...‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a tragic love story written by William Shakespeare about two young star crossed lovers who live in Verona, Italy in the Middle Ages. One of the most important issues that these young loves come across quite often is that of choice. The real question is whether the characters have the ability to choose what they do or is it fate that decides it for them. The chorus introduces in the opening prologue that Romeo and Juliet are “star-crossed” and “death-marked”, and by stating this, Shakespeare gives us the climax of the play right away. In Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, it is not fate, but desperate and impulsive actions that bring about the downfall and the unfortunate ending of both Romeo and Juliet. In the Victorian Era, fate was known as the continuance of events that are out of human control, and determined by a supernatural power. By no means was the demise of Romeo and Juliet out their control. It happened because of the choices they themselves make....
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...difficult to pinpoint an exact incident that is to blame. Most often, it is a series of events that lead up to one’s breaking point. This is the case in William Shakespeare’s drama The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet are met with countless opposition, from feuding families to failed plans, and it seems they are doomed by fate. What began as an innocent romance between two young lovers slowly turns towards a bitter ending and both of their deaths’. Although Fate and Friar Lawrence are partially to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, because the families cause the initial conflict, they deserve the most blame for the deaths of the star crossed lovers, Romeo...
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...University Tandag City, Surigao del Sur In Partial Fulfilment Of the requirement for the Degree Bachelor of Arts in Filipino JACKIELYN P. ALMEDILLA ROCHELLE I. CASSANO Literary Theme : Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Analysis written by Jordan Ward Submitted By : RUBYLYN E. BALDOVINO BA- Filipino 2 Submitted To : SOL VERTUDAZO The Downfall of Romeo and Juliet In the Play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, he writes about two young adults who have fallen madly in love, Romeo and Juliet. They are from two very different families who are bitter rivals, the Capulets and the Montagues. In the play, it shows and depicts the problems that arise when they fall in love, and how their impatience in important events leads to the downfall of their marriage in the end. Romeo and Juliet are to blame for all the misfortune experienced in this book, due to the impatience and stubbornness of each; Shakespeare created this to show how important patience is during crucial events. Because of their impatience, their marriage is torn apart, and both end up dead as the play comes to a close. Romeo and Juliet sealed their own fate, and are the only ones to blame for all the misfortune they experienced during the play. The first major problem Romeo and Juliet create for themselves is rushing their marriage, and trying to keep it a secret. If they had waited even a couple of more days and talked to their families about it, they might have had better success...
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...The untimely deaths of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare's 1500’s play, Romeo & Juliet, do not go unnoticed. Both acting as part of opposing families, the two are incontrovertibly the main characters. During the final act in the play, Romeo and Juliet take their lives as they lie before one another, ultimately posing the question, ‘who is to blame for the deaths of the fate sealed lovers?’ Many suspects arise as so many characters have interaction with Romeo and Juliet. Friar John is to blame for the death of Romeo and Juliet because he finds himself trapped in a quarantined house not having any sort of backup plan, making it so Romeo never gets word of Juliet’s fake death. We find Romeo in Juliet’s tomb where she lies asleep. He is soon confronted...
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...In Shakespeare's Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, many characters led up to the death of Romeo and Juliet. The three main characters were Fate, Lady Capulet, and Juliet. Fate could have been blamed because Shakespeare wrote the the story so Romeo and Juliet could be a ideal love story. Lady Capulet led to the death because she had a very poor relationship with Juliet, she encourages Juliet to get married to Paris. Finally, Juliet led to her own death. As soon as she sees Romeo she falls in love with him, she says “so the heavens smile upon this act” (DBQ: Project, 2013) A II Siiiiii Juliet thinks that they are mean for each other even though their family has a feud. Fate played a part in the two lovers death because Shakespeare wrote the story so that people would strive to have a love like Romeo and Juliets. Shakespeare says “ a greater power than we can contradict” (DBQ: Project, 2013) A V S iii. Then quote says the love they had for each other was greater than we expected and nothing can separate them. When Romeo saw Juliet he immediately fell in love with her. due to the fact that one was a Montage and one was a Capulet it was hard for...
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...cursed by fate, or just unlucky? Some people blame fate for events that happen every day. This was evident In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as two unlucky characters were killed at the fault of someone else. In Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, Friar Laurence and the Nurse have similar roles in the story, yet one of them has a great impact on the story. Friar Laurence and the Nurse both play a substantial part in the marriage. The Friar agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet to end the feud between their families. The friar says to Romeo, “For this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households rancor to pure love” (2.2.91-92). The quote demonstrates that the friar played a significant role in the story since he married the two main characters. The quote also proves...
