Romeo And Juliet Flashcards
(19 cards)
How is fate presented? In the beginning of Romeo and Juliet
Fate is first mentioned in the opening lines,* “star-cross’d lovers take their life” *Shakespearean England was known for its fate beliefs in destiny and the ideas that the future was pre determined
All key events of the play are revealed at the beginning of the play linking with the concept that our lives are already decided it is just unknown how we reach each point
“Take their life shows they are created by parents but also suggests that they will take their own life showing two contrasts between life and death which occurs several times
Fate is seen throughout as being there consistently the idea of celestial imagery and the mention of limitations on time suggest the reference to fate.
In the opening all key ideas are seen however the way they are displayed allows the audience to guess what is going on the play. The Way Shakespeare has wrote it suggests that he wants the audience to know that we must learn from our past to be better tomorrow
How is fate presented by Romeo?
“O, I am fortune’s fool”
- Fool shows he has been played by fate, Double use of f sound shows fate is lurking.
- Fate can manipulate Romeo and his emotions based on events in and out of his control.
- Suggests that he is a key part in fate however is unable to change it and instead being ridiculed by his fate
“O give me thy hand, One writ with me in sour misfortunes book”
Fate is seen as sour and bitter showing another tragic misfortune. Romeo remains sympathetic after sinning shows his character has not changed but fails to his flaws.
“Shake the yoke of inauspicious stars”
Another showing of celestial imagery and that our future is written in the stars and is just waiting for us to come across it
- Pleas to change the already determined fate that lies waiting for him
- Shows his desperation for love and his belief in transcendent powers to take control of the stars and his own fate
Character of Tybalt
Shakespeare’s Intentions
- constructs Tybalt to personify, unchecked male violence, fueled by hubris (Excessive pride) and honor. Through Tybalt’s death ending through violent means, Shakespeare critics the folly of male youth and their propensity for violence. Shakespeare intends to create a foil to Romeos love with a character of Hate. Suggesting the similarities but pure differences in both families.
“Tybalt” Direct link to “Tyrant” A leader based of pride and honor usually with negative connotations as well as fueled by anger and aggression.
Key Quotes
“Have at thee coward!”
Provocative language is used to insult Benvolio as a “Coward”. He is already seen as quick to anger and it’s within 2 lines of his entrance he attempts to provoke and insult a character.
”!” Shows the Rapid intent to anger and the true passion he has in his anger.
“Coward” Also shows his stance that if they are not willing to have direct conflict with him then they are a coward, links to the patrilocal system that men dont believe that their actions are at fault.
Tybalt is seen as the foil to Mercutio and Romeo As his Violent word choice and anger create a contradiction from Mercutio’s Playful and wittiness and Romeos Love and affection.
Referenced by other Characters
“Love[s] [Tybalt] better than [he] canst devise” - Romeo
- Tone is calm and sincere, shows the disposition to love instead of fight.
- Follows the murder of his friend so confusing why there is love
- “Canst Devise” Shows that Hate and anger will never understand the power of true love and the influence it is able to hold and bring to the play.
- Shows to be unloving is to be unknowledge to the wider reality of the marriage and the love Romeo and Juliet have for one and other,
Character of Romeo
Key Words
- Defiance
- Eponymous Character (Name in title)
- unrequited love
- love transcendent
- impulsive
- rash
- folly of youth
- impetuous
Shakespeare intentions
Shakespeare shows the consequences of violating societal, religious and familial
constructs. These foundational constructs in society are insurmountable (cant
Overcome), even in the face of true love. Thus, he makes Romeo’s hamartia (fatal
flaw) his impetuousness (impulsiveness) - his inability to navigate social
expectations reinforce the folly (foolishness) in the youth.
Through dramatic irony, Shakespeare’s crafting of an inevitable tragedy shows how
love and violence are inextricably linked. He utilizes Romeo as an example of this
entwined duality, portraying him as the embodiment of the conflicts of love and
violence within a single individual.
Shakespeare’s tragic portrayal of Romeo and Juliet reinforces that even the
seemingly boundless power of love is ultimately constrained by forces beyond
human control. He reinforces Elizabethan ideas of determinism (everything is pre
set out) showing celestial bodies (stars/moon/planets) were powerful forces on human life.
Key Quotes
“I defy you stars”
- Gives them the pronoun “You”, Suggests his mental state could be disintegrating but also the vast impact the stars have had on him, to the point where they feel like a tangible force to him that he can address and resent.
- Defying the stars is linked to conations of celestial fate and imagery that the stars had the power to choose and determine your life from birth, strongly believed in Shakespearean era
“Thus with a kiss I die”
- Act 5
- Shakespeare characters place a high value on family believe it to be more important than any other relation, But here Romeo values love first. The syntactical closeness of “Kiss” and “Die” show him to value Juliet over his family which thus show generational feuds can create a gap between parents and children who are naïve to the origin of it.
- Links to a humorous perspective, fits the Shakespearean tragedy and his belief that death is not be feared instead prepared for and embraced.
- Announces his actions purely to the audience as he is alone on stage besides the “dead” Juliet.
- Characterizes the full play that with Love, Death must follow shortly after.
- Romeo dies loving, His characters only purpose.
“There lie more peril in [her] eye/ Than twenty of their swords”
- Act 2
Themes
- Youth, Individual vs Society , Violence, Family and Love
- Violent Imagery A violent image is crafted through “Swords” suggestive of Romeos Subconscious Recognition of the violence intertwined with his love for Juliet. Their Defiance of Societal and familial Boundaries positions their love as a violating act, filled with “Peril”
- Romeos Acknowledges this peril of love goes beyond the threat of physical harm from the “swords” of enemies, But doesn’t realize it has the potential for societal isolation and familial bloodshed - the young eponymous character’s are blinded by passion and are arrogant to the true danger of this love
- Recognition of the danger of her eyes suggests that Romeo is whise to the fact what he is doing is dangerous however the power of love is far stronger, suggesting the folly of youth and his impetus Hamartia
“But, Soft! What light though yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”
- Act 2
Themes
- Love , Individual vs Society, Youth and Fate
- Celestial Metaphor Romeo constructs a Celestial Metaphor Likening Juliet to “the sun” an act of Aggrandizement elevating Juliet position suggesting she posses the ability to illuminate Romeos Sky. This portrayal not only compounds Juliet’s significance but also emphasis Romeos belief that both his love for her transcends mortal limitations, akin to celestial bodies
- Scrutinizes the naïve idealism of Youthful lovers - they tragically perceive Metaphorically Illuminated his existence
- The Sun always rises in the East suggesting that the extent of his love for Juliet is only just rising or beginning
- Shows that he truly believes she is able to light and affect the light of the room/ his mood
- Shows loves transcendent powers over mortal beliefs
” With Love’s wings did o’erperch these Walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out”
- Act 2
Themes
- Love , Individual vs Society, Youth and Fate
- Romeos metaphor “Love’s Wings” has a Classical Allusion to cupid the Roman God of Love Often depicted with with wings. This shows that Romeos love is transcendent force capable of defying physical limitations and boundaries.
