

This element of courtship was overcome in the play thus speeding up the plot and illustrating romantic relationships. People in romantic love like Juliet and Romeo are able to skip the length part of wooing and proceed to the plain talk of their relationship.

Romeo and Juliet are a key example of partners who are overwhelmed by romance and go contrary to the normal courtship sequence. It is interesting to note that Romeo and Juliet jump to make agreements on their marriage only after one night thus illustrating the strength of romantic love⁸.

The timing of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is a manifestation of how young people are infatuated by one another. The entire relationship between the teenagers can not be attributed to true love but rather mania love. Mania love is a form of love which is highly possessive and obsessive.

This occurs instantly and with little or no consultations or reasoning. The kind of love or relationship between Romeo and Juliet can be attributed to this from of Love. Meeting only in a ball and agreeing to marry the same night raises questions on the authenticity of their love.

The two teenagers are only driven by crazy feelings and infatuation rather than true love. It is worrying to note that Romeo instantly fell in love with Juliet and moved on to discuss on their wedding. The quick invitation of Friar Laurence to oversee their wedding is also unreasoned.

It is imperative to note that the decisions by the two teenagers are crazy, unreasoned and childish. Romeo and Juliet should have been patient with their feelings and even take time to consult their parents. However, this never happened and they continued to their wedding. Based on this scenario, mania love is manifested⁹.

The relationship of Mercutio a friend to Romeo and Tybalt who is Juliet’s cousin is also a sign of teenage infatuation. This engagement also happened in the day of the ball organized by Capulet family. This is a special manifestation of mania love which is not properly thought. The issues of romance and sexual passions are the main drivers of this form of love.

Being a friend to Romeo, Mercutio should have informed his friend of the engagement. After spotting Tybalt, Mercutio should have taken time to think of her and follow the normal courtship sequence. It is unfortunate that Mercutio only rushed to satisfy his feelings by engaging to Tybalt. This scenario signifies mania and romantic love which is not properly thought of (McKeown 36).

The death of Mercutio who was killed by Tybalt also explains the absence of true love in their relationship. It is unfortunate that Tybalt killed her fiancée Mercutio. This is really an unfortunate scenario which signifies the absence of agape love between the two characters. Tybalt could not control her anger and thus goes forward to execute her emotions. This only led to more grief to herself.

This form of relationship can be identified to be based on Ludus love which is based on un-commitment and deceit between the partners. If TyBalt really loved Mercutio, she could not have thought of killing him. True love is patient, caring, kind and honest.

By having true love, Tybalt could have engaged Mercutio into a discussion which would have helped in solving their issues. Alongside having a relationship based on true love, Tybalt as an individual should have love within her. By so doing, she should not have executed her to other people and not going to the extent of killing Mercutio¹⁰.

Romeo has also characterized himself as uncaring and intolerable. This is based on his emotions and actions by slaying Tybalt who had killed his friend. This is an action of hate and lack of love. Romeo should have been tolerable to some extent in resolving the case of Tybalt and his friend Mercutio rather than killing her. This demonstrates an aspect of mania love whereby Romeo acted in a silly manner.

Nevertheless, Romeo and Mercutio had real love. This is evident through the actions of Romeo who could do anything to save and fight for his friend. With this in mind, the issue of true love between Romeo and mercutio is demonstrated¹¹.

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a great work which has demonstrated Shakespeare’s expertise in playwriting. The play has been classified as the greatest love story based on the playwright’s high concern on the issue of love. The highlight on the different forms of love across the play is of great importance in ranking the story.

Romeo and Juliet is unmatched based on the playwright’s ability to bring together various scenes addressing the issues of love. The play has positioned Shakespeare among other playwrights. In the world’s literature, Romeo and Juliet has also taken a good position among the world’s population. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a vision of uncompromising mutual love which perishes of its own intensity and idealism.

The time frame of courtship and the life of the love between the characters are raising a lot of issues. This scenario manifests the issues entailing love and more specifically teenage lovers who have less concern on what happens beyond the relationship¹².

Romeo and Juliet has a fancy Pedigree and can be considered Shakespeare’s most accessible work. This is in comparison to other heroes such as Othello, Hamlet, or Macbeth. The Tragedy of Macbeth has been famous for addressing the commitment of man to power as contrasted to Romeo and Juliet which revolves around love. In this play, the relationship between kingship, tyranny, cruelty, masculinity and violence has been demonstrated.

The Tragedy of hamlet and that of Othello have also demonstrated the commitment of man to what one loves. In the tragedy of hamlet, the issue of revenge is demonstrated thus illustrating the strong conviction in human actions. In relation to Romeo and Juliet, these plays manifest the expertise of Shakespeare in literature writing. Romeo Juliet has however remained the most outstanding as far as love is concerned¹³.

Romeo and Juliet has impacted significantly on world literature. It is worth noting that it is typically the first of Shakespeare plays to be studied by western students. The adoption of this play in western literature introduces the children to the convections of Elizabeth Theater.

The play is also rich and appealing in its style, tone, and characters. This makes it offer a healthy dose of love poetry to students. The peppers and insights by Shakespeare are felt across the play, Romeo and Juliet. With this in mind, the authenticity and significance of Romeo and Juliet in world literature is demonstrated¹⁴.

Nevertheless, the play, Romeo and Juliet has also faced a lot of criticism. Some critics like Samuel Pepys, who is a seventeenth century journaler has classified the play as Shakespeare’s trashy blockbuster. In his arguments, Samuel Pepys categorizes Romeo and Juliet as the worst acted ever. The countless performance of the play by renowned theater companies has also led to fading of the play.

It is however notable that Romeo and Juliet remains an audience favorite across the globe. It has also been identified as one of the most adapted plays in the contemporary society. The theme of love which has been magnified in the play has made it appealing to many people. This is a universal theme and has yielded the play unprecedented fame¹⁵.

Romeo and Juliet has clearly explained the real nature of love. The play demonstrates how young people are infatuated by love. Shakespeare explains how getting what one want from young love is not what it is made to be. This is manifested by Romeo and Juliet who instantly fall into love and proceeded to get married. The story has a lot of moral teaching to its audience.

Firstly, the play enlightens the audience that many times love is doomed to fail. In this case, people falling into love should be fully prepared for any outcome.

Full confidence in success of a love affair will ultimately lead to frustrations. From the play, it can be learned that failure in a relationship or love can occur at any age or time. This is a real moral lesson from the story which calls upon young people entering into relationships to be cautious¹⁶.

The story by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a cautionary tale to people who are ever in love. By being in love and breaking up, an individual will definitely expect the same from other couples. This is however not the same, since the forms of love are different. An individual should not really expect much from young love.

Shakespeare outlined that an individual should not kill himself simply because love has not worked out. Many young people are hereby cautioned to reason properly and take their time when thing of love.

A key aspect of strong relationships and marriage is love. In the play, Shakespeare reminds people that communicating through church representatives or lack of communication between couples definitely leads to troubled situation like suicide¹⁷.

