presentation - themes in romeo and juliet

8/13/2019 Presentation - Themes in Romeo and Juliet

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THEMES IN ROMEO AND JULIET by W. SHAKESPEARE

LOVE

Love as you probably remarks is the main theme of the play, everything revolves around Love but we can

divide this theme it in several categories to explain it easily: Romantic Love

Romantic Love

We could define romantic love as being "in love with the idea of love". his suggests being in love with a

notion or concept rather than with a person. !t admiring a lady from afar rather than desiring physical

contact. more modern interpretation would see romantic love as unfulfilled sexual desire. his romantic

love is what we see when we first meet Romeo. #e is madly in love with Rosaline. #e admires her from

afar. #owever when he meets $uliet his vision of love change, it is more passionate, it is true love. #ere in

the play it marks a shift from Romeo%s love for Rosaline to Romeo%s love for $uliet. &ow he is aware of the

necessity of passion to build true love. #e is in love with $uliet, the person, rather than with the idea of being

in love with her. 'oreover, he even confronts the reality of true love during the course of the play, maturing

and gaining a new independence. (y the end of the play he is prepared to sacrifice his life rather than live in

a word without his true love $uliet. !n the same way $uliet makes an early commitment to Romeo. #ave younoticed that it is in fact $uliet who proposes marriage in the balcony scene) *nce she has pledged herself to

Romeo, she is determinate and asks +riar Lawrence to unite them because "#oly hurch incorporates two in

one" -ct , /cene 01. *f course the act of sex is a natural outcome of their love, a fulfillment of their

commitment to one another. !n a sense, they become mature adults at this event.

'eanwhile, Romeo and $uliet are not the only ones to love, there is another character that is struck by

romantic love and it is 2aris. #e deals with $uliet and the impending marriage with the utmost formality and

correctness, observing all the ceremony necessary for an engaged man. "Happily met, my lady and my wife"

-ct 3, /cene 41. Later in the play, he faced the premature death of $uliet, 2aris laments in a formal and far

too "romantic" manner: "Beguiled, divorced, wronged, spited, and slain! Most detestable Death, by thee

beguiled, By cruel, cruel thee quite overthrown!" -ct 3, /cene 51. !t is interesting to compare this withRomeo6s reaction in the scene in which he greets his "dead" wife: " O my love, my wife, Death, that hath

suced the honey of thy breath, Hath no power yet upon thy beauty"-ct 5, /cene 71. his is not formal not

platonic as 2aris but Romeo%s emotions, his true feelings driving him to commit suicide unable to face the

death of $uliet.


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FATE

s soon as the 2rologue begins we immediately know that the story will deal with +ate and so +atality

because when the horus enters and summari8es Romeo and $uliet story saying that the "star9crossed

lovers" will "take their life." !n other words they will die. 'oreover concerning +ate, we should keep in

mind that for an li8abethan audience the belief in the influence of astrology and the stars on the lives of

people was strong. Romeo and $uliet come together at an unfavorable time: the stars and destiny are against

them.

Ex: CHORUS (1.1.6)

pair of star9cross6d lovers take their life;

Whole misadventured piteous overthrows

ust imposed on the characters. he audience also feels it through /hakespeare6s use of

foreshadowing because both Romeo and $uliet unconsciously make references to their imminent deaths.

+or example, we can see this foreshadowing device in the following cue by Romeo situated >ust before the

apulet ball, where he is going to meet $uliet and fall in love with her.

Ex: ROMEO (1.4.16)

! fear, too early: for my mind misgives

/ome conse=uence yet hanging in the stars

/hall bitterly begin his fearful dateWith this night6s revels and expire the term

*f a despised life closed in my breast

(y some vile forfeit of untimely death.

!n this passage he tells the audience that he has a funny feeling ? he fears that something is "hanging in the

stars" -something destined to happen1 and will happen that night. Romeo6s premonition seems to be close

with what the horus tells us in the 2rologue.

o conclude on this part we can say that the fate concerns all the events surrounding the lovers that is to say

that it applies to the conflict between their families -this hatred is never explained1; it applies as well to the

horrible series of accidents that ruin +riar Lawrence%s plans to reunite them at the end of the play; and as

well to the tragic timing of Romeo%s suicide and $uliet%s awakening. hese events are not mere

coincidences, but rather manifestations of fate that generate the unavoidable end for the lovers.

FRIENDSHIP

== Friendship is an important element of the play : Romeo, Mercution and Benvolio represents the Montaigue family

(whereas the Capulet faction is only represented by ybalt! Benvolio and Mercution represents counter"parts of

Romeo#s personality : Benvolio is sympathetic and tries to counsel and help Romeo with Rosaline ( act $ scene $ :

%#be ruled by me, forget to thin& of her##!' e is also the one who suggests they go to the mas&ed party (act $ scene $!,

where the story really begins' Benvolio is the peacema&er( act ))) scen $ : ) pray thee, good mercutio, let#s retire* theday is hot the capels are abroad, and if we meet we shall not scape a brawl! of the group (see the onomasty of his

name %#ben## = good!' Mercutio is also concerned with Romeo#s happiness but he is more cynical about love,

concerning Rosaline or +uliet' is impetuosity triggers the fight with ybalt (act that will be the beginning of the end for

the couple' Romeo has a third friend, Baltaar, his servant who also tries to help him and remain loyal in spite of the


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ris&s he ta&es' he nurse and the Friar also play a vital role trying to help the couple and by e-tension, stopping the

conflict between the families, but with no success' Friendship, especially male friendship and fraternal love, is the

most important source support for the lovers, but it also raises the .uestions of loyalty'

Family / community /marriage :

R/+ is also a family story' he basis of the situation is the conflict of two families and everything revolve around that

original problem' 0et, the original cause of that conflict is never revealed'

1ctually the family conflict had e-panded to the entire city of 2erona : members of the two families are always fightingin the streets each time they run into each other, master as well as servants' he aim is to eventually get the upper"

hand upon the other family'

he conflict also reaches the characters of r/3 because Family also represents the authority that r/3 have to defy'

ere the supremacy is embodied by the family not by the laws' )n the play, families and parents often intrude in

personal business of children whereas the youth tries to decide by themself' 4- : marriage is important aspect of the

themes of love and family : for parents = matter of interests made"up wedding (3uliet promised to paris act ) sc $! =5=

for the couple marriage = matter of true love (see 1ct )) scene 6 romeo urges the priest to marry +uliet!

R/+#s suicide is the ultimate way to defy the unbearable authority' hat new union raises the .uestion of loyalty and

the choice r/3 have to ma&e is constantly adding tensions that build the tragic plot "7 e- : +uliet as&s romeo to %#deny

8his9 father and refuse thy name (of montaigue!##(act )) scene !

4verything is actually a .uestion of ta&ing side and the only in"between character is the nurse who loves +uliet and

wants her to be happy but &nows the huge ris&s she ta&es * and she eventually sides with the family (act ))) scene ;

after romeo#s e-ile!

he prince which the governor of the city is constantly arbitrating the family conflict and he has the last cue of the play

announcing he will rectify this situation (1ct 2 scene 6 some shall be pardoned, some shall be punished!'

1nyway the public world in the play is harsh and cruel, materialistic, violent, haunted by death and hatred where love

is often crushed' Romoe and +uliet creates they own universe to escape from the community of 2erona where they

live and which were suffocating them' Before she meets Romeo, +uliet is obedient and naive : she is determined to

please her parents through marriage but her true love for Romeo helps her to ma&e her own choice and brave her

parents< decision'

presentation - themes in romeo and juliet

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