- The term “wings” also carries the allusion to “wings of Icarus” the figure from mythology who met is downfall when his wings melted as he flew too close to the sun, A direct indication from Shakespeare that death will come to Romeo from flying to close to Juliet (Describes her as the sun in the same scene)
- Refers to a physical and figurative limitation of “stony limits” possible reference to the physical wall which separates them or refers to the “stony” understanding of love from both sides of the family which is holding them back.
- Dramatic Irony as it shows that the Romeo believes that love can overcome the feud (Which it does) however he is still unknown of the full consequences which will allow for the feud to end
- Shows the true transcendent powers of love and its ability to overcome boundaries which would usually be unthinkable
- Personification of love suggests that Love has become so significant to the play it is now characterized suggesting that Shakespeare wants the reality of love to be treated like any other character would, including its flaws
Theme : Fate
Fate is seen throughout with reference to the stars and events being unavoidable. This can be seen through Romeo and Juliet, The friar Lawrence and the Capulets.
Shakespeare’s Intentions
- Shakespeare intends to showcase fate as being the true power behind the play suggesting that its powers and truly incomprehensible for the Human mind and that the power it holds to draw in both death and love. Alternatively, it could be used to show that the power of love truly wins as they both die but while loving each other suggesting the sacrifice for their actions . This could suggest that there is no winners while fate is correct the way it predicts it is incorrect, leaving it up to the audiences interpretations to understand and explain how they view the theme
Context
Fate was a key part of the Elizabethan society as many believed in the ideas that your future was well planned and that our knowledge was already determined by the stars and Star signs.
- Queen Elizabeth had her own astrologist to tell her future showing the strength of the belief in the concept of fate
Key Quotes
- “star-crossed lovers”
- Shows that it is written in the stars for them to fall in love, Without any question or matter that will effect this.
- Mentioned in the prologue suggesting that all the upcoming events are unavoidable, follows Shakespeare usual tone of outlining the future events before any events have happened.
- Cross’d suggests that there paths will cross but never truly connect as seen by the death of the characters at a young age
- Love is what bonds the pair together suggesting it will follow a romantic tone, Opposite to the introduction of fighting we see shortly after.
Then I defy you, stars!
- Romeo, Act 5
- He is aware of his own fate and what to expect from it and wishes to alternate it so that he can love her
- Romeo directly addresses the stars known as a Apostrophe showing he can touch and has the power to grasp and change the stars/fate if it means he could love her
- “Then” suggests that there is no other way around it, if fate wont allow him to live a loving happy life than he will have to defy them instead of stopping loving her showing the strength and control emotion and love has over Romeo
- ”!” Suggests that it is his remark that he will standby, not followed as both die showing that fate is the true power and that Romeo should have followed the warning signs instead of “defying them”
- Interpreted in two ways, can suggest that he beats fate or is a victim of fate that fate separates him and Juliet or that Fate has just brought them together in the after life
- Youthful defiance is pointless as the power of the stars is much greater according to the Elizabethan audience
My grave is like to be my wedding bed
- Juliet Act 1 Scene 5
- Mentioned shortly after Romeo and Juliet’s first interaction suggesting that from the very beginning Fate has been to play
- Chilling foreshadowing of her fate and the inescapable idea that she will die upon love
- Contextually suggests that if he is married that she would rather die showing the emotional and impulsiveness of the characters from the beginning
- Shows how easily love and death become intertwined throughout and how the line between love and death will become blurred later in the play.
- Shows that even with the powerful thing of love fate believes that death must come as a consequence
- Hamartia of impulsiveness is clear to see
10 Keywords
Dramatic Irony
- When the audience knows something that the characters dont
Impetuousness
- Impulsive and rash
Folly of Youth
- Foolishness of the youth
Futile
- Pointless that they cannot change the fate
Celestial bodies
- Stars and Elizerbeth beliefs in fate
Hamartia
- Fatal flaw that leads to the downfall
Prohibition
- Not allowed
Boundless
- Love has no limits including death
**Disillusioned **
- start to see the truth for what it was not what you believed it is
**Transcends mortal limitations **
- Goes beyond Human Limits
Character of Mercutio
Overview
Mercutio provides comic relief with is witty, sarcasm and is full of energy. He is also constructed as a catalyst for tragedy as he is the turning point from love to death for Romeo following his death. He is neither a Montague or a Capulet instead a mutual friend which could show that the feud has got out of hand.
Key Quotes
“A plague o’ both your houses!”
- Act 3
- This line is the turning point in the play towards a violent and deadly ending
- He blames the feud for his death suggesting that the feud has got out of hand and is now leading to external conflict outside of the families
- Shows how characters are beginning to turn on members of the family due to their involvement in the feud
“Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man”
- Act 3
- Shows even during death his character aims to provide comic relief to the overall play
- “Grave” meaning serious but also refers to death suggesting that only after death will his character be a serious man while he lives he will continue to joke about
- Said following his stabbing suggesting his dark humor because he knows the wound has been fatal and he will not see tomorrow
- Could be seen as his way to make the characters think about their actions tomorrow suggesting that he wants to teach a lesson even following his passing
Character of Benvolio
Overview
Benvolio’s character is created by Shakespeare as someone who wishes to keep the peace, provide a helping hand to Romeo and ultimately has the characters best wishes at heart. He is seen as one of the few characters that are rational in their actions throughout and well thought of.
“Benvolio”
- Name translates to “Good willer” in Latin suggesting that he is constructed to provide a sense of familiarity and provide sanctuary to any character that needs it. Shakespeare uses each characters names to show how their name has a part in their fate as a character
Key quotes
“I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me.”
- Act 1
- Benvolio is a peacekeeper he is contrasting the aggression shown by Tybalt
- Suggests that if they were to fight he would only be doing it to stop others fighting instead of wishing to fight himself
- “Put up thy sword” shows he doesn’t want violence unless its absolutely necessary, Shows how he wishes to command them to stop the conflict as he is seen as a whise character due to his name
- Makes this declaration not to have conflict within the first scene, foreshadowing that any sort of violence’s will lead to negative consequences as he is a knowledgeable character
Character of Lord Capulet
Overview
Lord Capulet is the father of Juliet within the play, he plays a key part in establishing the patrilocal system and affirming the continued dominance of male control, He is known for being involved in arranging the marriage of Juliet to Paris, He is also seen as angry when Juliet attempts to ignore the patriarchal system
Key Words
Affectionately, tragic, imagery of nature, connote, deduce, inner conflict, patriarch, demeanor, tyrannous, villainous, lament, fatherhood, catalyst
Shakespeare’s Intentions
- Shakespeare intends to construct Lord Capulet to symbolize the patriarchal system and the hierarchical structure of the elizerbethian society. Shakespeare compels the audience to confront the oppressively nature of the patriarchal system and the toll they exact on individual lives
- Lord Capulets Grief stricken Outburst Following Juliet’s death is created to delivered a powerful message about the Destructive Nature of pride and hatred. The audience are forced to acknowledge the destructive power of feuds and the importance of valuing compassion over hatred
Key quotes
“Hang, Beg, starve, die”
- Act 3
Themes
- Individual vs Society, Family vs Duty, Violence and Love
- Asyndetic listing (Using commons in a list instead of and) Suggest the true spite and anger towards Juliet’s Disobedience in marrying Paris. The List shows his utter violent insults at Juliet
- His resort to verbal abuse, signals a stark departure of the tenderness he once showed Juliet in Act 1 Instead he displays cruel indifference (Doesn’t care about her), Portraying him as having a Tyrannical Demeanor.
- Shows how the patriarchal system believes that if the father cannot have control over the daughter only negatives will happen as seen by the negative imagery
- Shows his intentions to be a supportive father and that he only believes he can accomplish this by his methods and her following his beliefs
- Morbid Irony as we know she will die Loving Romeo (As Lord Capulet Said) However it is not in the way he said suggesting that love has always been the villian of the play
“Death Lies on her like an untimely frost/ Upon the sweetest flower of all the field”
- Act 4
Themes
- Youth, Individual vs Society, Family vs Duty, Violence and Love
- Connotations of “Flower” relates to Delicacy and fragility, Emphasizing lord caplets sorrow over the Fragility of Juliet’s life in her death. The Superlative “Sweetest” further illustrates Juliet’s exceptional innocence’s and purity, suggesting that she was the epitome of sweetness and beauty among all children
- However, despite her delicate nature, Lord Capulets focus on Duty and Hatred Blinded him to her vulnerabilities. His inability to recognize and protect Juliet’s fragility ultimately leads to her tragic Demise
- Simile suggests a similarity this time to death suggesting the fate of death has came or is coming.
- Shows that death doesn’t choose who it takes even if it is taking the “sweetest” one
- Natural Imagery; Serves to emphasizes the Unnatural and Premature Death of Juliet
Character of Juliet
Overview
Juliet is seen as the Female Protagonist being one of the title characters suggesting the importance that she will play within in the Show. She is a member of the Capulet household and is a key piece of how the patriarchal system is portrayed in the play. She is seen to be disobedient and impulsive (Like Romeo) to the concept of love. Unlike Romeo she appears to be more reserved and less erratic while still being erratic
Key words
Defiance of Societal and Familial Boundaries , Eponymous Character, Love transcends mortal limitations, Folly of Youth, Impulsive, Rash, Impetuous, Recklessness, Naïve Idealism, Oblivious, Fervid, Blind Passion, Disillusioned with their love and self sacrifice
Shakespeare’s Intentions
- Through dramatic Irony, Shakespeare’s crating of an inevitable tragedy shows how love and violence are inextricably linked. He utilizes Romeo and an example of his entwined duality, Portraying him as the embodiment of the conflicts of love and violence’s within a single individual
- Shakespeare’s Tragic portal of Romeo and Juliet reinforces that even the seamlessly Boundless power of love is ultimately constrained by forces beyond human control. He reinforces the Elizabethan ideas of determinism showing celestial bodies were power powerful forces on Human life.
- Juliet is constructed by Shakespeare as impulsive and fervid Shakespeare links how her impulsiveness and recklessness is her hamartia. The very quality which that have led directly to her imminent demise. Shakespeare highlights the dangers of unchecked Passion and the importance of considering consequences before acting impulsively
Key Quotes
“My only love, sprung from my only hate!”
- Act 1
Themes
- Love, Violence, Youth, family and duty and Individual vs Society
- Juxtaposition The juxtaposition of love and hate encapsulates the core conflict these two concepts which underpin the play
- As it is said by Juliet in Act 1, this foreshadows the intertwined nature of passion and violence, these two forces will be indistinguishable catalyzing the the tragedy further
- Personal Pronouns Repeated usage of “My” highlights Juliet’s Prioritization of her own love over the societal and familial expectations that once restricted her
- The young Eponymous character of Juliet is blinded by passion and are ignorant to the dangers of this Prohibited Love As “Hate” ends this sentence it could foreshadow how the feud will symbolically and physically end her and Romeo’s Love
- “Only love” suggests her impulsiveness to eradicate any other forms of love from her life if it means that she can love Romeo.
- ”!” Suggests the extent of her discontent of not being able to love Romeo without the burden of the Feud
- Dramatic Irony by Shakespeare as we know that they will fall in love so we know that the Hatrid that the love has brought will reoffend later on down the play, Building suspense for later acts.
“If he be married, / My grave is like to be my wedding Bed”
- Act 1
Themes
- Destiny/fate, violence, love, individual vs society
- Dramatic Irony The prologue sets the stage for the audience, foretelling the tragic destiny awaitingboth Romeo and Juliet. This creates Dramatic Irony since Juliet remains unaware of her impending fate. Her impulsive nature becoming her Hamartia , as she fails to grasp the true consequences of Pursuing forbidden love.
- Shakespeare follows Aristotle’s Conventions of tragedy, aiming to produce pity from the audience, here, pathos arises from Juliet’s youthful recklessness in love, ultimately leading to her demise
-Syntax The syntax of “grove” before “wedding bed” hints at Juliet’s looming death before she can consummate her marriage with Romeo - This foreshadowing, coupled with Juliet’s obliviousness to her grim fate, reinforces deterministic themes - Julie’s Tragic ending was predetermined by cosmic forces.
- Shows her impulsive and rash nature, claiming that if she cannot love him then she would rather die, shows directly that both characters will follow the same paths of Impetuosivness
“Deny thy father and refuse thy name”
- Act 2
Themes
- Family and duty, Love, Violence, Individual vs society and Youth
- *Semantic field of “deny” and “refuse” creates a semantic field of defiance, illustrating her Rebilion and defiance against the constraints of her family feud and her true commitment to love.
- This Declaration exemplifies her to be rather impulsive and fervid in the way that she loves which is apart of her star sign of Leo. The Elizabethans believed Celestial bodies to have an enormous influence over person’s disposition which explains why Juliet is so akin to those traits of her star sign.
- Patriarchal Society Juliet’s statement to “deny thy father” goes against the norms of the patriarchal society where daughters were considered their fathers property used to enhance political and social standing through arranged marriages]
- By rejecting her father, Juliet challenges a fundamental societal structure. This reinforces her blind passion, disregarding societal norms and considering no institution wherever legal, familial or religious as a barrier for her love
- Speaking to Romeo, Asking him to change his name so he they can truly be in love.
- Shows the impulsive nature of both to go to such an extreme to fall in love, also shows how deeply rooted the feud is to believe that the easiest way to solve it is to change the name rather than stop the feud
“O serpent Heart, Hid with a flowering face!”
- Act 3
Themes
- Violence, love , family and duty and individual vs society
- Biblical Allusion the term “serpent” carries Biblical allusion to the story of Adam and Eve’s fall in Genesis. Juliet’s use of this term suggests her Disillusionment with their love just as the serpent brought sin following suffering into the world in Genesis. Juliet realizes that Romeos involvement in her life will lead to similar consequences
- The religious undertones may also reflect Juliet’s recognition of her deviation from religious teaching. By defying societal norms for the sake of love she now questions the true strengths of their love
- Natural Imagery The natural image of the “serpent “ and “flowering” makes hatred and love seem natural and innate
- “Love and death” are “serpate and identical” in the play as its clear Juliet’s passionate hatred for Romeo in this scene has similarities to her passionate over for him throughout
- Shows the impulsiveness of Juliet again as she is very quick to point the finger at Romeo and claim to hate him and that he has deceived her however she doesn’t know the full story and the actions which lead up to that part.
- Also shows that the strength of love will be tested by natural conflicts and aggression throughout
- “Flowering” suggests that something is still happening suggesting that he is still growing onto her and is yet to back stab/ deceive her in the way that she believes he has to her cousin Tybalt
“Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger!”
- Act 5
Themes
- Violence, Love, family and duty, Individual vs Society and Youth
- Oxymoron* The term “Happy dagger” is oxymoronic as the joyous connotations of “happy” contrast and conflict with the deadly imagery of “dagger”. This juxtaposition illustrates Juliet’s Profound sorrow as she seeks comfort in death, seeing it as n eternal reunion with Romeo
- This act of self-sacrifice characterorises her as a tragic heroine. Her strength and self discovery is clear at the start=, yet her passionate nature ultimately leads to a tragic end.
- Diction on “Brief”. The diction of “Brief” shows Juliet’s Urgent desire to escape from a world where their forbidden love challenges Societal norms enforced by law, family and religion. In death, they can finally be together, free from these obstacles
- Her urgency to speed up the process highlights, in her final moments, that her impulsiveness and recklessness is her hamartia and that it will be them very qualities that are going to lead to her death and demise.
- Juliet becomes a victim of the Patriarchal system accidently as she is willing to forfeit her right to life in desire of following a males actions/ males choices. This suggests that Shakespeare wants the reader to know that the choices that she has made is a rash choice and possibly wrong.
- The dagger is only a happy one as it will provide her with the ability to see Romeo again suggesting her true commitment to Romeo
- She is alone in this scene as all characters in it are either dead or not on stage suggesting that she is speaking to us (Audience) letting us know of her next steps.
= “Ill be brief” provides an ending to the questions that arose from the prologue further suggesting she is talking to the audience giving them the relief that they are looking for as she is by killing herself - Follows Shakespearean tragedy
that all characters have died
Character of Lady Capulet
Overview
Lady Capulet is constructed by Shakespeare as the epitome of the Elizabethan women, she is seen as the ideal upper class women who is disconnected from her daughter due to the presence of her nanny. She is seen as someone who supports the marriage to a socially advantageous household rather than for her own daughters delight. Notable she was married off at a Young ag.
Through Lady Capulet, Shakespeare Illustrates the tragic outcomes of blindly adhering to social conventions and nurturing hatred
Key Quotes
“Nurse, come back again”
- Act 1
Themes
- Youth, Family vs duty and love
- Epitomizes the traditional Elizabethan women, her relationship to her daughter is strained as well as distanced, suggests that there has been no connection between the pair
- In Aristocratic families the nurses took care of the children raising them.
- Lady Capulets focus on arranging socially advantageous marriages for Juliet highlights her prior station of status and societal expectations over her daughters personal happiness. This suggests her complicity and conformality to social conventions, as she seeks to secure Juliet’s future through a purely advantageous marriage
- Intended to bring about humor almost pantomime theme as she has just sent the nurse away suggesting the confusion she faces due to lack of experience being the parental figure
- Clear divide from the role each parent plays, one takes control and holds the power of the other distances.
“The sight of death is a bell. / That warns my old age to a sepulcher”
- Act 5
Theme
- Youth, Family vs Duty and Love
- Simile Lady Capulets use of a Simile, likening her daughters death to a warning bell, highlights the immense guilt she experiences. This shows a shift in her perspective from the overbearing encouragement of Juliet’s marriage in Act 1. She is now consumed by the consequences of her actions and the role is has played in Juliet’s demise
- This reinforces the conflict between familial duty and individual desires, as Lady Capulet comes to priories her love for Juliet over societal expectations of marriage and status
- Image of time The idea of a “Bell” conjures imagery of time, serving as a reminder of life’s fleeting nature and the importance of cherising love over oppressive societal norms and bitter feuds.