Conclusion

Analysis of Romeo and Juliet demonstrates that it is tragedy rather than romance. The two teens, Romeo and Juliet are hit by love and go own acting rashly which end up costing their lives. It is sad to note that the relationship between the two teens can not be said to be based on love rather than infatuation. This has led them to live fraught with tension and no point of resolution.

The high opposition from the odds around them challenges the existence of love in their affair. Romeo and Juliet is a special lesson that love can not conquer all. The failures and loss experienced by Romeo and Juliet as well as their friends Tybalt and Mercutio is a clear evident of the weaknesses of love. The play is a lesson to all individuals and more specifically the youth who think that love can solve every problem.

The issues of poignant speeches, great sex, and good strategizing should not be viewed as what is entailed in love. In regards to the play, the various types of love have been noted. These include romantic love, true love, erotic love, love, ludus love, mania love and eros love.

In the case of Romeo and Juliet, romantic, mania and eros love have been evident. The concept of true love is no where to be seen in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. In summary, the analysis of the play of Romeo and Juliet shows that the play is a tragedy rather than romance.

Works Cited

Baer, Greg. Real Love: The Truth about Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.

Beal, Duncan. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.

Granville-Barker, Harley. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2003, Print.

Lamb, Mary et al. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.

Lewis, Clive. The Four Loves. London: Routledge, 2001, Print.

Masuccio, Salernitano. Romeo and Juliet: Original Text of Masuccio Salernitano, Luigi Da Porto, Matteo Bandello, William Shakespeare. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992, Print.

McKeown, Adam. And Fiore, Peter. Romeo and Juliet. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.

Shakespeare, William and Furnass, Horace. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009.

Shakespeare, William. The works of Shakespeare: The Text Carefully Restored According to the first editions. London: Prentice hall, 1999, Print.

Singer, Irving. The nature of Lover: Plato to Luther. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009, Print.

Footnotes

¹ Baer, Greg. Real Love: The Truth about Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.

² Lewis, Clive. The Four Loves. London: Routledge, 2001, Print.

³ Singer, Irving. The nature of Lover: Plato to Luther. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009, Print.

⁴ Shakespeare, William and Furnass, Horace. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009.

⁵ Masuccio, Salernitano. Romeo and Juliet: Original Text of Masuccio Salernitano, Luigi Da Porto, Matteo Bandello, William Shakespeare. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992, Print.

⁶ Shakespeare, William. The works of Shakespeare: The Text Carefully Restored According to the first editions. London: Prentice hall, 1999, Print.

⁷ Baer, Greg. Real Love: The Truth about Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.

⁸ Masuccio, Salernitano. Romeo and Juliet: Original Text of Masuccio Salernitano, Luigi Da Porto, Matteo Bandello, William Shakespeare. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992, Print.

⁹ Shakespeare, William. The works of Shakespeare: The Text Carefully Restored According to the first editions. London: Prentice hall, 1999, Print.

¹⁰ Beal, Duncan. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.

¹¹ McKeown, Adam. And Fiore, Peter. Romeo and Juliet. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.

¹² Lamb, Mary et al. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.

¹³ McKeown, Adam. And Fiore, Peter. Romeo and Juliet. New Jersey: McGraw Hill, 2004, Print.

¹⁴ Beal, Duncan. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.

¹⁵ Granville-Barker, Harley. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2003, Print.

¹⁶ Lamb, Mary et al. Romeo and Juliet. London: Routldge, 2003, Print.

¹⁷ Shakespeare, William and Furnass, Horace. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009.

Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” is often examined for its dramatic content, its investigation into the nature of love or the elements of tragedy. However, each of these greater themes can be better understood when you look at smaller clues to the characters, such as their personality characteristics or levels of maturity. It is often forgotten that the play is about two young teenagers attempting to find a means of being together in spite of a bitter feud existing between their two families.

Maturity plays a significant role in their story as it dictates the way in which they respond to the pressures brought upon them. Within the play, there are many ways in which Romeo can be said to be less mature than Juliet. In considering this answer, it is important to think about the known generalities regarding maturity and the actions of each of the two characters involved.

The generalities that are known about maturity are that girls tend to mature faster than boys. This is generally true physically as well as mentally. While this idea is not always true in specific cases, it can be assumed to be true in the case of Romeo and Juliet because of the ways in which they act. It is assumed that they are both of sufficient physical maturity to take on the roles of adults, but that their mental maturity is still lacking in judgment. Juliet is 13 and Romeo is slightly older at 17, indicating that perhaps they have been able to reach comparable maturity levels. However, their actions make it clear that Romeo is decidedly less mature the Juliet.

Romeo spends most of the play exhibiting an impetuousness that greatly works against him. He is quick to take anger with others and quick to fight, both attributes that are consistent with being male. However, he is easily compared at all times with other men in the play, all of whom within his same class can be seen to exercise more caution and thoughtfulness in their actions than Romeo does himself. Romeo’s infatuation with Rosalind is also seen as a childish crush.

Compared with his sentiments expressed toward Juliet, Romeo can be seen to mature during the course of the play, but not by so much as to qualify him as more mature than Juliet. He is very eager to be with Juliet and is impatient for every minute that separates them regardless of the fact that they have just met. In his dealings with others, he sounds very much like a spoiled little boy as he begs the friar to marry them and, when he finds Juliet dead in her tomb, he is quick to take the poison that will kill him as well. A little bit of thought might have spared both their lives.

Juliet, on the other hand, shows much more restraint and maturity in her actions. When Romeo comes to plead with her to run away with him, she suggests they slow things down a bit and get to know each other a little first. When he insists he can’t wait, she brings up the topic of marriage and takes each necessary step to ensure that her reputation will remain in good standing. She is given little support and emotional encouragement at home, treated by her parents as a commodity rather than a daughter, and meets their expectations with grace and restraint within the bounds of what she wants for herself. She is not hesitant in speaking her mind and is decisive in what she wants; quickly convincing the friar, on an adult level, that she means what she says when she suggests she will kill herself before marrying Paris.

When the friar suggests she take a potion that will make her appear dead to everyone, slowing her heart to an imperceptible beat, she bravely faces the risks and doesn’t give in to the kinds of hysterics many young women might have while Romeo, finding Juliet in the tomb, instantly downs the poison he brought for that purpose. This rather feminine means of death is compared to Juliet’s final action in which she plunges Romeo’s dagger into her heart, an action that takes a great deal more nerve and passion that simply taking a drink.

In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet the characters Nurse and Friar Laurence are responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s troubles and miseries.

The way Friar Laurence supported Romeo and Juliet to get Married, The way the Nurse is opposing in her regards of Romeo and Paris, When Friar Laurence clandestinely married them, the way the Nurse is enigmatic about the matter and does not tell the Capulet’s or the Montague’s, when Laurence gave Juliet the sleeping mixture, the way Laurence considered he was making the right thing without taking into account the probable outcomes, and the way Laurence departs Juliet’s Tomb when he heeds the watch coming, all coalesce to result in the devotees bereavement.

