The Idea of Antithesis in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Essay

When Juliet hears that the wedding has been moved up to the next day, she drinks the

And he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be

One of the most evident and understandable themes in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is love. Shakespeare illustrates love in many different ways. The purpose of this essay will firstly discuss the difference between love and anti-romantic love. Secondly, it will portray an example of romantic and anti-romantic love through the use of certain characters. Thirdly, it will explain what is meant by the term binary opposition, and lastly, it will portray examples of a binary opposition taken from the play.

The Opposing Themes of Love and Hate in the Play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Throughout Romeo and Juliet the theme of conflict is conveyed in many forms, mostly through physical violence; reflected in the era of the Renaissance where there was political turmoil and many European nations were at war. Shakespeare presents the theme in other forms as well; family versus family, sacred versus profane, parent versus child and language versus inner conflict. Conflict is a key in the structure of the play; it is highlighted in the beginning, middle and end. As an audience we are constantly being reminded of conflict which is reflected within the era the play was written in. The Renaissance was the 'rebirth ' of classical learning and was also the time when Science challenged many traditional Christian beliefs which resulted in Catholics fighting Protestants; the Gunpowder plot and the Spanish Armada. Shakespeare chose to dramatise conflict as it was the context in which he was writing plays. It is therefore arguable that this period was characterised by irreconcilable opposites in politics, religion and art. Nothing in the world can exist without its opposite- just as love cannot exist without hate, violence cannot exist without peace.

Hate is one very important idea examined in Romeo and Juliet and is explored by Juliet when she states ‘Here's much to do with hate, but more with love’ (1.1.166). William Shakespeare conveys the consequences of hate in his play through the ancient feud between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s, the irrational decisions made and the deaths that resulted. It is the ancient feud between the two families that lead to the irrational decisions made by Romeo and Juliet as well as their demise. It is questionable as to whether Romeo and Juliet’s lives would be spared if their families were not feuding.

The emotions of love and hate are at the forefront of the theme in this play by William Shakespeare. The Oxford Standard English Dictionary defines ‘love’ as ‘to have strong feelings of affection for another adult and be romantically and sexually attracted to them, or to feel great affection for a friend or person in your family’ and defines ‘hate’ as ‘a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action dislike intensely, to feel antipathy or aversion towards someone or something’. However, words cannot portray such wide and powerful emotions. Love and hate include elements of life, passion, long-term bonding and dislike, disgust and loathing respectively. It is because

Simile (balcony scene): O, speak again, bright angle! For thou art As glorious to this night, being o’er my head, As a winged messenger of heaven (Rom. 2. 2. 26-28). Juliet is compared to a winged messenger of heaven. Given that the comparison uses the word "as," this comparison is a simile.

events all fueled by hate serves as a stark contrast to the romance between Romeo and

In the play Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare utilizes opposites in both the thoughts and actions of the characters in Romeo and Juliet. Outlined are contrasts of crime and violence versus peace and law, love versus hate, and young versus old.

What is more powerful, love or hate? In the case of Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare the answer appears to be hate. It takes no expert to see that the famous novel Romeo and Juliet is focused on these principles and loves struggle to overcome hate. No matter how you look at the novel it is apparent that people act as a response to enmity. Whether it is Friar Lawrence in his attempts to amend a long suspended feud or Tybalt's fiery and violent ways that lead to many troubles and deaths, the book tends to focus in on this principle of love and hate and how they clash. In the novel Romeo and Juliet the deaths of the two young lovers Romeo and Juliet can be pinned on nothing other than the

There are many conflicts in the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, but there were some more important than others. The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues was likely the most important, for the play would not be a tragedy if they were not fighting. The next would be Juliet’s doubt about taking the sleeping medicine and killing herself. The third and final one I shall discuss would be the conflict between Romeo and the city of Verona after he killed Tybalt. These are the most important conflicts of the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet” and the ones I will be explaining in this paper.

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight / For I ne'er saw true

The effect the feud has on the play is that we can already see that

William Shakespeare wrote the play Romeo and Juliet, which is about the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet are forbidden to see one another, due to their families’ feud. The Capulets, Juliet, and Montagues, Romeo, are the enemies in this feud. The question is, were the parents against them? Or were they just trying to protect and make them happy? Shakespeare was born on April 26, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616. When he was eighteen years old, he married Anne Hathaway and has three children, Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet.