...Romeo and Juliet; the Story of Two Despondent Lovers Does love attract those who are similar to each other, or those who are disparate? People tend to look for those that are similar to them, but try to find differences that make them “special” from other people. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, an old family feud between two households keeps two lovers apart. Romeo and Juliet love each other so much, that they try to do everything they can think of to keep their family names from not letting them get together; this eventually leads to more conflicts and their demise. Both characters have significant roles in the play, and share many qualities, but also have compelling differences when viewed from the aspects of persistency, dramatic emotions,...
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...Juliet: Good Girl or Rebellious? Romeo and Juliet, the two star-crossed lovers, experienced an extremely risky adventure together. William Shakespeare, the author of Romeo and Juliet, was a writer who expressed his thoughts and feelings like no one else. He lived during the time of the Renaissance, more than four-hundred years ago. Back then, this story made sense for two young people to get married, but not so much today. Romeo and Juliet were both young adults and they probably hadn’t experienced true love, until they met. Juliet is a dynamic character who is obedient, eager, and loyal in both positive and negative ways. The first trait seen from Juliet is her obedience. In the beginning of the play, Juliet says to her mother, “Madam, I am here. What is your will?” (I, iii, 7). This quote shows the audience that Juliet is respectfully prepared to do what her mother instructs. Juliet states, “I’ll look to like if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly” (I, iii, 99-101). This quote...
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...The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet speak as indirect characterization to provide a better understanding of characters. By using many examples of juxtaposition, Shakespeare adds complexity to each character. Romeo’s confusion about love makes him a complex character. In response to a one way love affair, Romeo is left questioning love: “This love feel I, that feel no love in this” (1.1.175). Romeo does not understand the true meaning of love, yet he wonders why he cannot be loved. Romeo often mistakes beauty for love which leaves confusion. Romeo is caught up in Juliet’s beauty before she even opens her mouth. Romeo’s perspective...
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...Romeo and Juliet was a romantic but also a tragic play written by William Shakespeare in 1595 and later published in 1597.The plot of Romeo and Juliet is that two lovers of long rivaling family history tragically die and reunite their rivaling families.There were three different movies made in 1968, 1996, and 2014 to illustrate the similarities and differences of the reader’s vision and Shakespeare’s. The 1968 movie of Romeo and Juliet was shot In the Italian city of Verona with the same perspective, wardrobe, and weaponry(swords) of the time that Shakespeare had written the original play. Although the script was the same in the 1996 movie the clothing and weaponry(guns) was completely different than the original but fit with the setting that was in California. The 2014 version of Shakespeare’s play was also a play but it was the most modernized out of the two. This Broadway play shot in NYC with chains, along with swords as weapons. The wardrobe consisted of the wearing of leather jackets and motorcycles as transportation. Even with the three different interpretations of Romeo and Juliet there are things that all of them had in common.The first thing that they have in common is the language. The...
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...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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...plays is Romeo and Juliet, a drama about two teenagers who tragically fall in love, but are kept apart by their rivaling families. Romeo Montague, one of the main characters, fits the role of a tragic hero. He fits the role of a tragic hero for these three reasons: the making and discovery of his failure; his suffering too much for his mistake; and in the end, dying. Some say that the fact that he committed suicide makes Romeo unfit for the role of a tragic hero. However, Aristotle’s criteria do not specify how a tragic hero should die. Romeo's failure and discovery of his failure fits among the list of tragic hero traits. For example, Romeo avenges his best friend, Mercutio by killing Tybalt. In the script, Romeo says, “Shot from the deadly level of a gun, did murder her, as that name’s cursed hand, murder'd her kinsman”(Act 3, Scene 3, 67). This is important because it shows how terrible Romeo feels about taking Tybalt’s life, and worries about what Juliet will think of him due to his mistake. Romeo frets about what he had done and how it will affect their relationship. He worries that his failure will destroy his chance of a happy, loving...
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...Sometimes it is absolutely necessary for a secret to be kept. Revealing a secret could lead to consequences that are disastrous, which is the case in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. One of the characters, Juliet’s Nurse, is required to keep the secret regarding the marriage between Romeo and Juliet, despite the fact that their families are enemies. Not only do secrets help develop characters and trust and relationships, but they also add dramatic irony, which both affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Secrecy is necessary in Romeo and Juliet because revealing secrets could lead to disastrous consequences. As previously stated, secrecy is sometimes necessary. It’s necessary to keep a secret because secrets...
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...“Tybalt, the reason that I have for loving you helps me overcome the anger I should really feel… I see you don’t really know me” (Shakespeare, 3.1). This quote shows that overcoming differences is a hard quality to have. When being in someone else’s shoes it is easy to comprehend other troubles. This quote relates to the theme of Romeo and Juliet because of the family’s differences that they have to overcome. Romeo is someone who acts quickly, loyal, and an impulsive character, and this leads to his death. Romeo impacts the events in many ways because he is one of the protagonists. Romeo is a character who acts out of vain multiple times and acts quickly. This leads to his inevitable death because he kills his wives’ cousin, Tybalt, and this...
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...In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare explores the topic of femininity. The tragedy takes place during the fourteenth century in Verona, Italy. Society in Verona has clear beliefs and expectations for both males and females. Women are often regarded as inferior and weak whilst the men focus on violence and sexual domination, always expected to be prodigious and valiant. These stereotypical gender roles relate to main characters Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers who are pressured into acting the way their gender is depicted throughout the play. In this text, Shakespeare asserts that acting feminine is seen as weak. Feminine characteristics are depicted in such a way because the Capulet servants talk about their...