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...Who or what is to blame for the tragic outcome of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet? In the tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, a play written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, many new themes, concepts and ideas are explored, that range from questioning the basis of society right to the concepts of fate, love and death, and addresses everything in between. They play gravitates around a central, tragic plot—starts as simple as boy meets girl, but little do they know the one cajoling a kiss from the other is the youth of their family’s greatest adversary, and this reluctance to let go leads on to a sequential chain of ill-fated events. As much as the tragedy covers many new ideas, it also leaves room for many unanswered questions. One of which...
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...Benvolio is to Blame! Someone has to be blamed for all 6 deaths in Romeo and Juliet. There are many people you can blame, but who is ultimately at fault? Benvolio’s name literally means ‘Peacemaker’; however, his name does not reflect on his behavior. He is to blame for all six of the deaths in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Here’s why. In Act Three, Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio and Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin (appositive), were on the streets. Tybalt wanted to duel Romeo but Mercutio stepped in for his honor (prep. phrase). While Romeo was trying to stop the fight, “Noble Mercutio, put your sword away.”(III.i.50), what was the guy that’s name means “peacemaker” doing? Sitting back not trying to help Romeo stop the fight? This caused Mercutio’s...
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...Although many characters in William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, shared the blame of the newlywed's death, Friar Lawrence was ultimately at fault due to his countless naive and rash attempts at holding their doomed marriage together. The Friar had been the one to marry Romeo and Juliet in secret, provide Juliet with the sleeping elixir, and lastly, in act of cowardice, had left Juliet to her own self imposed death when guards could be heard on their way to the Capulet’s tomb. To start, the Friar had been the one to unwisely marry the couple in secret. Although offering little hesitance at young Romeo’s proposition, Lawrence had quickly agreed, thinking that the marriage between the two feuding houses would somehow force them into setting their differences aside for the sake of the young couple. What Friar Lawrence hadn’t realized was that in order to see this happen, the marriage would have had been made public, otherwise the two families would have no idea that their long held grudges would need to have been let go. As consequence to these actions, Tybalt had slain Mercutio, which in turn led to Romeo being responsible for the revengeful...
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...‘Romeo and Juliet/Catrin/Follower’ Controlled Assessment: Examining Shakespeare’s ideologies on parental influence and the impact on modern/Elizabethan audiences: Examine the way Shakespeare presents the relationship between Juliet and her parents. By Tiffanie Gould, 10x1 The iconic tragedy written by the world’s most honoured writer William Shakespeare, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a title the world is familiar with. Its impact on modern society is impeccable, whether related to love, tragedy or both moral and academic education, the modern media adopts its philosophy. Shakespeare is trying to educate, and the ever-pending battle is the matter of character vs. society; relationships differ even today between parent and child, and the way it may be interpreted is affected by women’s role in society in Elizabethan England and how the audience’s perspective of prejudice and patriarchy. Shakespeare explores emotions and allows adjustments in the relationship in an attempt to drop the audience’s jaws open in eras of both old and new. In this assessment, I will examine just how the way Shakespeare presents the relationship between Juliet and Lord/Lady Capulet with supported evidence. Lord Capulet: the very wealthy patriarch of the Capulet family and empire, probably just as important, the husband of Lady Capulet, the uncle of Tybalt, potential father-in-law of Count Paris, legitimate (but unknowingly) the father-in-law of Romeo Montague… and the father of Juliet Capulet-Montague....
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...Friar Laurence. In William Shakespeare’s drama “Romeo and Juliet,” Romeo and Juliet met at the Capulet’s party and fall deeply in love with each other. Friar Laurence marries them and not only Friar knows about the marriage, the Nurse knows also. Neither Romeo nor Juliet can reveal their marriage because it may or may not cause more fighting with the Capulet and Montague’s. I ultimately think that the Nurse and Friar Laurence are a big part of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. Friar has a part in their deaths because he came up with a lot of ideas and put them into Juliet’s head. People might think fate and character flaws are to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s...
