Romeo And Juliet Essay

Submitted By rayleighsmith
Words: 848
Pages: 4
Open Document
Romeo challenges this idea of masculinity and is portrayed with more feminine and submissive traits. He speaks with a poetic melancholy contrary to that of the other men: “Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs, / Being purg’d, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes, / Being vex’d, a sea nourish’d with loving tears” .Romance and longing fuel his daily thoughts, giving him the most fulfillment and satisfaction. Romeo is in love with the idea of love, and his way of thinking is teased mercilessly by both his friends and enemies. When paired with Juliet in scenes, his male role is increasingly diminished. He puts himself below her both literally and figuratively in a gesture of submission, especially during the balcony scene. “O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art / As glorious to this night, being o’er my head, / As a winged messenger of heaven” (2.2.26-28). A Veronese male would never dream of considering himself below a woman, nor would he put her on a pedestal to worship and revere. While the pair exchanges vows of love, it is Romeo who revokes his name: “Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptiz’d; / Henceforth I never will be Romeo” (2.2.50-51). This act of giving up his name for his love is non-traditional, even in the standards of today. Yet these qualities that make him uniquely Romeo are what draw Juliet in toward him to shine forth in strength and merge her heart with his.

Women of Verona are considered to be a completely different class in comparison to men. They are thought of as inferior, weaker, and more as objects to possess. Never would they be called equals with opinions that would be heard and understood. Pleasing her parents, marriage, then pleasing their husband, and bearing children are the life goals of which a woman should dream. Juliet’s nurse makes multiple references to a joke her husband made years ago: “Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age” (1.3.56). This is an attempt to make light of the sexually subservient lifestyle a woman must become comfortable with when she becomes a fertile age. Lady Capulet, Juliet’s mother, also presses forth the expected honour of women saying, “Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, / Are already made mothers. By my count, / I was your mother much upon these years” (1.3.70-72). A girl is quickly transferred from the house of her parents to the house of her husband without any chance of independent thought, action, or growth.
Shakespeare portrays Juliet in a way that defies these standards for women and gives her an uncommon strength contrary to society. Upon first meeting Romeo at her father’s masked party, she does not shy away from his forward nature as would be proper and typical of an unmarried girl but rather engages him in playful banter and builds upon their flirtation. She even allows him to kiss her. During the balcony scene, Juliet takes on the role of the leader and dominates the conversation, challenging Romeo’s motives while he obligingly acquiesces and replies to her satisfaction. She is very straightforward in her ideas and daringly proposes the idea of marriage first: “If that thy bent of love be honorable, / Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow” (2.2.143-144). She is possessed with
Show More

Related Documents: Romeo And Juliet Essay

Essay on Romeo: Romeo and Juliet and Juliet

title Romeo and Juliet) Start broad, work down to specific → Pointing the way to where your essay is going. William Shakespeare’s (author) Romeo and Juliet (title) is perhaps one of the best known love stories of all time. The play (form) follows the two “star crossed lovers” (quote) from the beginning of their passionate relationship through to their tragic (reference to tragedy) deaths. Shakespeare intends for the audience to sympathise with its central characters, in particular Juliet. Responsibility…

Words 334 - Pages 2

Romeo And Juliet

SAC; On the way back from a Romeo and Juliet play in the car, It was at least midnight. The sky was dark but there were still little beams of light from the moon that lit up the street so they could still find where the car was when the couple exited the theatre. ‘Well that was a load of crap, what a waste of my time’ said Joe angrily. ‘I thought it was lovely it has really opened my eyes about love’ said Jenny with joy. ‘What? As if! It was utter crap, totally fake! No-one could fall in…

Words 821 - Pages 4

Romeo And Juliet

Keayr Griffin My compare and contrast on Romeo and Juliet the new version and the older version. 1-31-13 4 th hour Mrs.K I personally like the newer version of Romeo and Juliet myself because of the more modern themes. The character are not so dull and the setting of the move isn't so medieval time. The action in the movie do not look fake like the first movie. The character who plays Romeo to me is more like us teens nowadays. LIke the way they dress in the old movie you could…

Words 488 - Pages 2

Essay on Romeo: Romeo and Juliet and Romeo

Romeo and Juliet Romantic Love Essay Submitted to: Ms. Saplys Submitted by: Joey McGuire Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 The play of “Romeo and Juliet” is truly a tragedy that is based by the romantic love these two characters share and how this acts as the compass for all the other events that. Firstly, once Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time their moods completely change surrounding their hatred of each other’s families. Next, when Romeo and Juliet become split up because…

Words 1281 - Pages 6

Essay Romeo and Juliet and Juliet

How important is act 1 scene 5 of Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet the play as whole? Romeo and Juliet were written by William Shakespeare around 1595. This play has been written among many other tragedies by Shakespeare such as, "Macbeth" and "Hamlet". However Romeo and Juliet is one of the most tragic Shakespeareans plays of all time. This play is about hate, tragedy and most importantly Love. It’s about two young lovers, Romeo from the Montague and Juliet from the Capulet’s who both fall in love when…

Words 823 - Pages 4

Romeo: Romeo and Juliet and Romeo Essay

Romeo The play “Romeo and Juliet,” is written by famous British playwright William Shakespeare. It begins with a large fight between the Capulets and Montegues in Verona, Italy. Two individuals, Romeo Montegue and Juliet Capulet go through struggles in order to be together. Romeo is one of the main characters in the play and comes from a rich family by the name of Montegue. Throughout the story Romeo shows a variety of personalities. Romeo is a handsome man who matures to adulthood at a young age…

Words 481 - Pages 2

Romeo and Juliet and Romeo Essay

Wahid Sharifzad Mr. Childs English 1 Honors 29 January 2015 Romeo & Juliet Metaphors William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet includes countless metaphors and similes that are used to describe the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. Act 2, Scene 2 also known as the balcony scene portrays the complex relationship between the “two star crossed lovers”(6). There is no absolute definition of love and everyone finds out his or her interpretation differently. William Shakespeare uses metaphors…

Words 553 - Pages 3

Romeo: Romeo and Juliet Essay

Who is responsible for Romeo and Juliet's death I think many people believe in Fate,but in this condition I don't think Romeo and Juliet's death can be simply explained by fate. We need to take into account everything around them, like their parents,Romeo himself.....and if their love was not a secret would it have ended in tragedy? I am going to declare why Romeo and Juliet's death can not simply explain by fate, and these are my point -Romeo is responsible for his own death. -Friar…

Words 806 - Pages 4

Drama: Romeo and Juliet and Juliet References Romeo Essay

My example of an antagonist is Tybalt compared to Romeo. Tybalt is constantly trying to start fights with Romeo and, eventually, he succeeds. Because of Tybalt, Romeo is banished from the city Verona, where his beloved wife Juliet lives. Another example of an Antagonist is, Paris compared to Juliet. Paris is the main reason that Juliet deems it necessary to take a potion to fake her death. This ultimately leads to the death of both Romeo and Juliet in the end. A foil in a story is a character…

Words 1279 - Pages 6

Romeo And Juliet Flaws

Romeo and Juliet is a well-known play written by William Shakespeare that reveals “genuine love”. True love is being committed to the opposite person by having a compassionate and a sacrificial heart that may require taking risks for that special someone. Romeo’s longing for Juliet is not genuine as Romeo only admired Juliet’s appearance, has a weak heart to women, and replaced Rosaline with Juliet to escape the “real world”. If Romeo and Juliet is an example of fate, then lust and infatuation should…

Words 708 - Pages 3