- Through Lady Capulet, Shakespeare illustrates the tragic outcomes of blindly adhering to social conventions and nurturing hatred
- Opens with the theme of death and ends with the theme of death
- idea of age suggests that she believes that the chronological order of the deaths is wrong and infact she should be dead while her daughter still lives on.
Character of Friar Lawrence
Overview
Friar speaks from a religious perspective holding a key role above the characters in the play, suggesting that he is a character that is wiser and someone that the audience and characters alike can trust. The audience should feel solace in his religious nature. His omniscience about the renewal and regeneration of nature offers the audience a moment of spite from the bleakness of the rest of the tragedy. He creates the friar as a character that is aimed at warning all characters within the play of the effects of their actions and the results that follow if they are not careful. He is key in the marriage as well as the following of love in the Play
Key Quotes
“The earth, That’s Nature’s mother, os her tomb. / what is her burying, grave that is her womb”
- Act 2
Themes
- Chance/fate, Youth, Violence/death and Love
- Rhyming couplets emphasis the interconnectedness between life and death. He suggests that the earth, often viewed as a tomb for the deceased is paradoxically also the source of new life
- In the face of Inevitable tragedy, it offers a glimmer of hope for the audience by emphasizing the potential for renewal and regeneration, even in the face of destruction. Romeo and Juliet lays hope for a renewal of their love in another realm.
- Personification, he portrays the earth and its celestial bodies as a powerful and wise entities , The cycle of life and death is key in the play symbolized by the worlds actions
- Continued theme of the intertwined nature of both life and death and how they overlap in all aspects of life.
- As he is a wise character we trust his belief and pray for a positive outcome from the situation
“so tortured by my art”
- Act 5
Themes
- Family vs Duty, Individual vs Society, Love, Violence/Death
- “art” connotates to creations, it illustrates how the religious friar is distraught in manipulating God’s Natural process of creation in life and death. He is so preoccupied with preserving God’s natural order he is likely distraught that he has prevented God’s intended plan
- Taking on the role of God, especially in the choice of who lives and dies, would have been classed as the ultimate sin.
- By attempting to manipulate life and death, the Friar may fear he has strayed away from his religious role. This internal conflict deepens the tragedy, as even a holy man like friar has become apart of the entangled web of death and destruction caused by the feud
- His art is religion as well as knowing what to do so the use of him being tortured suggests an internal battle with himself to risk what he knows is morally and religiously right for the young lovers.
- “my” shows that he is the only character in the play that possess the power to have an influence on death, suggesting that Shakespeare believes religious figures had power that others did not (Common in Elizabethan era)
“Wisely and slowly, they stumble that run fast”
- Act 2
Themes
- Love, Individual vs Society and Death/Violence
- Friar is seen as a character of wisdom so for him to be urging them to slow down directly foreshadows future events.
- “they” collective pronoun could be Shakespeare addressing the audience and wishing them to know the consequences of their actions before they “run fast”
- “Wisely and slowly” Word order is key to address the fact that to be wise is to be slow, Not vise versa which can be taken in a different context
- Warning that running into the marriage will only lead to them stumbling, and ultimately falling (death)
- Never directly address Romeo however is interpreted that way, could suggest that the Friar has a mental doubt about the future of the couple
- Shocked due to the rapid change in Romeos heart from Rosaline to Juliet
- Hints at the Hamartia of the youth
- Friar warns from a perspective external to the feud as well as from an older person perspective hinting at this knowledge that peace and wisdom brings, Suggests that Shakespeare wants the audience to know that we are smarter when we are not apart of the conflict (love and feud) and we are at the most knowledgeable when we consider our consequences before our actions
Character of Nurse
Overview
Shakespeare shows the excessive adoration of the Nurse towards Juliet to juxtapose the emotionally conservative relationship between Juliet and her mother. This helps to accentuate the tragic undertones of familiar feuds and emphasizes the ease Juliet had in renouncing her lineage. The Nurse provides support from a neutral perspective and speaks on behalf of the ideal world
Key quotes
“Wast the prettiest babe that e’er.. nursed”
- Act 1
Themes
- Youth, Family and Love
- Prettiest is a superlative empahising an almost excessive amount of love for Juliet from the nurse, like a bond that goes beyond her maternal duties to care and nurture but in the sense of a motherly, parental love.
- Elizabethans hired Nurses to look after there children this was reserved for the rich and the nurses were expected to train the daughters into successive wives to be
- The maternal and emotional bond is starkly contrasted by the absence of love with her mother
“What Lamb! What ladybird!”
- Act 1
Themes
- Individual vs Society
- Nurse is often a frivolous character which is evident in her opening line of the play, The exclamatory tone establishes her character as excitable and prone to rambling
- She is the paragon of the working class, the working class are often mocked in Shakespeare’s plays and depicted as being less intelligent or utilized as comic relief, Nurse uses bawdy and animated language as a brief escape from the melancholy tone
- As the only prominent character from the working class she severs as the representation of Shakespeare’s perception of this working class. By parodying her character , Shakespeare indirectly parodies the working class as a whole
- “Lamb” is a baby sheep suggesting that her role is going to be to nurture the young and advise like a lamb would
- “Lamb” could also be interoperated as how the Elizabethan women were expected to conform to the patriarchy system like sheep, the Nurse is taking over a lamb and is expected to shape her into the ideal wife of the patriarchy
Theme of Love
Overview
The theme of love is a key theme in the Play as it is a symbol to love moderately as when love is exerted in the wrong way unbeknown consequences may arise. In the Play, Romeo is the symbol of love with his name directly translating to Romance, it is through him we see his character fall for Rosaline and later Juliet. It is ultimately through both these experiences that we learn that he is naïve to follow his gut feeling suggesting his inexperience to love possibly due to the feud.