In act II scene III, Romeo goes to meet Friar Laurence to tell that he no longer adores Rosaline, but has fallen in love with Juliet. This astonishes Friar Laurence, but he undertakes to marry them,

“O, she knew well
Thy love did read by rote, that could not spell.
But come, young waverer, come, go with me.
In one respect I’ll assistant be.
For this alliance may so happy prove
To turn your household’s rancour to pure love.”

Lady Capulet suggests the reason of marriage into the discussion, but Juliet does not desire to get married. Lady Capulet then mentions Paris’s name and the Nurse states he is a ‘man of wax’, which denotes a perfect man.

“Well, you have made a simple choice. You
Know not how to choose a man. Romeo? No, not he.
Though his face be better than any man’s, yet his leg
Excels all men’s; and for a hand and a foot, and a
Body, though they be not to be talked on, yet they
Are past compare. He is not the flower of courtesy,
But, I’ll warrant him, as gentle as a lamb. Go thy
Ways, wench. Serve God. What, have you dined
At home?” (Nurse, Act II Scene V, sentence 38-46)

In this quotation, The Nurse notifies Juliet that she considers Juliet is in love with Romeo for his appearance only, and also herself considers Romeo is attractive herself, though she does not condemn of Juliet’s feelings towards him.

Romeo has just murdered Tybalt. The Nurse is offering her suggestion on all men. In her last decree “Shame come to Romeo”, The Nurse is revealing her newest feeling she has for Romeo. As the Nurse has these assorted feeling about Romeo and Paris all through the play, She is unintentionally sending mixed letters to Juliet and puzzling her, further influencing on the lover’s troubles.

In Act II Scene VI, Friar Laurence secretly marries Romeo and Juliet without knowledge of the consequences

Romeo

“Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy
Be heaped like mine, and that thy skill be more
To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath
This neighbour air, and let rich music’s tongue
Unfold the imagined happiness that both
Receive in either by this dear encounter.”

Juliet

“Conceit, more rich in matter than in words,
Brags of this substance, not of ornament.
They are but beggars that can count their worth
But my true love has grown to such excess
I can not sum up half my sum of wealth.”

Friar Laurence

“Come, come with me, and we will make short work.
For by your leaves, you shall not stay alone
Till Holy Church incorporate two in one.”
(Act II Scene VI, sentence 24-37)

Shakespeare is one of the greatest authors in history and up to his death he had written 37 plays and 154 sonnets. His plays explore a variety of genres including comedy, fantasy, revenge, tragedy, romance and farce. Most of his plays were published in the sixteenth and seventeen centuries and during that time his reference was mostly to the Greek mythology and the time was during the English Renaissance.

Among his famous plays were, “The Merchant of Venice”, “The Midsummer Night’s dream”, “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet” ( Thompson 2).These plays are a reflection of what goes on in the world of today and it would be appropriate to use these books to teach both the juniors and seniors in high school especially when looking at relationships among individuals.

In the ‘Midsummer Night‘s dreams’ we encounter a variety of characters who are surrounded by many instances that are as a result of accidents, mistakes and fantasies. The setting is in Athens and the forest. The events that take place in Athens are symbolic in the sense that they represent the sequence of events during the day whereas the events in the forest represent the dream like circumstances.

Therefore, the main theme in this book is love difficulties and the main characters involved in this love triangle are; Lysander who loves Hermia, Hermia who loves Lysander, Demetrius who loves Hermia and Helena who loves Demetrius. Egeus, Hermia’s father wants Hermia to marry Demetrius whom she does not love and in an attempt to escape from this catastrophe both Lysander and Hermia plan to elope to their aunt’s place where they would get married.

Helena being Hermia’s best friend, Hermia shares the secret with her. This is to the advantage of Helena because she uses this information to attempt to win back the love of Demetrius who had called off their engagement after falling in love with Hermia.

The two couples end up in the forest and that is when the dream like events starts to unfold. Oberon and Tatiana his queen are also in the forest and due to their conflict concerning an Indian boy whom Oberon wanted to make him his knight, Oberon tells Puck to spread some magical juice on Tatiana’s eyelids so that she would fall in love with the first person she sees when she wakes up in the morning.

Lysander is caught up in the crisis when Puck ends up spreading the juice on him instead of doing it on Demetrius as ordered by Oberon and when Lysander wakes up, she falls in love with Helena who is the first person she sees. This creates a conflict among the four individuals but by morning Puck corrects his mistake and each of the lovers end up with the right partner.

Tatiana also wakes up in the morning and after seeing Bottom, she falls in love with him (Shakespeare 142). Oberon finally obtains the Indian boy and for the other couples they get married in Athens thus a happy ending for all.

On the other hand, looking at the play “Hamlet”, we come across the major theme as being revenge which happens in a tragic manner. Hamlet the protagonist is set to avenge the death of his father which according to the ghost that appears before him, claims that Claudius, Hamlet’s brother is the one who killed him. Claudia inherited Gertrude Hamlet’s mother and also took over the throne after King Hamlet died.

Prince Hamlet is thus torn between believing the ghost or Claudius. He sets off to examine Claudius actions by bringing in a play performance that would demonstrate the killing of someone. When the play reaches the point of demonstrating the killing, Claudius walks out of the theatre, complete proof that he is guilty. Immediately, Claudius realizes Hamlet’s intention to seek revenge and he quickly organizes for him to go to England where he would be killed.

This plan works out so easily when Hamlet is accused of killing Polonius. The trip to England fails and Hamlet is forced to get back to Denmark “a rotten state” (Shakespeare 67) where Laertes the son to Polonius is awaiting to kill him because of his father’s and sister’s death.

The sword given to Laertes by Claudius is poisoned and it cuts both Hamlet and Laertes. Just before Laertes dies, he tells Hamlet, that Claudius is responsible for the Queens’ death. Hamlet gets angry and kills Claudius. He, himself dies and is carried away like a fallen soldier.

“The Merchant of Venice” is another of Shakespeare’s texts that also talks about relationships. In this text, people risk their lives for human relationships. Antonio, despite the fact that his ships were on hold, he accepts Shylock’s demand of having a pound of his flesh in exchange for unpaid loan just to bail out his friend, Bassanio who was to travel to Belmont to win over Portia, a wealthy heiress.

We also have Jessica who elopes with Lorenzo after Shylock’s refusal to accept their relationship. For Shylock, he values money than anything even his daughter (Shakespeare 15).In Belmont, Bassanio marries Portia and before the celebration ends, Bassanio receives a report that Antonio has lost his ships and forfeited his bond to Shylock.

