...The Development of Juliet's Character Throughout William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Juliet is first introduced to us in Act 1 Scene 3, where we learn about Juliet’s character. We know she is a polite, obedient girl. We can see this in the line where she says: “Madam, I am here. What is your will?” (Act 1 Scene 3 L78). This shows that Juliet is a well-mannered girl because she addresses her mother as Madam. This quotation also shows Juliet as obedient and always willing to help her mother because she says: “What is your will?” This scene also tells us that Juliet is thirteen and has never considered marriage, something which would have been common for girls her age at that time. She is still pure and innocent. “It is an honour I dream not of.” (Act 1 Scene 3 L66). From this scene we can observe that Juliet has a closer relationship with the nurse rather than with her own mother. “Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.” This example shows how well the nurse knows Juliet. Shakespeare shows us that Juliet is still of the age where she does what her mother asks of her, without question. In the same scene again she says “Well, think of marriage now.” Which also shows us that Juliet does what her mother says. In Act 1 Scene 5 the first conversation between Romeo and Juliet is in the form of a sonnet (poem of sixteen lines). Romeo and Juliet take it in turns to speak; which shows how perfect they are for each other. A good example: If I profane with my...
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...Do Romeo and Juliet mature during the play? Most people would probably say that they did not mature in the play but some people would agree that they have matured. In the book Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, there are parts that show Romeo and Juliet maturing and there are parts where they show them not maturing. They have matured in how they act but not as much as their character. The part where they did not mature would be getting married at the age of thirteen years old. Also getting married behind their parents back is another immature thing to do. By getting married behind their parents’ back got them in some trouble. They also got married when they only knew each other for a day which is very immature because they really don’t...
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...Immaturity: the Real Poison in Romeo and Juliet In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is a tragic hero with the tragic flaw of immaturity. His immaturity is demonstrated countless times in this love story; he weeps because Rosaline does not return his love, and he hastily kills Tybalt without reflecting on the consequences. If Romeo had properly thought through some of the potential consequences prior to resorting to such extreme measures to see Juliet again, Romeo and Juliet most likely would not have met such a tragic ending. Lastly, the marriage of Romeo to Juliet was impulsive and again lacked forethought. They “fall in love” before even getting to know one another and they fail to think through their situation before getting married without their parents’ consent. There are many examples where Romeo lacks maturity. For example, when he is muddled because Rosaline does not return his affection. Romeo says, “O, teach me how I should forget to think!” (Shakespeare, 1. 1. 217). He is unable to take his mind off Rosaline. A more mature man could do so. Another example occurs when the hopeless romantic is ranting wistfully based only on his experience with Rosaline, “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn” (Shakespeare, 1. 4. 25-26). Romeo’s negative view of love based on a single experience demonstrates his lack of maturity. Finally, Romeo’s breakdown over Rosaline greatly impacts the plot. “At this...
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...English Essay- Evolution of Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare’s well-known play, Romeo and Juliet addresses the ill-fated love of two young children from feuding households set in Verona. Even though they are both children and Juliet is younger than Romeo, they both mature at different rates and ways. In addition, they are very different characters. Romeo is withdrawn, whereas Juliet is bold and brave. The differences go on and are made more obvious as the play progresses. This essay will highlight these differences and how they evolve as characters through the course of this play. Both the characters strike us as very different when we meet them for the first time. Romeo is recovering from his unrequited love. He is shown to be pining with love for a woman called Rosaline. He seems very immature in the beginning as he loses track of time and he stays in a dark room throughout the day due to his love-sickness. The play's emphasis on characters' eyes and the act of looking accords with Romeo's role as a blind lover who doesn't believe that there could be another lady more fair than his Rosaline. Romeo denies that he could be deluded by love, the "religion" of his eye. This zeal, combined with his rejection of Benvolio's advice to find another love to replace Rosaline, highlights Romeo's immaturity as a lover. We immediately feel as though his feelings are not real love, it is more of a infatuation. Romeo is in love with the concept of being in love. Juliet on the other hand is more...
