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William Shakespeare was born on the 23rd April, 1564, in a place called Stratford upon Avon. Records from the church show that Shakespeare was baptised on April 26th, 1594 in the Holy Trinity Church. He had a father called John Shakespeare who worked as a leather merchant and a glover. Shakespeare got married on November 28th, 1582 to Anne Hathaway who was pregnant at the time and was 26 years old while Shakespeare was only 18.
'Romeo and Juliet' is a tale of young people who are brought down by fate and are affected by the actions of their families .In the dictionary tragedy is described as 'a play or movie, or sometimes a real world event with a sad outcome'.
However, Aristotle who was a Greek philosopher had a different interpretation of a tragedy. He says that a tragedy is a 'reversal in fortune from good to bad'. 'Romeo and Juliet' were the prime example of an Elizabethan Tragedy as it was written in 1593-1594. Romeo and Juliet was written early in Shakespeare's career and is not considered one of his great tragedies.
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Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear are examples of Shakespeare's great tragedies. 'Romeo and Juliet' is possibly not a great tragedy because the tragedy isn't caused by the lead characters but by those around them, unlike King Lear and the aforementioned plays. Romeo and Juliet suffer from the circumstances, from the external forces around them and suffer from other people's actions. Romeo and Juliet was first performed in 1594 after an outbreak of plague in 1593.
The structure of the play is important.
Shakespeare cleverly places Romeo's words of foreboding at the end of Act One, Scene Four to prepare the audience for the meeting of Romeo and Juliet in the next scene. The idea of fate is introduced in Romeo's words. "I fear, too early; for my mind misgives/ Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars," Throughout the play Shakespeare uses a large variety of language for example, Shakespeare mixes prose, blank verse and rhymed verse. There are plenty of rhyming couplets used at certain important points in the play and Shakespeare quite deliberately uses sonnets at other key points. Sonnets are normally associated with love and sadness and that is why Shakespeare uses one for the first meeting between Romeo and Juliet.'If I profane with my unworthiest hand,
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this, My lips two blushing pilgrims ready stand' Shakespeare uses a sonnet as this is a significant scene in the play. A great example of Shakespeare changing from blank verse to couplets is at the start of Act One Scene Five, when Romeo is talking to Tybalt. At one stage the dialogue is in blank verse and then it quickly moves into the use of rhyming couplets to create immediate effect on the reader. Shakespeare used a lot of personification in the play. 'This bud of love by summer's ripening breath may prove a beauteous flower when next we meet'. This is said by Juliet and it means that the love may develop into something else, the love is perhaps genuine. When Romeo comes back to the Capulet mansion Juliet doesn't want him to be seen. Romeo then says 'I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes', this is a very effective use of metaphor. Juliet then says 'Hist, Romeo, hist! O for a falconer's voice', this shows that Romeo wants to be with Juliet and shows his bravery and genuine attraction to Juliet, this also shows that Juliet is afraid of her family finding her with Romeo.
Skaspeare also uses Oxymoron and paradoxes. "Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say 'Good Night' till it be morrow". This is a paradox because the sentence in a way contradicts itself as he places sweet and sorrow beside each other and shows that the love is genuine. This shows the audience that the lovers are very eager to see each other again. At this stage of the play the lovers finally part when Romeo leaves and goes away. "O she doth teach the torches to burn bright". Alliteration is used here to add extra effect in this instance. Other examples of this technique are used. "light love, touch that, form, fain, fain, desire doth" These are used to add extra effect, and passion to Romeo's words and thus genuine feelings.
The most commonly used techniques are similes and metaphors. The best use of a metaphor is at the opening of Act Two Scene Two when Romeo says that "Juliet is the sun". This is light and positive imagery. This makes the reader aware of how beautiful Juliet is and how genuine the love is. Romeo then repeats this compliment when he is looking at her lying dead, "For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence full of light.".
"Had I it written, I would tear the word...My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words". These are other quotations from Romeo and Juliet and are put to effective use by Shakespeare. "Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves". This is a great example of a simile.