This forces Bassanio and his friend Gratiano to travel back to Venice and for Portia and Nerrisa, Gratiano’s wife; they also set off to Venice disguised as lawyers. Portia manage to win over Shylock and Antonio is saved from the tragedy and back in Belmont, Portia and Nerrisa reveal that they were the lawyers at Venice and after resolving their conflict over the rings, their two partners had given out to the lawyers, they reconcile with their husbands.

Thus, from these plays, it is evident that relationships among the young people are often faced with a lot of obstacles especially when the parents are against it, when they are fighting for their loved ones and when they want to keep their loved ones at all costs.

The good thing is, at the end of it all, love conquers all obstacles because even after Hermia’s father refused Lysander and Hermia to get married, they still did and for Demetrius and Helena having been in love before realize they were meant to be and that is why they end up together.

For Hamlet, because of the love of his father and mother, he kills his uncle (Kinney 38) and in the “Merchant of Venice”, Antonio, Bassanio, Portia and Jessica all sacrifice their selves for the sake of their loved ones. Thus, teaching high school students using these texts would help a lot in their valuing of relationships. In this case, among the three, “The Merchant of Venice” is the most appropriate due to the fact that it explores a variety of relationships (Smith 78).

Works Cited

Kinney, Arthur, F. Hamlet. Critical essays. Oxford, UK: Routledge, Inc. 2001. Print

Shakespeare William. Hamlet. London: Thomas Fisher. 1604. Print.

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. London: Thomas Fisher. 1600. Print.

Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. London: Thomas Heys.1600

Smith, Emma. The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2007. Print.

Thompson, Stephen, P. Readings on the Midsummer Night’s Dream. San Diego, CA: Green haven Press. 2000. Print.

Two revolutionary styles in theatre history had an extraordinary impact on the audience: Greek and Renaissance. The theatrical art originated in Greece, where well-known even today playwrights gave characters lives and the opportunity to be remembered by viewers. The Greece theatre is a progenitor of the theatre as it is nowadays. Another exquisite style of theatrical art is often associated with Shakespeare’s times and one of his most famous plays, “Romeo and Juliet”. The tragedy that touches the hearts of many viewers even today was created during the Renaissance period and had its peculiar features. Combining two marvelous styles of art would definitely leave a strong impression on the audience. “Romeo and Juliet” staged in Greek style would astonish the spectators and make them feel confused but still delighted.

The famous play would have another image and staging when done in Greek style. First of all, the Greek theater focuses on the one-setting pattern of presenting events (Meineck 54). Therefore, all the tragic scenes which usually take place in different territorial areas, for example, Montague and Capulet residences dialogues, will be reconstructed somehow to meet those requests. Probably, the scene will be divided into two parts to show different houses. The next peculiarity of Greek theater is unchanging time on the stage. Romeo and Juliet in Greek style also will have a one-time development, which can sometimes be misleading for the audience.

There is a specific feature of Greek performance that is well-known all around the world. The actor in Greek theatre always wore masks (Meineck 83). Considering that the “Romeo and Juliet” play is highly emotional, the audience will have difficulties identifying the intensity of the characters’ feelings if they wear masks. Moreover, to perform the play in Greek style, actors will have to express emotions through their movements and voice. Another peculiar feature of the Greek theatre is that showing violence was prohibited (Meineck 105). Renaissance style, on the contrary, included many scenes of violence. The blood feud was the most efficient way to depict the character’s sufferings and development in Shakespeare’s plays in general and in “Romeo and Juliet” in particular. Thus, many scenes would be removed or replaced with less violent ones to fit the Greek theatre standards.

The chorus always accompanied any Greek theatrical performances and served as a convenient tool to express the actors’ emotions hidden behind the mask throughout the singing. The renaissance theater did not necessarily include the chorus. However, some plays required musical accompaniment. Thus, the choir will be an integral part of the “Romeo and Juliet” play in Greek style. The last feature of Greek theatre to mention is the religious connotations of the plot (Meineck 86). “Romeo and Juliet” play is concentrated on political references rather than religious ones. As a result, the plot and many events will have religious-concentrated patterns. According to the analysis, it is evident that even though the story, plot, and characters stay the same, the change in the style of “Romeo and Juliet” will have a significant difference from the original one. As a result, the impression on the audience will also be quite different.

Therefore, the question of how the audience’s impression will change due to the modifications described above arises. First of all, the viewer will be shocked because of the appearance of the actors. Masks will provoke viewers to detach themselves from the characters. However, the mysterious images will attract more attention and keep people engaged because they will have the opportunity to add the actor’s facial expression details themselves (Meineck 100). Even though the performance will seem strange at first, later, the audience will get the emotional pleasure of watching the familiar characters from the other perspective. The changed time and space development of the plot can confuse people due to well-known historical factors. However, when performed logically, the story still can stay clear for many people.

Shakespeare’s fans will not readily accept the absence of violence in the play. Many central ideas of “Romeo and Juliet” are depicted thanks to the contrast between good and evil, and the best way to express those is to include cruel blood scenes. Thus, the performance can even be dull for some spectators. The director needs to find a decent replacement for the plot’s violent turning points to keep viewers’ attention. The choir will positively impact the audience because spectators are usually fascinated when the characters express their emotions through singing (Meineck 167). Religious connotations are likely to leave a negative impression on the spectator. The typically tragic and romantic play is hard to associate with religion. Thus, the “Romeo and Juliet” in the Greek theatre style can have both negative and positive on the modern viewer because tastes differ.

Combining typical renaissance story and Greek style of theatrical art leads to the creation of the new play, which will definitely cause a mighty furor among the nowadays spectators. On the one hand, some will never accept such an unusual interpretation of the familiar Shakespeare’s story, focusing only on the negative changes. On the other hand, many will admire the mysterious and unique way of presenting characters and their emotions. Tastes differ indeed, but the Greek style interpretation of the “Romeo and Juliet” will cause many discussions, which means be a big hit.

Work Cited

Meineck, Peter. Theatrocracy: Greek Drama, Cognition, and the Imperative for Theatre. Routledge, 2018.

In the fourth scene of act one in Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare rejects the traditional ideals of his day, the concepts that erratic passions drive poetic love and the weight of honor and glory in society, through Mercutio’s role. Through his Queen Mab soliloquy, Mercutio’s wild, excessive character and quick wit are apparent and contribute to the social commentary. In this speech alone we see Mercutio in direct opposition to all of the characters in Romeo and Juliet while at the same time we are provided an alternate point of view to the ideals that drive not only the characters of the play but most likely the conventions held by Shakespeare’s audience.

At the beginning of the scene, Romeo is nervous about how the three of them, Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio, are to get inside the Capulet’s party so he might be near Rosaline. After several reassuring words from Benvolio, Romeo continues to lament over Rosaline’s rejection of him and makes excuses for not going to the party. Mercutio cleverly transforms Romeo’s laments into sexual innuendoes in an effort to brush off Romeo’s inhibitions regarding the party but still Romeo persists that a dream spoke to him foreshadowing that this party would be the beginning of great tragedy. Here, Mercutio tells the others he dreamt a dream as well and takes off on his soliloquy of “Queen Mab”, which begins as a light-hearted expression of the imagination in the evolution of dreams then morphs into a nightmarish hell that quickly entrances Mercutio into a restless state.

Shakespeare’s Queen Mab as described in Mercutio’s speech brings dreams to sleeping people. This mythical character was loosely based on the pagan belief in fairies that dominated the religious spectrum before Christianity’s arrival to England. However, Queen Mab is not her popular name; in the Shakespearian era this character, Titania, was commonly known as the queen of fairies (1). However, in the time Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, “Mab” was a common name for prostitutes in England. The adoption of her new name of “Mab” proposes a theoretical pun, a skill that Mercutio is not foreign to. His satire of the importance of dreams glorifies the whores of England making them figures of not only sexual desire but personal ambition. At the same time, it mocks the childish belief in fairies by proposing the darker more realistic side of humanity; that which frees itself from the idealistic passions of love and honor.

At the beginning of the Queen Mab soliloquy, Mercutio sets things up for a light-hearted children’s fairy tale by characterizing her as the fairy midwife. In her carriage made by all the smallest artifacts of nature she “gallops night by night/ Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love;”(1.4.71) and so on until Mercutio’s imagination escapes him and he says, “O’er ladies’ lips, who straight on kisses dream,/Which oft the anger Mab with blisters plagues” (1.4.74). At this point, his description of Mab turns from fanciful to nightmarish. This line bears warning that Queen Mab has the power to bring pleasure to the men in their slumber but often she will transform the dream state of men from a haven to a terrifying hell that parallels their selfish or immoral ambitions until they wake. Mercutio continues to describe Queen Mab delivering dreams of “cutting foreign throats” (1.4.83) to soldiers as she drives her carriage over their necks. Many of Mercutio’s descriptions of Queen Mab are whimsical and cheerful before he begins to give a tentative focus on the horrifying pictures that pervade man’s subconscious as he sleeps; the same nightmares that force him out of his deep slumber to “swear[s] a prayer or two”(1.4.87) in an effort to repent for their sins. This again shows a parallel to the ambitions of men, thus again portraying the common prostitute or “mab” as a figure of personal ambition. To further enforce this idea Shakespeare writes:

Sometimes she driveth o’er soldier’s necks,

And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats,

Of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades,

Of heaths five fathom deep; and then anon

Drums in his ear, at which he starts and wakes (1.4.82-86)

A few lines later Queen Mab transforms from a queen of dreams and fairies to the “hag” that “when maids lie on their backs/ That presses them and learns them first to bear,/ Making them women of good carriage.” In other words, this is the fairy that steals virginity from young women, taking their purity, and denying them their rights to their own bodies by assigning them their womanly duty to bear children. This again makes parallels to the personal and sexual desires of men in Shakespeare’s day.

Just as Mercutio and the audience are entranced by the horrifying course that the soliloquy has taken, he is cut off by Romeo, who has now forgotten his laments. Romeo pulls Mercutio out of his hypnosis by saying Mercutio “talks of nothing;” while at the same time undermining the importance of his own dream that begged him not to enter the Capulet’s party. Mercutio then agrees with Romeo and brushes off the importance of his dream by saying “True, I talk of dreams; /Which are the children of an idle brain,” (1.4.97). Assuming that dreams have no serious or literal meaning, Mercutio again belittles the dream that begs Romeo not to enter the party as he simultaneously tells the audience to disregard this foreshadowing of events and the passions of the characters in the play. Mercutio says:

[dreams]Begot of nothing but vain and fantasy;

Which is thin of substance as the air,

And more inconstant than the wind, who woos

Even now the frozen bosom of the North

And, being angered, puffs away from thence,

Turning his side to the dew-dropping South(1.4.98-103)

Here, Mercutio warns that the dreams or passions of the characters of the play are little more than flights of vanity, they offer no substance nor do they contribute to the better good of society. The concept of romance and romantic love are thus shown to be fickle and changing almost as frequently as the wind changes in direction or speed. Mercutio argues to act upon vanity is a mindless activity as men are often victim to fate which most likely results in a course other than the one desired. This generalization furthers the belittlement of all the passions that drive the characters of Romeo and Juliet into action in the play as well as foreshadowing that the desires of the characters in the play will not be met.

This warning does not limit itself to the dream Romeo has before the party but can also be applied to Romeo’s love for Juliet and Rosaline. He quickly falls in and out of love and is as fickle with his women as the wind is in its course. Here, Mercutio nearly warns Romeo that he will fall in and out of love but not to act on his passions because they are likely to change and the course of his destiny may be bitter. This advice to Romeo also contradicts the generally accepted ideas of poetic love, love that plays on the rash emotions of whomever it captures by warning not to act on passion in spontaneity but with thought, care, and honesty. Not only do Romeo’s idealistic visions of love get rejected in Mercutio’s statement, but also the Capulet and Montague’s passions that move them to hate. Also in this scene, Mercutio proves his blindness to the popular ideals held by society through his wit and quick puns. His puns show that he has the better ability to understand multiple meanings of words and the multiple sides of conflict without acting on haste. This is a characteristic which contrasts Tybalt’s more usual reaction to emotions. Tybalt quickly turns to violence when his pride has been insulted because he holds the popular conventions of society dearer to his heart than Mercutio. Mercutio understands these conventions, but also understands that they are created out of shallow desires and do much more harm than good on the greater society.

In act four, scene one of Romeo and Juliet, the audience gets a more precise look at Mercutio’s purpose as master punner and figure of excess. Through these qualities we see that he operates as a plot device, rejecting the shallow conventions of romance and social stance that were commonly held by Shakespeare’s contemporaries. Mercutio’s puns and the transformation of Queen Mab show that he can see alternating points of view as opposed to other characters in the book, most of whom seemingly go through life in tunnel vision, acting out of vanity, haste and self-indulgence.

Romeo and Juliet is a famous play by the great playwright William Shakespeare. People who read the play or watched films that adopted its plot feel the touch of this tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. With regards to this play, people hold different opinions and interpretations. Some feel sorry about their eventual death while others think that their final death reconciled their feuding families and united the two lovers.

This essay will argue that by breaking the rules, Romeo and Juliet finally attain success and independence. This argument stands on the fact that even though both Juliet and Romeo died through committing suicide, they attain success in the form of unity between the Montagues and the Capulets.

Their death helped their families go through a recognition stage. They unanimously throw away their feud after seeing the consequences it brought. At least there is hope for independence for future members of these two families.

Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers who come from two feuding families, the Montague and Capulet, who live in Verona. Their families are in an endless conflict with each other. The two lovers ought not to show their love to each other because of this long standing feud. Both families disapprove of such an affair.

However, in spite of the feud between their families, Romeo and Juliet assert their independence but end up in a tragic predicament.

