During the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare manages to effectively depict the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. One way he achieves this is by creating sympathy for Romeo and Juliet, which consequently affects the reader and audience of the play. Three ways in which Shakespeare is able to create sympathy for them is through the general setting and plot structure, the language used, and also the characterisation of Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo is a melodramatic 16-year old that lets his downheartedness over Rosaline take over when he sees Juliet. Romeo is unhappy, as Rosaline decided to stay chaste, and then he meets Juliet and he sees that she is looks attractive and wants to make irresponsible decisions. Romeo gives a perfect example of his irresponsible, lustful identity when he says this, “Did my heart love till now? / Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night”(Shakespeare,
Moreover, Romeo through his infatuation with Rosaline learned valuable lessons that help him come to appreciate and understand the feelings he experiences with Juliet. Romeo felt rejection, sorrow, and misery from his infatuation with Rosaline which is seen when he is talking to Benvolio, “In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman” this particular quote shows the sadness or sorrow he feels from the feelings for Rosaline (1.1.201). Also when he says “She hath forsworn to love”, the words Romeo speaks allow it to be inferred that his feelings for her have been rejected (1.1.220). “At the opening of the play [Romeo] is maundering about like an erotic woman novelist, sighing and groaning because Rosaline will not listen to his tenders of affection” revealing that Romeo’s love was rejected and was upset because of this, allowing him to learn these feelings and what it is like to be rejected by the one he had feelings for (Northwood 19). Due to having felt these emotions from his infatuation, when he finds his love for Juliet and receives love and acceptance from her. Since he went so long, feeling sorrow and rejection when he finally finds Juliet, he can fully appreciate the love and acceptance he is given which intensifies his love for her and does the opposite of weakening the credibility of his love. Through his infatuation with Rosaline, he was able to grow as a person and become able to fully commit to his love for Juliet.
Romeo is very dramatic and obsessed with love. In the beginning he is obsessed with being in love, it doesn't seem like he loves Rosaline, he just wants to be in love with someone. But by the end of the book I think he might actually love Juliet.
A Taste of Shakespeare - 'Romeo and Juliet' William Shakespeare is widely known for all of his literary works; one of his most famous love tragedies being 'Romeo and Juliet'. A Shakespearean definition of tragedy exemplifies the sense that human beings are inevitably doomed through their own failures or errors, the ironic action of their virtues, or even through the nature of fate and destiny (Sayour, Susan, 2007). Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale based on two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. Throughout the play, Shakespeare intentionally draws on text structures and language features in order to replicate the attitudes, values and beliefs of Elizabethan audiences and intertwine it into his
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in the 16th century, at a time where the role of the woman was to be subservient to men and act as a wife to their husband and a mother to their children. Women were expected to conform to the expectations of
Throughout Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women were supposed to play had an influence on the fate of their lives.
They spend a lot of time together as Benvolio finishes some of Romeo’s sentences. “Romeo: Out – Benvolio: Of love?” Romeo seems to be miserable as he is in love with Rosaline yet Rosaline is not in love with him. Once Romeo learns that the Capulet’s are holding a party at which Rosaline is attending he risks his life just to be with the one he loves. Romeo is passionate for love.
Quote 1: “ O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! Beauty too rich for use, for earth to dear! So how's a snowy dove trooping with crows” (Shakespeare 1.5.49-54) When Romeo first laid his eyes on Juliet, he instantly fell in love and his feelings began to pour out. The description of Juliet by Romeo continues, as he compares her to a beautiful dove and all the other ladies around her to awkward crows. Instantly, every women, including Rosaline, became irrelevant to Romeo. All he desired and all he could focus on at that moment was, Juliet, the woman he knew he was destined to marry. Romeo had been trapped in a deep depression a few hours before he laid his eyes on Juliet, Romeo's feelings drastically change once he sees Juliet which proves to be love at first sight. Romeos early display of affection presents him as a man who is in love with the idea of love, and in turn allows audiences to like for him, just as they imagine he would for them. Although Romeo's character was introduced a few scenes prior, he was depressed and not himself. So, the moment he met Juliet for the first time it was also the moment the audience met the real Romeo for the first time.
The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare shows how Romeo and Juliet meet. The play takes place in Verona, Italy. The Montagues and Capulets have ongoing feuds with each other. Romeo Montague meets Juliet Capulet at one of her family’s parties, instantly fall in love, and decide to secretly get married the the day after the party. Throughout the play, both Romeo and Juliet show character traits they have which leads to a tragic ending.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that involves young lovers, their “untimely death,” and a feud between their two families. The Capulets and the Montagues war against each other. The feud continues to escalate and provides the background for the story of these “two star-crossed lovers.” This literary masterpiece is still relevant today since it involves parental ambition, family fighting, and young love.
Hastiness in Romeo and Juliet Consider the quote: They stumble that run fast. Illustrate the way in which characters in Romeo and Juliet act in haste and show how this behavior contributes to tragedy. Introduction: In Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare set in the ancient Verona, the main characters, in
There is no denying that Shakespeare is a definitive playwright. He has presented us with classic works that have set the precedent for drama and the theatre. Among Shakespeare’s more notable plays are his tragedies. In the tragedy his protagonists are often given flaws in their
A tragedy in literature is a tragic hero who falls due to a tragic flaw. Romeo’s immature personality has a huge effect on the end of the play. Romeo never thought before he acted, causing things to go wrong. For instance, before he killed Tybalt, he was angry in the moment not thinking about what would happen. When Romeo met Juliet he was in love with another girl. From here, his judgements eventually lead to his death. His tragic flaw is his unripe personality. Romeo enters this risky relationship as a young and carefree man, who doesn’t realize what could happen during this. The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare fits perfectly with the definition of a tragedy, beginning with two hopeless teens and ending in their death by their own violation.
Caliban in The Tempest : Some Observations DR.E.SATYANARAYANA Assistant Professor of English GDC, Narsampet, Warangal, Telangana Reading the works of Shakespeare is learning about life in its manifold dimensions. Shakespeare, the great English playwright deserves to be regarded as a classic, not only in the land of his birth, but in all countries and in all literatures. His reputation to greatness among his contemporaries or the succeeding generations of writers rests on his dramatic work which deals with themes of universal importance.