But written over four hundred years ago, do the concepts, messages, layout and more in Romeo and Juliet still remain relevant to audiences around the world today? Themes in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and with its ardent and realistic treatment of universal themes such as love and fate, the story has become timeless. Teenagers right up to the elderly can empathise with or find these themes interesting. This story can be interpreted in multiple ways, and still understood and relate to people everywhere, regardless of their culture, background or differing lives. Romeo and Juliet is a tale of two "star-crossed" lovers, whom fortune has not smiled upon. Love is a predominant theme conveyed within Romeo and Juliet. Physical attraction is implied when Friar Lawrence states, "Young men's love lies not in their hearts, but in their eyes" indicating that Romeo seems to love base on physical appearance. He switches from loving Rosaline to loving Juliet, almost overnight. Friar Lawrence believes that it is not true love, but lust. Romeo resembles an ordinary young teen as he bases his love on appearance, which individuals, even adults still do in today’s world. As a result, Romeo and Juliet effectively impact modern audiences as they can relate and empathize with Romeo. Also, their stages or steps of love (i.e. marriage) was very quick paced. Even Juliet admitted, at the balcony scene, that their love is “too rash, too unadvised; too sudden, too like lightning..” The
How effective is Luhrmann’s film Romeo and Juliet as a modern day appropriation of Shakespeare's play you ask? Baz Luhrmann's appropriation of the original play of “Romeo And Juliet” is highly effective as it is modernized to meet the interests and expectations of a 20th century teenage audience. Throughout the original 16th century play, Shakespeare develops the themes of family rivalry and love. The theme of family rivalry has been implemented into the original play through the conflict between two powerful families in the city of Verona. Throughout his appropriation of the play, Baz Luhrmann successfully preserves the same concept of family rivalry but modernises it by portraying the two families as two large business corporations and brands who are constantly in competition with each other. Shakespeare implements the theme of love through main character Romeo being made to resemble and fulfil the role of a typical "Petrarchan lover". Luhrmann also effectively integrates the theme of love through his successful use of filmic techniques to illustrate the unbreakable love between Romeo and Juliet whose love resembles and portrays the characteristics of a 20th century relationship. Using these modern elements, Luhrmann’s film effectively appeals to the contemporary teenage audience whilst powerfully conveying the themes of family rivalry and love. These adaptations made by Luhrmann in his film create a more comprehensible meaning as teenagers can relate to the film with a
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – popularly considered by many to be the quintessential love story of all time – is a play that we are all familiar with in one way or another. Whether it be through the plethora of portrayals, adaptations and performances that exist or through your own reading of the play, chances are you have been acquainted with this tale of “tragic love” at some point in your life. Through this universal familiarity an odd occurrence can be noted, one of almost canonical reverence for the themes commonly believed to be central to the plot. The most widely believed theme of Romeo and Juliet is that of the ideal love unable to exist under the harsh social and political strains of this world. Out of this idea emerge two
entirely in this scene as he stops thinking of love in a bad way as he
The play Romeo and Juliet has been considered to be the most touching love story of all time, but when you look closer and past all the initial “fantasies”, you see the truth. Romeo and Juliet believed that they were in love because of the mere idea of it, however based on their actions and the short amount of time that the stages of their “love” progressed in, it soon became clear that what they were actually feeling was infatuation.
Romeo and Juliet still has a great impact on peoples’ lives. The themes are relevant, Shakespeare had invented a lot of words and phrases, also in Romeo and Juliet, and great for education. These point proves that Romeo and Juliet it relevant today.
The tragedy that happens in Romeo and Juliet is inevitable because of the many different themes of love, hate, character and destiny. These themes are essential to the play in order to be an interesting play. For example with love you have hatred, with love you would have character and with love you will also get destiny. All of the themes link to the main point love.
In the ‘timeless classic’ Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the author brilliantly utilizes several literary devices to convey the motif that true love cannot be stopped. He does this by using many opposing ideas such as love vs. pain, day vs. night and
Shakespeare thus portrays Romeo and his love as an infatuation. This infatuation is evident in how instantaneously Romeo falls out of love with Rosaline and into love with Juliet. At one stage, Rosaline was the “precious treasure of his eyesight”, yet Romeo’s embodiment of perfection was, a few scenes later, his notion of defectiveness. This therefore reveals to the audience the instantaneous and reckless path of the two lovers, as well as the fickleness of adolescent “love”, diminishing at the sight of
As Shakespeare composes this tragic love story “Violent delights have violent ends / And in their triumph die, like fire and power, / Which as they kiss consume” (2.6.9). In the play Romeo and Juliet an enchanted love leads to violent ends and consumes two people’s lives until their powerful death. When Romeo first lays eyes on the gorgeous Juliet it is love at first sight. Though their love is authentic and empowering, it is also entirely banned. William Shakespeare writes this masterpiece with much delight but also great sorrow. Romeo and Juliet is the most abiding love story of all time. Shakespeare uses many literary devices in his works. Throughout this story the character Juliet changes remarkably. Shakespeare provides evidence for
Despite fate’s grasp on Romeo and Juliet being clear from the beginning, their choices in the play cause fate to build momentum and accelerate their lives to their inevitable end. Shakespeare’s original presentation of fate is of an inescapable event, but how the characters get there is less certain and more chance. Whereas Luhrmann’s fate is cruller and more controlling, but both interpretations of fate have the result of uniting the feuding families.
Romeo labels his feelings towards Juliet as “love”, although he has not gotten the opportunity to learn about her personality. This indicates that what he feels about her was entirely formed by her physical beauty rather than genuine feelings. Evidently, sexual desires seemed to be his ulterior motive for marrying her, instead of committing to love, care, and cherish her till death do them apart.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’s central idea is about soulmates, a relationship of being together despite all odds. Before Romeo and Juliet met, they were both involved with another. When is their love for one another different from the way they felt towards Rosaline and Paris. How did the people around them notice these changes?
The word love can mean many things. Love can be an object, emotion, and a life. However, love could lead to a loss of power, prosperity, and status. In the literary work “Romeo and Juliet” written by William Shakespeare, the readers are introduced to a tragic love story. In this play, readers are also shown the different perspectives of love and the many downfalls it could lead to. The central theme of this work is the recklessness of love. The theme is significant because it is shown throughout the whole story and it’s a strong force that takes place of all the other emotions and values. In this play, Shakespeare uses characters to present different aspects of love. In addition, Nurse, Mercutio, and Romeo completely show what actual love is and what it is like to lose it due to their experiences.
Directions: Use your Romeo and Juliet theme tracker as well as the passages you read from the text to write a essay where you explain how a theme develops throughout the play. The story includes many themes, so choose the one theme that you best understand and can support with three strong quotes from the text. Be sure to include where the theme emerges (first appears) and how it is refined or shaped (developed) by details as the play progresses.
In Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, two star-cross’d lovers of enemy households are no longer entities, and cascade into each others souls, and more specifically, fall deeply in love. They develop an obsessive relationship with their feelings for one another; they have a constant desire to be together, even though their emotions are based on sight alone. The addiction was so enslaving, that their only solution to their family fued was to turn to their one and only lover. Romeo and Juliet’s addictive relationship has lead to their unavoidable departure, because it has caused their secret marriage, failed Mantua escape plan, and suicide.