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...‘Romeo and Juliet/Catrin/Follower’ Controlled Assessment: Examining Shakespeare’s ideologies on parental influence and the impact on modern/Elizabethan audiences: Examine the way Shakespeare presents the relationship between Juliet and her parents. By Tiffanie Gould, 10x1 The iconic tragedy written by the world’s most honoured writer William Shakespeare, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a title the world is familiar with. Its impact on modern society is impeccable, whether related to love, tragedy or both moral and academic education, the modern media adopts its philosophy. Shakespeare is trying to educate, and the ever-pending battle is the matter of character vs. society; relationships differ even today between parent and child, and the way it may be interpreted is affected by women’s role in society in Elizabethan England and how the audience’s perspective of prejudice and patriarchy. Shakespeare explores emotions and allows adjustments in the relationship in an attempt to drop the audience’s jaws open in eras of both old and new. In this assessment, I will examine just how the way Shakespeare presents the relationship between Juliet and Lord/Lady Capulet with supported evidence. Lord Capulet: the very wealthy patriarch of the Capulet family and empire, probably just as important, the husband of Lady Capulet, the uncle of Tybalt, potential father-in-law of Count Paris, legitimate (but unknowingly) the father-in-law of Romeo Montague… and the father of Juliet Capulet-Montague....
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...ROMEO & JULIET Prologue (ACT 1) As a prologue to the play, the Chorus enters. In a fourteen-line sonnet, the Chorus describes two noble households (called “houses”) in the city of Verona. The houses hold an “ancient grudge” (Prologue.2) against each other that remains a source of violent and bloody conflict. The Chorus states that from these two houses, two “star-crossed” (Prologue.6) lovers will appear. These lovers will mend the quarrel between their families by dying. The story of these two lovers, and of the terrible strife between their families, will be the topic of this play. ANALYSIS This opening speech by the Chorus serves as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet. We are provided with information about where the play takes place, and given some background information about its principal characters. The obvious function of the Prologue as introduction to the Verona of Romeo and Juliet can obscure its deeper, more important function. The Prologue does not merely set the scene of Romeo and Juliet, it tells the audience exactly what is going to happen in the play. The Prologue refers to an ill-fated couple with its use of the word “star-crossed,” which means, literally, against the stars. Stars were thought to control people’s destinies. But the Prologue itself creates this sense of fate by providing the audience with the knowledge that Romeo and Juliet will die even before the play has begun. The audience therefore watches the play with the expectation that it must...
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...Although these texts were written more than a century apart, they both explore the changeable and intricate relationships between a parent and their child. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘An Inspector Calls’ portray similar relationships between a parent and child. The structure of each text highlights the conflict and aggression, as the tension progresses. The scenes intensify when the powerful, controlling father figure feels his authority has been challenged by a child in the family. Firstly, in 'Romeo and Juliet' Lord Capulet expresses his forceful, vicious side when Juliet commits an act of disobedience. She decides to not follow her father's ‘decree’ to marry Paris, stimulating her father to act violently. Similarly, in 'An Inspector Calls', Priestly presents Mr Birling as a pompous man initially. However, as the tension increases, the atmosphere begins to change, and he becomes agitated as Sheila begins to answer back, revealing all of their crimes. There is a sense of hostility towards his children, as he feels they are to blame for the monstrosities that had occurred that night, potentially putting him at a disadvantage. Shakespeare and Priestly use a variety of techniques to present the relationships and theme of parental control and authority. Act 1: Scene 2 In this scene, Shakespeare presents Lord Capulet as a man who cares deeply for his pride and reputation, but above all his daughter. However, Lord Capulet seems to have a deceptive nature, when speaking about his...
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...Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Bloom's Classic Critical Views alfred, lord Tennyson Benjamin Franklin The Brontës Charles Dickens edgar allan poe Geoffrey Chaucer George eliot George Gordon, lord Byron henry David Thoreau herman melville Jane austen John Donne and the metaphysical poets John milton Jonathan Swift mark Twain mary Shelley Nathaniel hawthorne Oscar Wilde percy Shelley ralph Waldo emerson robert Browning Samuel Taylor Coleridge Stephen Crane Walt Whitman William Blake William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Edited and with an Introduction by Sterling professor of the humanities Yale University harold Bloom Bloom’s Classic Critical Views: William Shakespeare Copyright © 2010 Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2010 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information contact: Bloom’s Literary Criticism An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data William Shakespeare / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom : Neil Heims, volume editor. p. cm. — (Bloom’s classic critical views) Includes bibliographical references...
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