Character
- Romeo, Mercutio, Friar, Juliet and Lord Capulet
Key Quotes
“With Love’s light wings did i o’erperch these walls”
- Romeo
- Act 2
Themes - Love
- Fate
- “loves wings” gives religious or mythical allusion to characters like Cupid, the god of love who is known to wear wings or possibly Icarus who flew too close to the sun, suggesting that Romeo is flying too close to the thing that provides him with life will get him killed (Love)
- Metaphor symbolizes how love empowers him emotionally and physically
- “light” links to prior “feather of lead” when describing the unrequited love from Rosaline, suggests that fate has it she will be the one as it is “light” for him to love
- “o’erperch” suggests both physical and metaphorical beliefs that he can over come any obstacle that blocks his way to love, suggesting he believes loves powers are translucent to life
- “walls” noun to block something out suggests that the families have built there houses in a way to block each other out and that only through his love can he overcome the feud.
- “walls” also links to the Morbid Foreshadowing off the death that will be seen to come about the change
“My only love sprung from my only hate”
- Juliet
- Act 1
Themes
Love, Fate, Conflict
- The internal conflict of Juliet is voiced suggesting the frustration for love she is also facing
- The repetition of “my only” shows her impulsivity to jump to the conclusion that this will be her only love and hate
- verb “sprung” suggests that it has leaped out of nowhere, suggesting that love is something new to her as well and she is not expecting/ chasing the sensation like Romeo
- Internal conflict of weather to follow the feud or to love Romeo.
- Follows a moment of joy, brings the play back down to earth foreshadowing the dark ending that will bring about change
- “My” suggests that love is an item that the characters can possess, this goes against the idea of Romeo that he has no choice but to love
“Thus with a kiss, I die”
- Romeo
- Act 5
Themes
Fate, Love, Death
- Intertwined love and death throughout, finally concludes both words together
- Romeos belief that love is boundless to the Earthly limits and can surpass this belief
- Short sentence, suggests that he can not be elaborate in his ways if love is not present
- “Thus” formal, suggests that he sees his death as an act to the devotion of love
- clause of with, suggests that he is only dieing for love.
- Alternating argument that love is why he is dieing and loving is how is going to die.
- “Kiss and die” together links the key aspects of love and death coming to a conclusive end in this life,
- Romeos last line, Started with love ended with death, suggests his characters story and the whole story he has had with Juliet, Love and death.
Theme of Death
Overview
Death is presented in a manner to mirror that of love, in most scenes that love is present a form of death or conflict is also present. This idea suggests the consequences of the actions. From the very beginning we know that life will be at the cost of love so they will die, this shows the extreme nature of the message Shakespeare conveys. Death and love go hand in hand which could be a moral play to the audience as in what do we think is more significant, death or love
Character
Tybalt, Romeo, Mercutio, Prince and Juliet
Key Quotes
“A plague o both your houses”
- Mercutio
- Act 3
Themes
Death, Conflict and Fate
- “plague” suggests a violent and deadly image that will follow this death, shows how he blames both the households equally for the senseless conflict which costs his life
- Repetition, He says this multiple times outlining how deeply he believes the feud has doomed them all
- “Plague” killed a lot of the population and was spread quickly suggesting that from this point death will spread quickly amongst the characters
- Ultimate sin/cuss to wish a plague on a household suggesting the true anguish Mercutio feels.
- Character of Mercutio is the catalyst for death within the Play as all of the dieing stars from this point possibly suggesting the cross over between love and death in the play.
- “Plague” unstoppable death
- “your” collective pronoun suggests possible remarks to the audience to fear over loving and having lasting feuds, message
“Thus with a kiss i die”
- Romeo
- Act 5
Themes
- Death, Fate, Love
- Juxtaposition of love and death leaves the question which truly won
- Syntax of “die” being the final word suggests the idea that death is truly the end, possibly hinting at Shakespeare’s disregard for the after life.
- “Kiss” suggests he is going to die loving Juliet, suggesting him Impulsive nature
- “Thus” formal tone, suggests that he accepts his fate calmly compared to his outrage at not being able to love he is calm now that he can love.
- Suggests that his true only purpose is to love and when he cannot he cannot live.
“Death lies on her like an untimely frost / Upon the sweetest flower of all the field”
- Lord Capulet
- Act 4
Themes
Death, Fate and Conflict
- Simile suggests something so sudden and cruel has the ability to destroy so much, life.
- Continued theme of her being like a plant to her suggesting life
- Juxtaposition of the “Frost” and “Sweetest” suggests the untimely, unexpected tragic passing of the character
- “frost” could be unintentional foreshadowing as eventually the frost will melt however the consequences of it will not, e.g she will wake up but the results of her death cannot be changed
- “Sweetest” suggests the parental love he felt for her showing that love is boundless towards death
- “all the field” metaphorical to his family suggesting that she was his prized possession linking back to the patriarchy
- Death Imagery to show her lost potential suggesting that he may have only seen her for his statutory value
Theme of Conflict
Overview
The theme of conflict in Romeo and Juliet is seen on several occasions with the internal struggles with love through Romeo, The issue of love for Juliet towards Romeo, the family feud and the conflict throughout the play. We see conflict as the over arching theme both mentally and physically conflicted on their beliefs. Conflict appears in every single scene and is used to build up the idea to the later stages of the play, Its also used to reinforce the play line that it will not be a happy ending for the young lovers.
Shakespeare’s Intentions
He intends to use conflict to suggests the idea that what each character is facing is familiar to the audience, he wants to make the characters as real as possible and he does this by displaying them as people and as relatable facing conflict.
Character
ALL CHARACTERS
Key Quotes
“From Ancient grudge break to new mutiny”
- Prologue
- Narrator
- Introduces the central theme of conflict before the story even begins
- “Ancient grudge” suggests that what we will experience has been a long time coming and the conflict has lasted a long time between the two families
- “Mutiny” is a sort of Rebilion suggesting that some of the “new” characters will break the “grudge” and rebel against the familiar wishes
- Foreshadows the tragedy of the play and the inherited hate from both families, shows the conflict is so strong it overpowers love and even death
- Establishes Conflict as the strongest power ahead of Death and love as it has outlived death and divides love.
- Creates the inevitably and tension of the conflict which will lead to tragedy
“What, Drawn and talk of peace! I hate the word, as i hate hell, All Montagues and thee”
- Tybalt
- Act 1
- Tybalt’s rejection for peace is seen as the most extreme rejection possible referencing his hatred for the word.
- simile of “as i hate hell” shows the true extent of the hatred, Ultimate worst place ever and he hates peace more, Shows the religious allusions of the play as well as the true extent that Tybalt will go in search of conflict
- Defines Tybalt’s identity as being the catalyst for conflict and violence in the play.
