Anna Scott 1/16/14 Period 6 An Instance of Opposition John Steinbeck once said, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” Without the use of opposites, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet would just be another love story. By incorporating many different dualities into his writing, Shakespeare differentiates his readers the true emotions and identity of every single one of his characters. As Steinbeck compares Summer and Winter, he describes them in a way that show they depend on each other. Shakespeare creates The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by incorporating dualities between two opposites. This method enriches his story by adding specific character to the language and writing, allowing the audience …show more content…
He speaks to Romeo in a scornful manner because he believes that Romeo is too in love to see how truly lucky he is. Romeo is very wealthy, has found love, is intelligent, and has so much more time in his life. Friar Lawrence believes Romeo should be ashamed for his feelings of even considering taking his life. “Look you, she loved her kinsman Tybalt dearly, and so did I. Well, we were born to die.” (III.IV.3-4) Capulet describes the ways of life not always ending up correctly. With Tybalt dead, Capulet states that they were “born to die” like saying that events will happen that will be uncontrollable. With life and death being one of the most important dualities in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare includes many of his own views that nobody would even begin to imagine. These special gems hidden in the writing, add a different and more powerful effect to the piece. Shakespeare empowers both Romeo and Juliet by comparing love and hate throughout the story. Through these dualities comes forth an unbreakable bond of love, allowing the audience to truly appreciate the story and the complex comparisons between opposites. Juliet is taken aback when she finally figures out who Romeo is, "My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown and known too late." (I.IV.152) She realizes that she has fallen in love with the very person who she is
And he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be
The Opposing Themes of Love and Hate in the Play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
In the tragedy 'Romeo and Juliet', Shakespeare presents the inner struggles of Romeo and Juliet, the two protagonists as one of the main themes. This is clearly shown at the end of Act 3 Scene 2 when Juliet receives the news that Romeo has been banished and Tybalt has been killed. Juliet is distraught at the conflict of her loyalties. Should she express love for her family or should she express love for Romeo? By using many different language features, such as oxymorons, paradox, antithesis and dramatic irony, Shakespeare effectively displays Juliet's conflicting emotions. Later in the play, Shakespeare uses the betrayal by adults to again show the inner struggles of Romeo and Juliet.
In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio said, “Alas, that love, so gentle in his view,/ Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!”(1.1.165-166) Benvolio suggests that love seems nice, peaceful, and innocent, but in reality it can be disastrous and even deadly. A world famous author and poet by the name of William Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in 1597. Romeo and Juliet is known as one of the best love stories in history. There are many significant characters in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet: Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, Tybalt, the Nurse to Juliet, Friar Lawrence, Mercutio, Lord Capulet, and Lady Capulet. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is the heart-wrending love story of two people who want to be together (Romeo and Juliet), but they cannot because their families are rivals. In the end, the two star-crossed lovers do not live happily ever after. Instead, they both perish. Why did their lives end so tragically? Ultimately, the prideful and foolish actions of the Capulets and Montagues, Friar Laurence, Romeo, and Juliet caused their untimely deaths.
Throughout William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, the characters represent opposing views on love. Shakespeare did this in order to allow each person in the play to have someone they could relate to and show that not everybody feels love the same way.
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.
True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice. This is the dominant theme in Shakespeare 's The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, a play is about two rival noble families from Verona, the Capulets and Montagues. Indeed, the two families have such an ongoing hatred for each other that they are constantly feuding violently without end. Having had enough, Prince Escalus, the Prince of Verona, one day decrees the penalty of death to be upon the person who disrupts the peace again. It is against this vicious backdrop that Shakespeare by contrast, accentuates love in Romeo and Juliet. Three different types of love are depicted: the infatuation of Romeo, the son and heir of Montague, with a woman named Rosaline; the arranged love between Juliet, the daughter of Capulet, and Paris, a kinsman of Prince Escalus, whom Juliet’s parents have chosen to be her suitor; and ultimately, the true love between Romeo and Juliet, whose families are each other’s worst and greatest enemies.
Teens in the stage of growing up needs the trust and support from their family and friends to be able to survive in this world. Most teens are like puppets who become the person that their parents want them to be, but as they mature into adults, they have their own desires and ways of thinking, which enable them to break free from the puppet control and become who they really are. In the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, the playwright used the Nurse, Lord Capulet, and Friar Lawrence to show how taming the wills of the teens and forcing their wishes upon them could turn the play Romeo and Juliet into a tragic love story.
Romeo and Juliet contains many characters that are timeless and recognizable in many cultures. The story of two young, arrogant kids falling in love only to die as a result of a misunderstanding is simple; but Shakespeare uses juxtaposition in Romeo and Juliet to show the characters’ unique and complex characterizations.
“Unbridled passion is to blame for the deaths of the young lovers”. To what extent is that statement true? Discuss your response in relation to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
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.
In Friar Laurence’s soliloquy duality is present in almost the whole passage. It helps show the development of the foreshadowing of both Romeo and Juliet’s fate of their death. Mostly the duality shown is light vs. dark and good vs. evil duality, but other smaller hints of other duality themes are shown as well. Through these additions to the test, Shakespeare is able to better portray the development of themes in the following scenes. This passage contains a large amount of symbolism and imagery as well, constantly referring to the herbs and plants as Friar is looking in the field. But while there are two different duality examples, they are connected by how they both represent the overall good and bad present in the novel. This duality connects to the particular theme of the inevitability of fate. While fate is not always a bad thing, Friar Laurence sets it up as seemingly bad and almost evil, “And where the worser is predominant,” (II.iii.29) He remarks earlier in that passage as well that nothing cannot be put to both good and bad uses, so he overall is saying that the fate at the moment is seemingly evil, but that Romeo and Juliet can turn the situation around to make it look better than it does. Going back the line about how the bad usually takes control, in the way that the two lovers are handling the situation, they only see it as bad and not the good that it has the ability to be.
Romeo and Juliet had a doomed love from first laying their eyes on each other. Beginning with two families with a history of war, Romeo and Juliet knew their love for one another was forbidden but, they dare do it anyway. With Shakespeare’s focus on their love, it soon turns into a story of tragedy between two teens who fell madly in love despite being each other's enemy. The play takes a turn as Romeo and Juliet take their own life because their love becomes too strong that they can not bear to live without each other. Shakespeare illustrates this theme with the actions of both characters as they sneak behind their
Mercutio, in Act 2, Scene 1, jokes about his best friend in a way that shows they are close to one another: “Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh; speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied!” (7-9). The influence of Mercutio’s character is clearly shown throughout the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, simply because Mercutio is Romeo’s inspiration for most of his decisions. Their friendship strengthens the choices made by the main characters. To put it simply, Mercutio plays a more vital role than Tybalt since he has a strong bond with Romeo. Mercutio is an overall more important character than Tybalt because his actions drive Romeo to make poor, impulsive decisions, he foreshadows the deaths
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is centered around the tragic story of two “star-cross’d lovers”. A tragedy is a dramatic story that chronicles the downfall or death of a tragic hero. Tragedies usually depict the causes of a tragic hero’s downfall, which are most commonly a tragic choice or a tragic flaw. There is often some sort of greater power at play in tragedies, like fate. A key aspect of tragedies is both fate and free will leading to the downfall of a tragic hero. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet’s immaturity, the feud between the houses Capulet and Montague, and fate cause the deaths of the two young lovers.