In the play Shakespeare uses a wide range of imagery. The main types of imagery that are used are images of light, nature and religion. We first meet light imagery at the start of Act Two Scene Two. Romeo is talking to Juliet in blank verse and is very complimentary to her. He says "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon". This once again informs the audience of how beautiful Juliet is. Romeo goes on to say
"As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing, and think it were not night"
This again expresses Juliet's beauty. There are several references to light in the play for example "Too like the lightening, which doth cease to be ere one can say 'It lightens'". Juliet is saying how rash the love is. Shakespeare uses nature imagery. "The orchard walls are high, and hard to climb". This shows us what Romeo went through to get to Juliet and proves that the love between them is genuine. "My bounty is as bondless as the sea". This is an effective mix of nature and simile and it is telling us that Juliet's generosity is as wide as the sea.
There are references to God in the play and holy imagery "And follow thee my lord throughout the world". "Which is the God of my idolatry?". This shows that Juliet wants to be with Romeo but she feels that she needs the lord's guidance. "Saints do not move, through grant for prayers' sake...Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take". This is an exchange between Romeo and Juliet in Act One Scene Five. This is Romeo saying that his kiss is like a prayer, and it shows genuine love. A sense of adoration and worship is also portrayed.
Asides, soliloquies, dramatic irony and ill-timing are used. An aside is when the actor/actress is talking partly to himself and partly for the benefit of the audience. In Act two Scene Two this is used. "[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" Shakespeare uses soliloquy in the play as well. A soliloquy is speech or words spoken to oneself. They are used to let the audience in on what the character is thinking. Again in Act Two Scene Two a soliloquy is used when the audience is invited into Juliet's thoughts.
"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father, and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll be no longer a Capulet."
This quote shows what they're willing to do for their love.
In certain parts there are times that if things had happened quicker perhaps the tragedy wouldn't have happened as a result of ill timing. For example when Friar Lawrence's letter doesn't make it to Romeo. There are references to untimely death in the play. "Of a despised life closed in my breast, by some vile forfeit of untimely death". This reminds us of the tragedy that will befall these 'star crossed' lovers.
"A plague on both your houses...A plague on both your houses!". These are Mercutio's words in Act Three Scene One. This is dramatic irony because in the end both Romeo and Juliet die so there has been a plague on the houses. At the end of Act One Scene Five Juliet says "If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed". This is also ironic and prophetic. It is ironic because in the same sentence it mentions marriage and death.
Romeo and Juliet is still relevant in today's world. People are still dying today and there is still war and conflict between families. Fate and the stars are still part of life now with horoscopes e.t.c. There is war in other countries and still disease. It is a parent's worst nightmare when they lose a son or a daughter and because Romeo and Juliet die so young that makes the tragedy worse. This still occurs today. "What manners is in this,/ to press before thy father to a grave?". This is a quote from Montague in Act 5, Scene 3. Young and forbidden love still exist today, as does rash love that is experienced by teenagers. "If they thy bent of love be honourable,/ thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow". This is from Act Two Scene Two when Romeo and Juliet are diving in straight at the deep end.
Things don't happen the way that you want all of the time and this is shown in the play, "A greater power that we can contradict, hath thwarted out intents", this still happens today and God will always have the final say. In the play Shakespeare may have been leaving a message for his Elizabethan audience, one that continues to resound today. Juliet's father was forcing her to marry Paris and maybe Shakespeare was trying to tell the parents of the day that the elders shouldn't have as much power over the youth. The play is also telling younger people to think things through before going ahead with something, for example Romeo killed himself when he found Juliet 'asleep'. Finally Shakespeare may have been criticising people involved in violence and war to stop it because it can lead to a tragedy as shown in the play with the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
I can conclude Romeo and Juliets' love is genuine and throughout this essay I have proved this from evidence, but perhaps most significantly because they were prepared to die for each other.
Shakespeare Romeo and juliett. (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/shakespeare-romeo-juliett-new-essay
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