- “All” collective noun suggests his impartial hatred for anyone of the Montague blood, shows the power that the feud has had to make him so hateful towards people he does not know yet. Shows the feud has made them lose reason.
- Intends to construct Tybalt as the antagonist to love and the perpetrator of hate and violence
- Demonstrates the blind hatred and needless violence, aimed to shock the audience at the poisoned Verona’s extensive violence and hate
“O, I am fortunes fool!”
- Romeo
- Act 3
- Feels regret and despair after killing Tybalt
- Calls himself fortunes fool shows how helpless he feels for the fate and fortune of the Play
- Caught in a cycle of violence due to fate, as told in the Prologue
- Could be an outburst by fate for Romeos past disregard for fate, “I defy thee stars” suggests that Fate wanted to reassert its domination over Romeo
- Internal Conflict with Romeo following the physical conflict with Tybalt
- Shows even when he loves he is pulled back into the violence on the streets of Verona.
- Builds sympathy for Romeo, Showing how even love cant escape the effects of conflict.
- Links to the prologue and that the destiny was established before we even met the characters of the play “Star Crossed lovers”
“My only love sprung from my only hate”
- Juliet
- Act 2
- Shows the internal conflict that Juliet faces that if she should continue to love Romeo due to the feud
- “only” both extremes could suggest the impulsive nature of Juliet as she reaches the conclusion that these will be the “Only love” and “only hate” suggesting the immature nature of her character
- “sprung” gives nature imagery which could suggest that she seems her only life springing up from this love, as she will die if she cannot love him- Prologue
- Foreshadows the dark future that the love holds, suggesting that she is a bit more mature that Romeo as she takes into account the feud but ultimately ignores it, Like Romeo
- Intended to show us not only the extent of the feud, but the impulsive nature of both there loves, She “love[s]” him after only one night
Theme of Young vs Old
Overview
Theme of Young vs Old is prominent in much of the play as we see the youth commiting impulsive acts, regardless of the unknown consequences, we see this from all of the young characters at some stage or another. We see the Older characters while they warn of the issues and the actions them too commit sins such as following the feud or making irrational judgments which will cost the characters lives
Shakespeare’s intentions
Shakespeare intends to convey the message of a perfect balance between the young and older characters, deeming all characters acts at some point regardless of age to be irrational and poorly chosen, We see characters older dwell on there choices longer than the younger characters do
Key Quotes
“But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart;/ My will to her consent is but a part”
- Lord Capulet
- Act 1
- Capulets intentionally respect for Juliet’s Youth suggesting that “ye a stranger in the world” and is not ready for marriage, more thoughtful stance on parental fatherhood.
- Despite being an Older character, Capulet acknowledges that Juliet’s consent matters, which creates early tension between tradition and modern thinking
- This changes later suggesting the inconsistency of the older generations beliefs and attitudes also seen through the Friars
- Reveals a generational gap where the young value connection, the old value the status and alliance that the marriages would bring
- Conflicted throughout, Begins by defending her, then allowing it then forcing it, shows the lasting effects of patriarchy in society and his lack of will to change it.
- believes that if he is able to impress her then they should be able to get married and his consent is just a part that is needed
- “get her heart” Objectifies Juliet’s love, makes the appearance that she is an object that can be owned and if done correctly he can also own, follows the Patriarchy
“Hang thee, Young baggage! disobedient wretch!”
- Lord Capulet
- Act 3
- Capulet becomes violently controlling when Juliet refuses the marriage suggesting the generation belief that you should follow authority unquestionably
- “baggage” dehumanizes Juliet, reducing her to property showing how the older see the youth as just property and extensions of themselves
- “Baggage” gives the impression that Lord Capulet believes that he is carrying her about with him like unwanted baggage, suggesting that she has become a burden to him because of her refusal to marry.
- Highlights the emotional divide between the generational classes, Juliet is motivated by Love and autonomy while Capulet is social status and pride
- Takes her wider away from her family, thus the feud making it easier for her to love Romeo
- “hang thee” suggests that he no longer wants anything to do with her, suggesting that its plausible that he only ever cared about the possible martial status upgrade it brought lord Capulet
“Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel”
- Romeo
- Act 3
- Telling the friar that as he has not experienced such as thing he is not properly able to educate Romeo on the matter and instead should remain quiet on the matter
- Emphasizes the emotional disconnect, where the young experience raw intense feelings while the older figures in Society attempt to down play it
- Shows Romeos lack of ability to listen to authority, wider play reference to his failure to listen to Mercutio, Fate and Friar in there warnings of following such troubled love
- Reveals his impulsiveness to tell of Friar for not supporting him suggesting that Romeo has already made up his idea of what he will do and if the advice is not what he wanted to hear then he doesn’t plan on listening to it.
- Romeos frustration reflects a wider novella idea of the conflict between the older and younger generations of the play and that the opinions on pressing matters, such as love will be key to understanding the cause of the divide
- “canst not” and “dost not” repition suggesting that this is repeated discussion, like Juliet and the Nurse’s falling out around the same issue of love, however the Nurse tells Juliet what she doesn’t want to hear, ending there bond.
“Wisely and Slow, They Stumble that run fast”
- Act 2
- Friar Lawrence
- Friar warns Romeo to be careful of his actions using his experience and expertise from age to support this expression
- “Stumble” metaphorical foreshadows the tragedy that will follow suggesting the youthful haste in love and the issues that lead to disaster
- Contrasts Romeo’s impulsive nature showing a key split in the opinions of the young and old members of society and in the Play
- Despite the advice they marry, and they do stumble because of the impulsiveness of their love that they are facing
- Warning that love will not last or if it does last it will endure a lot of hard ship if they rush into it without doing due diligence before hand.
- “They” collective pronoun of Romeo and Juliet however could be spoken to the Audience from Shakespeare to warn to know the consequence’s of your actions before you do them.
Theme of Individual vs Society
Overview
Individual vs Society, fits under the theme of conflict within a figurative perspective as it relies on the idea that characters do not fit within Societal norms or expectations, A lot of characters follow this such as Romeos compassion for the Capulets which wasn’t known in the Feud as well as Juliet’s disobedience to follow the patriarchy, We see a lot of the conflict between society and the individual through the younger generation suggesting that it is the younger members of Society who are most likely to make a change on an an issue
Shakespeare’s Intentions
Shakespeare intends to show that the youthful in society and society itself conflict with each other and that they will be the reason why society will change for the better because of there views.