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...Explain how Shakespeare presents the characters of Romeo and Juliet in Act 1 The famous love story by William Shakespeare depicts the romance between two youngsters who ignorantly fall in love without realising the danger their affections contain. Romeo, the only son of Montague, unknowingly falls for the beautiful Juliet, who is the only daughter of Capulet, his father’s arch enemy. It is truly love at first sight. When we first meet Romeo, he is presented as a character that is insanely in love yet heartbroken and has been taken over by these feelings. However he does not seem himself as he says, “I have lost myself, I am not here, this is not Romeo, has some other where”. We can tell that this is not the real Romeo that we are seeing as he talks in the third person, therefore referring to himself as a whole other person. Shakespeare doesn’t allow Romeos true personality to appear as Romeo says that he is not himself at the moment. Also, this makes the audience wonder what kind of a person he truly is, because although he is depressed that Rosaline does not return his love, he is still saying how much he loves her. Romeo is also presented as confused through his mixture of feelings and the words that he uses. He uses many oxymorons’ such as, “oh heavy lightness, oh serious vanity...feather of lead.....” This shows that Romeo is extremely confused as the oxymoron show that he isn't thinking straight and maybe his feelings are perplexing him further. In a way, this...
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...Juliet is presented as reserved and obedient, however, she possesses an inner strength that enables her to possess maturity beyond her years. Juliet is a young girl who loves her parents and does her best to please them. She “[looks] to like, if looking liking move; / But no more deep will [she] endart [her] eye / Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.” (1.3.98-100). Juliet’s mother pushes Juliet towards Paris, and asks her to see if he would interest her. Even though Juliet has not ever been interested in Paris, she agrees to dance with him see if he would appeal to her. Juliet is compliant with her mother’s wishes, as she does not want to disobey her. When Juliet falls in love with Romeo, she lies and ignores her parent’s wishes....
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...How does Shakespeare develop the audience’s understanding of Juliet’s character and her predicament in Act 3 Scene 5? At the start of III v when Juliet is talking to Romeo, Shakespeare shows their relationship with the use of natural imagery. For example he makes references to birds such as “Lark” and “Nightingale”. Shakespeare also uses natural locations such as “pomegranate tree” and “misty mountain tops”. The use of natural images is a metaphor for Romeo and Juliet’s love as it their love is natural and it was love at first sight. He also says in the prologue that they were “Star-crossed lovers” which means that their love was fate and that is was nature that dictated their love. .Shakespeare also uses the structure of the script to show the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. Romeo: How is’t, my soul? Let’s talk, it is not day Juliet: It is, it is, hie hence, be gone, away! (III v 25, 26) This symbolises how much Romeo and Juliet understand each other and how well they connect (They speak together and their conversations shows a structure). Shakespeare makes their relationship apparent through these techniques and it helps show how hard Romeo’s exile from Verona is going to be for Juliet after he leaves in the morning. As Romeo’s leaving Juliet says: “The window, let day in, and life out” (III v 41) In this line Juliet is saying farewell to Romeo and she’s saying now that day has come...
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...Who Is To Blame For Death? Do you think Romeo & Juliet could be held responsible for all of the deaths throughout the play? Romeo and Juliet are to blame for all deaths that occurred during the play. During the play there are 6 characters that die, 2 of them being Romeo and Juliet. Even though I believe Romeo and Juliet are responsible, it could be argued that it is Lord and Lady Capulet and Montague who are to blame. If Romeo had acted with more maturity during the course of actions death could have been prevented. During the beginning of the play Romeo is heartbroken over a girl, to cheer up he decided to attend the Capulet party. That was not a mature choice to crash a party he was not invited to. At the party he did meet the “love of his life” but little does he know she is also the thing that will kill him. When Tybalt murdered Mercutio during a street fight Romeo felt the need to exact his revenge by killing Tybalt. This was immature because if Romeo had just let justice come to Tybalt Romeo would not have been banished and possibly preventing his death. At the end of the play Romeo is lying next to Juliet in the Capulet tomb, Romeo has been told she is dead. Romeo is so devastated over a girl...