The Balcony scene is the first indication of Romeo and Juliet’s readiness to break social rules and have independent wills. Even though Juliet is well aware of her family’s hatred of the Montague, she falls in love with Romeo and goes ahead to organize for a marriage with him the next day. In the “balcony scene”, Juliet tells the following lines “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name, Or if thou will not, be but sworn my love, And I will no longer be a Capulet” (Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 74-78). These lines reveal Juliet’s willingness to deny her own family name just to marry Romeo. She asks Romeo to deny his family name so that they can fall in love without the disapproval from their families.

When Juliet utters these lines, she stands in sharp contrast with her rigid family rules and wishes to be an independent person capable of pursuing her own love rather than staying in the trap of her family name. This shows that Juliet is already proving her ability to think independently. However, her wishes cannot be accomplished as things stand.

This is because of the feud between their families. It is this quest for independence that leads to the death of both Juliet and Romeo. Juliet meets her death when she takes a drug that would help her run away from marrying Paris. When she feigns death, Romeo thinks that she is indeed dead. He takes poison and kills himself. Upon realizing that Romeo is dead, she stabs herself and genuinely dies.

Romeo also shows his independent spirit by falling in love with a daughter of the Capulet. He is in love with Rosaline, a relative of the Capulet and Benvolio advises him to end the affair. He ends it but commits a bigger crime when he falls in love with Juliet, a real daughter of the Capulet. His readiness to break the rules and attend the ball at the Capulet portrays his quest for independence.

As the son of the Montague, Romeo is not welcome. However, he attends the ball and comes to the balcony of Juliet after her beauty attracts him. When Romeo attends the ball and follows Juliet to the balcony, he proves that just like Juliet, the social and family rules do not confine him. He is instead ready to pursue his own desires and make his own decisions about his own love affairs.

Romeo bravely makes himself known to Juliet and they agree to organize a secret marriage. The society cannot tolerate their love because their families are in a long held feud, and society knows the repercussions this marriage would yield. In spite of the definite family disapproval and numerous obstacles, Romeo and Juliet marry.

The bravery, independent spirit and defiance against their feuding families are what touch the audience the most. This hurrying into marriage shows how the two lovers yearn for freedom from the chains of the feud between their families. They even wish to drop their family names because they are curtailing their freedom of choice and association.

However, as it has already been mentioned in the previous part, the union of Romeo and Juliet will not only fail to win the blessings of their families, but will also face restrictions from them. In their quest to overcome this opposition from their families, they go through so many hardships including death. Juliet tries to run away from a marriage partner, Count Paris, just to marry Romeo.

She feigns death by taking a sleeping potion, and this brings a lot of trouble to them. Romeo on his part has to go to exile and almost kills himself while there. On coming back, Paris confronts him for a fight, and he kills Paris. He finally kills himself because he thinks Juliet is dead. Juliet also kills herself with Romeo’s dagger when she realizes that he is dead.

They go through all these hardships because of their yearning for freedom and independence. The two lovers refuse to surrender to the wills of their families, but instead they try every possible way to safeguard their love and fight against the rules.

The statement “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life” (Shakespeare, 2012, Prologue, Lines 5-8) shows that Romeo and Juliet prefer death to adhering to the rules and wills set by their feuding families.

Finally, the death of Romeo and Juliet puts an end to their love and is powerful enough to reconcile their feuding families. In another sense, the two lovers rise high above their mortal death and become perfectly united with each other spiritually.

In a world, they are not able to make their independent choices and be together based on their own desires, but their death enables them not to pay attention to social rules and assert the supremacy of their love over the feud and rules of their families. Furthermore, their death reminds their feuding families of the foolishness and irrationality of their long-held conflict. The two families reconcile at last.

Romeo and Juliet elevate themselves to heroes by violating the socially accepted norms and bravely fighting for their own independence and freedom. Thus, Romeo and Juliet attain success over their families despite the feud and stringent orders that guide the way the two families relate.

This success may seem to be irrelevant to them, but at least it makes sense to their families at the end. They die before accomplishing the independence and the freedom they searched for a long time. Their families, however, make peace with each other after realizing what their feud is capable of causing.

A conclusion can be comfortably drawn that by breaking the rigid rules regulating their behaviors, Romeo and Juliet finally attain their independence. They break loose from these rules, and they finally attain their freedom in their death. This freedom is not only theirs, but for all other family members.

Members of the two families who remain behind will enjoy this freedom that Romeo and Juliet looked for using all their tactics. Their families are now at peace with each other, and his means no restrictions will be there in dealing with members of the former enemy family.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet, Ed. René Weis. London: Arden, 2012.

The selected play for this analysis is William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Being a tragedy, the story narrates the challenges two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, go through due to the enmity between their respective families. Despite being in love, Juliet and Romeo find it hard to live together happily. They eventually choose to terminate their lives since they do not want to remain separated. The work concludes with the quote: “For never was a story of more woe… than this of Juliet and her Romeo” (Texas Shakespeare Festival, 2020, 2:25:12). During the ensuing mourning period, the families of Capulet and Montague resolve to end their disagreement or feud.

The identified play was staged in a contemporary Elizabethan playhouse. The characters performed their roles and acts in daylight. The directors relied on the use of reduced props to achieve their aims. The scenes’ lighting entailed using unromantic moonlight and minimized sun. Soft morning radiance made some of the acts more admirable and easy to follow. In terms of costumes, the producers chose Renaissance dresses made from rich fabrics and laced with jewels (Katawazai, 2018). Such gowns had beautiful decorations and embellishments to make them more attractive. Romeo’s costume included a ruffled shirt and knee breeches. The other characters’ clothes were designed using rich fabrics and contained similar decorations.

To deliver the intended message, competent actors capable of communicating in the intended accent performed the play. Each of the 22 actors completed their unique roles in an effort to make the play meaningful. The producers ensured that such individuals exhibited specific character traits and attributes. For instance, Juliet appeared as a naïve girl who was hard to impress at the very beginning (Farahmandfar & Alizadeh, 2021). However, she became more mature and conscientious as her performance progressed. The individuals belonged to different age groups while undertaking their unique social roles.

From this analysis, it is agreeable that the mise-en-scene of the watched play match most of the aspects associated with its written version. For instance, the presented gowns and attires are designed in such a way that they match the ones worn at the time when the tragedy was written (Katawazai, 2018). The lighting, props, and staging strategies are developed based on the original work by Shakespeare. The consideration of such approaches made it easier for the director of the play to deliver the targeted message while entertaining the intended audience.

Different scenes in the play depict or create divergent moods. For example, the story of Juliet and Romeo presents a romantic and bright tone to the viewers. On the other hand, Verona portrays a negative mood characterized by cruelty and ugliness. This happens to be the case since society continues to face conflicts and family feuds (Katawazai, 2018). After following the play, it becomes clear that all the parts are easy to follow and understand. The important thing is to follow the words and match them with the performances or scenes. Some of the details that stood out from the play included the costumes Italians wore during antiquity and how different community members related with each other in Verona.