Key Quotes
“My only love sprung from my only hate”
- Juliet
- Act 1
- Shows the internal conflict that Juliet faces that if she should continue to love Romeo due to the feud
- “only” both extremes could suggest the impulsive nature of Juliet as she reaches the conclusion that these will be the “Only love” and “only hate” suggesting the immature nature of her character
- “sprung” gives nature imagery which could suggest that she seems her only life springing up from this love, as she will die if she cannot love him- Prologue
- Foreshadows the dark future that the love holds, suggesting that she is a bit more mature that Romeo as she takes into account the feud but ultimately ignores it, Like Romeo
- Intended to show us not only the extent of the feud, but the impulsive nature of both there loves, She “love[s]” him after only one night
- Shows her conflict with Societal Norms and expectations to follow rules such as the feud and disregard her love instead following them norms
“A plague o’ both your houses!”
- Act 3
- Mercutio
- This line is the turning point in the play towards a violent and deadly ending
- He blames the feud for his death suggesting that the feud has got out of hand and is now leading to external conflict outside of the families
- Shows how characters are beginning to turn on members of the family due to their involvement in the feud
- Plague is a lasting death suggesting that this will be the turning point and that all will follow will be death
- Mercutio provides comic relief, his death signals the end of any humor in the play instead anything ahead will be darkness and death
- His death shows how he blames the feud and both families equally for the consequences of there actions which have led to his death.
- Marks the moment the story becomes a tragedy
“Deny thy father and refuse thy name”
- Juliet
- Act 2
- Juliet wishes for Romeo to abended his last name shows how deeply societal identity ties them to their families and thus the feud
- Societally unnormal for the man to change his name in a moment of love usually the wife takes the husbands name suggests the disobedience with patriarchal traditions
- Direct challenge to Society and her wish to escape the rules and labels imposed by her family feud.
- Reveals her maturity and independence as she begins thinking for herself and looking for options to have the love that she feels and still follow her families wishes
- Shows the level of internal conflict
- Shows the impulsive nature of Juliet, to believe that Romeo would disregard his name.
- “father” suggests that the father is who she would be disregarding and that she thinks Romeo is in the same situation as her.
“All are punished”
- Prince
- Act 5
- Declarers that everyone has suffered because society allowed hatred and pride override compassion and understanding
- It is the final judgement on the actions of the Individuals and the society they live in - Romeo and Juliet tried to escape but Society crushed and ultimately killed them (figuratively)
- Idea that private love cannot survive public hate
- “all” group noun suggesting that everyone has paid some sort of price for the feud and that they are to blame as they have been “punished”
- Speaks as a character of authority however he is not the one who has punished them possibly suggesting that it is instead Shakespeare showing that we will all be punished for our actions
- Links to the idea of the Judgement day when the Lord will take into account our sins and actions and see if we deserve a place in the afterlife
- Suggests collective guilt for the feud and that not one family or person is to blame for the actions instead all have paid the price
- Final line shows the true belief that societal change cannot happen if hatred continues in the streets
- Message by Shakespeare to bring change
Character of Prince
Overview
Prince stands as a character of authority in the play, he attempts to get the feud to stop and is symbolic of the monarchs authority possibly, Ultimately he does nothing to prevent the tragedy from taking place and promises consequences which he doesn’t follow through with.
Shakespeare’s Intentions
Intends to construct the lack of authority in Elizerbethian society and how the results of no authority can lead to such extensive problems. It is a warning that we must hold positions of power to control and if they are not also properly checked than they cannot function and thus are ineffective
Key quotes
“All are punished”
- Prince
- Act 5
- Declarers that everyone has suffered because society allowed hatred and pride override compassion and understanding
- It is the final judgement on the actions of the Individuals and the society they live in - Romeo and Juliet tried to escape but Society crushed and ultimately killed them (figuratively)
- Idea that private love cannot survive public hate
- “all” group noun suggesting that everyone has paid some sort of price for the feud and that they are to blame as they have been “punished”
- Speaks as a character of authority however he is not the one who has punished them possibly suggesting that it is instead Shakespeare showing that we will all be punished for our actions
- Links to the idea of the Judgement day when the Lord will take into account our sins and actions and see if we deserve a place in the afterlife
- Suggests collective guilt for the feud and that not one family or person is to blame for the actions instead all have paid the price
- Final line shows the true belief that societal change cannot happen if hatred continues in the streets
- Message by Shakespeare to bring change
“Your Lives Shall pay the forfeit of the peace”
- Prince
- Act 1
- Establishes prince as a figure of law and order, imposing a peaceful idea on a city torn by the Capulet and Montague feud.
- Threat of death shows the serious nature of his remark
- Doesn’t directly say he will be the one to take their lives instead foreshadows the idea of death with violence
- Shows the idea that peace and the feud cannot live hand in hand and that while the conflict and feud continues Verona will not be peaceful
- Highlights the frustration with both families showing how the families are both to blame
- Power is ultimately limited he cannot stop the tragedy showing that the law is no match for the deep rooted hate and passion
- Shows the powers of authority is far weaker than external powers like love and fate
- “Your” collective pronoun doesn’t directly address the members however gives a stark warning of the reality of the progressive feud
“That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love!”
- Prince
- ACT 5
- Prince blames the families hatred for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet
- “Heaven finds means” implies fate or Divine intervention showing that higher power have used love to punish the families for their conflict
- Shows the belief that a higher power to play as for the reason of the deaths of love
- Shows that if you do not listen to the warning imposed that it will come true and the lives were paid as a price for the continued conflict
- irony and mocking tone from prince to suggest that there Joys of fighting was killed by love and the death was the price
- Prince becomes a moral judge speaking not just as a ruler but as a voice for reason and higher truth
- Directly links to societal hate and personal love reinforcing the message that unchecked hate will destroy everything in a society even love
- “heaven” speaks as a higher power shows that religion or fate is the reason that person who killed there family members as a reason to stop the conflict
- You collective pronoun shows the group responsibility for all the actions in the play
- ”!” shows that his expression has changed from teaching a lesson to evoking an idea on them that they should know that it was heavens plan because of there actions