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...ENG 2D1 Patrick Poplawski Tuesday, May 29, 2012 Romeo and Juliet In Shakespeare’s, “Romeo and Juliet,” one can see the contrast between plot, character development and theme; three important elements of literature that are ongoing throughout the book. In Act 2 Scene 5, specifically, there are many factors adding to the plot, such as Romeos descriptive orders involving his marriage with Juliet. This scene also shows a new side of the character Juliet, as her mood changes and her thoughts portray a darker side of her. The audience experiences a different side to the beloved Juliet, as well as the Nurse. Then the theme of haste and delay continues for the duration of the scene which is very important. Act 2, scene 5 greatly contributes to the book and shouldn’t be cut out. This scene is very rich with suspense, making it entertaining as we watch the plot unfold between Romeo and Juliet who are to be married. The Nurse does not tell Juliet the news she brings her right away, causing serious frustration for Juliet. “I am aweary, give me leave awhile. Fir, how my bones ache! What a jaunce have I!” (Act 2,Sc 5, II 25-26) The Nurse makes it obvious that she is sneaky, using her age as a poor excuse to buy her time with Juliet. This builds up the suspense as Juliet becomes impatient and leaves the audience waiting to see what happens next. The Nurse explains to Juliet, what is to happen for her marriage, “Then hie you hence...
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...the use of being happy if there is no sadness?” (I, a Night Owl). The play “Romeo and Juliet” was written in 1596 by William Shakespeare. This was during the Elizabethan era. “Romeo and Juliet” is a play about two young people who fall in-love however it ends tragically. It is also about loyalty, family, and friendship. Mercutio and Romeo are two characters in the play that are friends and both accentuate each other's personalities. William Shakespeare uses the positive uplifting Mercutio as a foil of the pessimistic romantic Romeo to highlight him as the tragic hero of the play. People get along better when they have things in common. Romeo and Mercutio have a few similar traits. They both are alike in how they speak so deeply about what they believe to be true. Mercutio and Romeo are both dramatic. They are also loyal to each other. When Tybalt threatens Romeo, Mercutio is angered and stands up for Romeo. Quote Romeo does the same when he avenges Mercutio’s death. Even though they share similarities they do have many differences. These...
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...Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, the main characters Romeo Montague is in love with Rosaline, who is sworn from marriage, but then he and Juliet Capulet meet, fall in love, and secretly elope despite being from feuding families; Romeo is soon after banished from the city of Verona, and Juliet is betrothed to another man, Count Paris. In order to stay faithful to Romeo, Juliet fakes her death the night before the wedding; but when Romeo hears of this news, he believes it to be true and decides he cannot live without his Juliet. He then commits suicide by poison lying next to Juliet, leaving Juliet to wake up and find Romeo dead beside her after which she brings unto herself the same fate as him, using Romeo’s knife to commit suicide. Romeo proves to...
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...Emily Campbell Period 5/6 March 2012 Capulet Everyone loves a good play. Plays captivate the emotions of their audience when the audience connects with a character. William Shakespeare knew human nature and used that knowledge in his writings. One of Shakespeare’s most famous plays is Romeo and Juliet, a tragic story of two minors who fall in love in the midst of their families’ rivalry. In this story, one of Shakespeare’s characters is Capulet who plays the important role of Juliet’s father. Capulet is a dynamic character in Romeo and Juliet. Capulet is dynamic because he loves his daughter, is a good host and is easily angered. In the second scene of the first act, Capulet demonstrates his love for his daughter Juliet. Paris asks for her hand in marriage, but Capulet refuses to allow her to marry at age thirteen and tells Paris to “Let two more summers wither in their pride/ Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride” (I, ii, 10-11). When Paris protests that girls thirteen-years-old are already mothers, Capulet replies that “…too soon marred are those so early made” (I, ii, 13). He worries that she will die in childbirth at such a young age. Juliet is Capulet’s only living child and his hope for the future. Another positive trait is Capulet is a cordial party host. Capulet greets all his guests with a warm welcome in scene five. He keeps his guests loose and comfortable. “Ladies that have their toes/ Unplagued with corns will walk a bout (dance) with you” (I, v, 15-16)...
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...Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare that shows the struggle of loving someone while everyone else is against it. Everyone is this wonderful play all have their own unique personalities that makes them, them. One way to describe a personality of someone is through a zodiac sign. These use the time of your birth to the types of traits you have, bad and good. Romeo is a Gemini because he is affectionate, inconsistent, and youthful. Romeo is a Gemini because he is affectionate and always looking for love. First of all, he falls in love with how a person appears. He falls in love with Rosaline without even talking to her. “Out of her favor, where I am in love”(1.1.168-173). If he never falls in love...
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...Romeo and Juliet Essay - Critical Commentary Critical Commentary Opening Prologue: The first act prologue not only reveals what will happen during the course of the play, but also some of the major dichotomies. The opening line shows us that the Capulet and Montague houses are, although at odds, equal in their aristocratic status. It was considered "fashionable" in the Renaissance for aristocratic families to have feuds, but they were not to engage in public fighting, a taboo which is broken by the Capulets and the Montagues. However, line 4 indicates that these equal families are in an ungoverned situation where no rules will be obeyed, which is why they are able to fight. The Chorus reveals one of the most important themes of the play in line 5-8, which is that Romeo and Juliet are destined not only to love each other, but to die, which will end the feud. The fact that Shakespeare tells us the end of the play before it even begins is intentional—this creates a tension between what we as the audience know must happen, and what could have happened if the characters had acted differently. Thus the theme of fate versus free will emerges: do Romeo and Juliet die because it was their destiny, or do they die because of their actions and the actions of those around them? The third major point that surfaces in the opening prologue is one of extremes. There is extreme hatred between the Capulet and Montague families. The only solution to...
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