My feelings about this performance revolve around love, sadness, and enmity. It is unimaginable that both Romeo and Juliet have to die through self-harm. Such an act appears to threaten the stability of the studied society. The storyline supports the notion that tragedies can emerge when numerous emotions overwhelm human beings (Farahmandfar & Alizadeh, 2021). My takeaway from this work is that the aspects of human live, human rights, love, and conflict resolution have improved significantly over the past six centuries. Consequently, people can today pursue their objectives civilized and practically.

References

Farahmandfar, M., & Alizadeh, G. (2021). William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and his later tragedies. Journal of English Language and Literature Teaching, 1(1), 49-68.

Katawazai, R. (2018). A critical analysis of William Shakespeare’s: Romeo and Juliet. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 8(10), 270-278.

Texas Shakespeare Festival. (2020). Romeo & Juliet [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Introduction

Symbolism and foreshadowing are two significant literary devices often used by writers of literary works to achieve certain goals. Illona (2010) defines symbolism as applied in literature as “something a writer uses to represent a complex or larger thing.” In this regard, a writer uses a symbol to refer to something indirectly. Foreshadowing is a literary device which a writer uses to cause a writer to figure out what the text will focus on. The style enables a writer to tell the story in a coherent way by reflecting both forward and backward.

This paper will discuss the two literary styles as used by William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. The discussion is backed up with quotes of examples of symbolism as foreshadowing as used in the book.

Symbolism

Shakespeare embraced the use of nature’s symbols such as “stars, flowers, birds, darkness and light” to stand for certain meanings in the book (Lehmann, 2002). He likens Romeo to a rose flower, considered nature’s most beautiful flower. Besides the beauty, the rose flower also has an attractive scent. The comparison implies that Romeo is handsome and sweet to love just like a rose flower.

Lady Capulet equates Paris to a stunning bloom that no nature has endeavoured to produce. The unique flower compared to Paris demonstrates how distinctively beautiful the lady is. The love of Juliet to Romeo at the early stages is described as the “bud love, expected to grow into a beauteous flower” when the two meet later (Lehmann, 2002).

When Juliet learns of the death of her cousin Tybalt who was killed by Romeo the man she fell in love with, she described Romeo as “serpent hid with a flowering face” (Shakespeare, 2002). The serpent in this statement refers to the character in Romeo that caused him to kill her cousin. The flower, on the other hand, refers to the character in Romeo that made her fall in love with him.

Shakespeare recognizes flowers to signify the personality of Romeo, the love of Juliet. As a serpent, Romeo goes ahead to hatch a plan to kill Tybalt, who is Juliet’s cousin. The symbol of flowers is also used in the instance where Juliet took Friar’s concoction and died. The writer, in this case, compares the bridal flowers to the flowers used at the funeral as the bouquets.

Shakespeare also used stars to create symbolism in his text. Romeo and Juliet are likened to “star-crossed.” The common belief was that a person’s fortune was dependent on the stars. The “crossed-star” in the text implied that nature would work against the love relationship between Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare widely used stars to bring out the belief that stars determined people’s fate. While preparing to attend the Capulet party, Romeo points out that “my mind misgives some consequences hanging in the stars” (Shakespeare, 2002).

More symbolism of the stars is where Juliet thinks of chopping Romeo into small stars to make everyone be in love with the night. Romeo on his side, likens Juliet’s eyes to two very bright stars of heaven. Juliet later finds herself in a situation wondering whether to marry Romeo, who already has already been pushed to marry Paris. She wonders whether “there is any pity sitting in the clouds” (Dunkling, 2005). At this instance, Juliet is annoyed that the stars have sealed her fate with her love Romeo.

Shakespeare also utilized darkness and light as symbolic elements in the story. At the beginning of the story, Romeo is described as being in “artificial darkness by adding clouds to more clouds” (Dunkling, 2005). This symbol is created to paint the picture of the depression mood of Romeo. His tears are described as “locking out light.” The first time Romeo meets Juliet in the house, he flirts her by saying that she “teaches the torches to burn bright” (Reyhner and Francis, 2002). The statement points to the beauty and brightness those Juliet possess. Romeo further remarks that “Juliet is the sun” implying that she is hot. According to Romeo, Juliet’s beauty overshadows the brightness of the sun.

In one of his remarks about the two lovers, Friar points out that the “darkness of the night gives way to the gray eyed morning.” This symbol indicates new dawn that has come “to the lives of the two lovers” (Dunkling, 2005). The day the two lovers consummated their marriage, daybreak came sooner than they expected. They would have wished a long night to prevail, but as nature is not controlled by human power, daybreak was obvious for them to explore the challenges the day brings.

Another creation of nature that Shakespeare used to paint the picture of symbolism in his work is the bird. The Nurse refers to Juliet as the “Ladybird,” while waiting for the Nurse to return with a word of love from Romeo, Juliet remarks that “words of love are born by doves, and they are not the swiftest birds.”

Juliet described Romeo as “a doved feathered raven” when he killed his cousin Tybalt (Reyhner and Francis, 2002). The symbol describes the horrible character of Romeo covered in his innocence and love. The lark birds have been used in the book to illuminate night whereas nightingale to signify morning.

Foreshadowing

This is a writing style where the writer informs the reader of what will happen ahead in the story through flashbacks. Shakespeare embraced this style on several occasions in the text. A typical example of this is found in Act I, where one of the actors in a sonnet brings out the hatred between Montagues and Capulets and also looks at Romeo and Juliet as unfortunate lovers (Reyhner and Francis, 2002). The two are unfortunate, according to the chorus because they were “born in warring families” (Shakespeare, 2002).

Montagues and Capulets are described as “a pair of star-crossed lovers who take their lives.” “Taking their life” is a statement that informs the reader of events to come ahead. It describes how the two characters would vanish from existence by taking their own lives. In another instance of foreshadowing, Romeo describes Juliet in a song as the “Sun at daybreak that is envied by the moon.” He calls on the sun to “arise and kill the envious moon” (Shakespeare, 2002). The statement implies that the sun killed the moon out of sympathy for the moon’s grief. The statement revealed in advance what would happen to both Romeo and Juliet at the end of the play where they killed themselves because of anguish.

The writer used foreshadowing instances as a sign of something bad coming to happen ahead. When for example, in the city of Verona, a story of “star-crossed lovers” is told, it points out the fate that will later befall the two lovers. During a discussion process between Romeo and Juliet, Juliet remarks that she feels “as one dead in the tomb” (Shakespeare, 2002). The statement expresses her mixed feelings about the affair. She foresaw disaster in the planned arrangements that yielded to the two meetings for the discussion.

The strong feelings Romeo has for Juliet would ultimately lead to his downfall. Death seems to surround the two lovers in the story. Juliet, for example, had remarked that if she is given Romeo when he dies, she will chop him into tiny stars. According to Juliet, this would make the whole world to love the night. This description is a prediction that Juliet would witness Romeo’s death.