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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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...How does Fate play a role in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Change Slide: What is fate? Fate is the idea that the future is already planned even if people do not know what is going to happen to them. I’m going to talk about Romeo and Juliet, a play by William Shakespeare's, one of the greatest love stories of all time. This story has been known to be timeless even though it was written around 1595. This play is a story of forbidden love that is resolved in two tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet, who come from feuding families. Their ignorance of defy and falling in love is not accepted by their families. For the five short days they share love, many events take place. All of the events surround characters from both the Montague and Capulet families. The powers and affects of love and hate are also very evident between the two families throughout the play. In the end, Romeo and Juliet's love finds a tragic way to overcome the hate between their families. The story mainly revolves around Juliet while she grows up and falls in love, only to have fate keep her from complete happiness. Change Slide: Juliet is the beautiful, courageous young daughter of Capulet, a rich man in Verona. Shakespeare made her character a mere thirteen years old, but she acts very mature compared to her age. She appears to be practical, honest, and loyal to herself and her family. The play is about how she discovers and loses love. She appears to have thought very little about love and marriage...
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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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...the voice of love and loss in Bryon’s “When We Two Parted” and the Balcony Scene in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” Lili Mutyambizi From the beginning of Act 2 scene 2 it is evident that Romeo conveys a different voice of love and loss compared to Bryon. Because at this point, he knows that he has no other company and so therefore does not restrict any of his feelings or thoughts that go through his mind. So in the first part of his monologue, the language in this monologue includes phrases that are associated with subjects that are essential tot he human body as he expresses:: “It is the east and Juliet is the sun, arise far sun and kill the envious moon” this signifying that he needs Juliet to come out for him to ‘live’ and destroy the feelings he has for Rosaline ‘kill the envious moon’. This showing that Romeo’s voice of love is immature as he quickly wants to diminish his previous love of Rosaline and replace with Juliet as “kill” causes a fast action of death. However when comparing the first stanza of Byron’s “When We Two Parted” the mood of this is regretful as he reflects on past events:”Pale grew thy cheek cold colder thy kiss” as this effect is reinforced by the use of enjambment that is a common theme in the poem. This signifying that Bryon’s voice of loss is mature as he is accepting that what he thought was love was growing to be non existent which Romeo does not acknowledge as in this play he thinks that his and Juliet’s love will always be there as in this...
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...This story of star-crossed lovers is one of William Shakespeare’s tenderest dramas. Shakespeare is sympathetic toward Romeo and Juliet, and in attributing their tragedy to fate, rather than to a flaw in their characters, he raises them to heights near perfection, as well as running the risk of creating pathos, not tragedy. They are both sincere, kind, brave, loyal, virtuous, and desperately in love, and their tragedy is greater because of their innocence. The feud between the lovers’ families represents the fate that Romeo and Juliet are powerless to overcome. The lines capture in poetry the youthful and simple passion that characterizes the play. One of the most popular plays of all time, Romeo and Juliet was Shakespeare’s second tragedy (after Titus Andronicus of 1594, a failure). Consequently, the play shows the sometimes artificial lyricism of early comedies such as Love’s Labour’s Lost 1594-1595, . 1598) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (. 1595-1596, . 1600), while its character development predicts the direction of the playwright’s artistic maturity. In Shakespeare’s usual fashion, he based his story on sources that were well known in his day: Masuccio Salernitano’s Novellino (1475), William Painter’s The Palace of Pleasure (1566-1567), and, especially, Arthur Brooke’s poetic The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet (1562). Shakespeare reduces the time of the action from the months it takes in Brooke’s work to a few compact days. In addition to following the conventional...
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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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...The short story “How the Nurse Feels” by Greg Changnon was first published in 1998. It treats of universal themes such as growing up and how the transition from child to adult is not always an easy or desired process. The adult world can seem alien and impossible to identify with but through the story it is told how a single event can alter the perception of it. It also deals with the boundary between fiction and reality which can be quite blurred especially at this transitioning age. While fiction can help us understanding the world around us, the short story also stresses the importance of life experience in order to fully understand the fiction. These are all things the main character, Tess, has to deal with. Tess is playing the Nurse in her school’s staging of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. She is a fifteen year-old girl who lives in Winetka with her parents. Her father is a priest and her mother owns a fabric store. It is a very isolated community which bores and frustrates Tess: “Neither of them […] know what it’s like to have your whole world contained in the tenblock radius of the church, school, home, and the fabric store. This, I know, is why I act. I have to feel what it’s like in somebody else’s skin.”1 Tess desperately wants to leave Winetka and craves a more exiting existence in New York: “I want to worry about rent and the smelly man who sits on my doorstep. I want to have three lovers at three different theatres, one suicidal and the other two Caribbean”2...
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