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William Shakespeare 's Romeo And Juliet

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The play, Romeo and Juliet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1592 and is set in Verona, Italy. It is about two young star-crossed lovers. The play explores the themes of friendship, loyalty, family, love, hate, fate and fortune. It includes literary and dramatic techniques such as imagery of light and dark, poetic language in iambic pentameter, soliloquies, oxymorons, sonnets, characterisations, juxtapositions, similes, metaphors and puns. Romeo falls in love with Juliet at first sight. However, their love is forbidden, as Romeo comes from the Montague family and Juliet from the Capulet family. The two families have an ongoing feud that prevents the lovers from ever being together. To get their way, they go against their parents’ wishes which in the end results in a double suicide. This quote by Juliet (Act 2, scene 2) “Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?” is her expressing her feelings towards Romeo being a Montague. She continues to say “deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” Juliet is asking herself, why Romeo has to have the name Montague because if he did not, they could be together happily. In Romeo and Juliet, family means more than husband, wife and children. Family includes everyone from the head of the household (Capulet and Montague) down to their servants. Romeo and Juliet’s love is forbidden and is a betrayal against their families because of the Capulet and Montague’s

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