The style is also used to describe the love that could not be stopped by anything. In a discussion between Romeo and Benvolio about Tybalt, Romeo points out that “the day’s black fate must end with others.” Romeo knows that Tybalt hates him and has set out to kill him because of that. It is also hinted in the story that Romeo would die of poisoning. Juliet’s mother remarks that “Romeo should upon receipt of poison sleep in quiet” (Shakespeare, 2002). Romeo’s death would be as a result of his relentless pursuit for love. All he cared was to be with Juliet whatever it takes.

Conclusion

The discussion has pointed out the various instances in the text that Shakespeare used symbolism and foreshadowing styles. Various creations of nature such as stars, birds, light and darkness, are used as symbols in the text. The symbols stand for something more complex to communicate the writer’s message to the reader. Apart from symbolism, Shakespeare also uses foreshadowing as a literary device in his writing. He used foreshadowing mainly to enable the reader to prefigure what is coming ahead. The death Instances of the various characters are predicted in the storyline through foreshadowing.

References

Dunkling, L. 2005. When Romeo and Juliet Met. New York: Trafford publishing ltd.

Illona, S. 2010. Reality And Illusion In Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Norderstedt: Druck und Bindung.

Lehmann, C. 2002. Shakespeare Remains: Theater to Film Early Modern to Postmodern. New York: Cornell university press.

Reyhner. J., A. and Francis, N. 2002. Language and Literacy Teaching For Indigenous Education: A Bilingual Approach. New York: Multilingual matters ltd.

Shakespeare, W. 2002. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Baron Educational Series Inc.

Psychoanalysis often consists of different approaches, and the same topic or work can be seen from various perspectives. For example, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet tells the story of the titular characters who belong to rivaling households. This play explores the topic of forbidden love, as the main characters never get what they want due to their circumstances. The following text will review it from Jung’s, Freud’s, and Lacan’s theories.

Sigmund Freud’s perspective of the psyche is actively tied to sexual desire and the three aspects of one’s personality. These aspects are id, ego, and superego, and they have a significant effect on a person’s actions and motivations (Studious Guy, 2021). Romeo represents a classic example of one’s id prevailing over the other aspects, as he is rather impulsive and emotional. Juliet and Friar Laurence, on the other hand, have more fluctuating versions of these aspects. As soon as he first meets her, he forgets about his prior unrequited feelings for Rosaline and wants to be with the Capulet daughter. The young man triggers a conflict between her id, ego and superego, as she is aware of the rivalry; however, she desires to be with Romeo against all odds.

There is a very interesting similarity between Juliet and Friar Laurence, as both start experiencing the domination of their id over their superego and ego. Laurence is an even stronger example of that, as he poses as the mentor for the two youths; however, when he views an opportunity to use them as a way to help their families reconcile, the man agrees to preserve Romeo and Juliet’s bond and unite them with marriage (Shakespeare, 1597). At first, it seems that under the influence of their relationship, the young man becomes more rational, as he refuses to fight with Tybalt. Unfortunately, this is instantly disproven after Romeo murdering him as revenge, being banished and him ultimately taking his life, causing Juliet’s demise as well. Perhaps, if their superego had dominated, their lives would have taken a different turn, and Laurence’s goal would have been achieved without losses.

Carl Jung’s views are not as heavily reliant on sexual desires, as they are on one’s life force. He believed that the psyche’s main goal was achieving individuation, where one becomes independent from the collective unconscious, evolves into a mature and harmonious individual, and develops their true identity (GoodTherapy, 2018). The collective unconscious is formed with the help of symbols, patterns and situations related to archetypes. At the beginning of the story, Romeo represents a blend between the Rebel and the Lover, as he is irrational but appreciates love (Exploring Your Mind, 2020). Juliet seems uninterested in this concept before she meets him and is usually more rational, being the Sage. Friar Laurence is the classic example of the Caregiver, as he attempts to guide the youths through this situation.

Unfortunately, this relationship creates a conflict between the counterparts of their archetypes and deconstructs their Animus and Anima. For Juliet, her rationality and sensibility become her Persona, while in Romeo’s case it is his prioritization of thinking before acting (Studio Binder, 2022). Irrationality is completely atypical of Friar Laurence, as he attempts to protect the teenagers from their demise and fails under the influence of his wish to bring peace to the two rivalling families. Juliet becomes more impulsive, threatening to die by suicide in case she is married to Paris. Romeo attempts to conceal this side of his personality, as he tries to find peace between himself and his wife’s cousin. Alas, Romeo’s Persona is the first to collapse, as his Shadow prevails and ultimately results in Tybalt’s, his and Juliet’s death. Thus, they do not achieve individuation, as their lives and personality become disorganized, and meet an abrupt end.

Jacques Lacan’s views triggered discussions of one’s desire and its inattainability. While most people eventually find peace with this gap, the characters in the story do not. In the play, Romeo constantly seeks love for some unknown reason and there is always something standing in his way. Lacan believed that one’s desire is the other individual’s desire (Psychiatric Times, 2018). Whatever the two were seeking in love, whether it is stability, the ideal partner or the sensation that follows it, they never actually find it. This is because Romeo’s vengeful murder of Tybalt is followed by a chain of events that ultimately becomes their obstacle to achieving that unconscious desire. Unfortunately, the characters are not at peace with this loss, as the two eventually meet their untimely death as a result. Regarding Friar Laurence, it can be presumed that while his goal of making the families reconcile has been achieved, he never truly achieves his desire, just like the two teenagers.

In conclusion, the story of Romeo and Juliet receives different perceptions when viewed by the lens of Jung’s, Lacan’s and Freud’s theories. From Freud’s perspective, the characters’ problems can be perceived as the result of a conflict between their superego, id and ego. Romeo is the first one never to find harmony between the three aspects, while Juliet and Laurence develop a conflict with those moments due to his relationship with her. Jung’s beliefs are centered on the person becoming independent from the collective unconscious and evolving into a harmonious individual. This never happens to the three people, as the characters’ lives and personalities become disorganized and dishevelled under the influence of their circumstances. Finally, from Lacan’s perspective, desire is something that is unconscious and unattainable. While many people find peace with the gap presented by it, Romeo, Juliet and Laurence do not, which results in the death of the teenagers and the sorrow of the Friar.

References

Exploring Your Mind. (2020). The 12 jungian archetypes. Exploring your mind. Web.

GoodTherapy. (2018). Jungian psychotherapy. GoodTherapy – Find the Right Therapist. Web.

Psychiatric Times. (2018). Jacques Lacan: The best and least known psychoanalyst. Web.

StudioBinder. (2022). Jungian archetypes explained for writers. Web.

Studious Guy. (2021). Freud’s psychoanalytic theories explained. StudiousGuy – Your Study Buddy. Web.