Four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, a popular play that continues to capture the imagination and emotions of people around the world. The drama portrays the passionate, violent and often desperate lives of the youth of Verona. Even today, the tragedy resembles a blueprint of the problems that the adolescents of the twentieth century must face each day. In this play, Shakespeare explores the pitfalls of young love, and the consequences they receive from their actions.
They explained their love to be true love and they knew that they had to be together, even though their families were enemies and it was truly forbidden for the two of them to marry. The whole idea of love in Romeo’s and Juliet’s thoughts was totally misunderstood, and they demonstrated in many sections of the play that they truly did not know what true love was. In this play, Shakespeare shows that love can cause and finish anything, even love that is not honestly discovered. The influence of parents played a major part in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. To start with, the general situation is rather like a family conflict.
The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues had been passed down through the generations, until the youngest child had been planted with the seeds of hate. From the beginning of the play, it is learned that the Capulet’s held the decisive judgement of what Juliet’s future would have in store. “But saying o’er what I have said before. My child is yet a stranger in the world. She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. Let two more summers wither in their pride Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride. ” (I,ii,7-11) This demonstrates Capulet’s intent of choosing Juliet’s husband.
Romeo and Juliet kept their relationship secret from the start, in fear that their love affair would be rejected by their feuding families. That is what led to the death of both lovers. Had they held a more open relationship, eventually, both families would have accepted it. However, considering the circumstances, the street brawl and the later death of Tybalt, Romeo and Juliet felt that their parents would not have been able to understand the love between the two youths. In today’s society, youth are constantly advocating the change from total dependence on family, to their own independence.
Young people often think they know better than their parents, often believing that instead of helping them, they are only punishing them. Romeo and juliet found that they new better then their parents, but after realizing the wrong they caused when both committing suicide. Romeo was too young to realize that he had to take responsibility for his actions and he had to accept the consequences. This is one of the pitfalls that Shakespere portrayed in his play for young love. Romeo did not understand the outcomes of his actions. He never realized this until the damage was done.
He was too involved in his love for Juliet that he didn’t devote himself to any other circumstances. Young love is often an ever-changing emotion that enthrals adolescents. When a boy sees a beautiful girl, he often thinks that he is in love. That is similar to the emotion Romeo “To call hers, exquisite, in question more. These happy masks that kiss fair laidies’ brow, Being black, puts us in mind they hide the fair. He that is strucken blind cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight lost. Show me a mistress that is passing fair; What doth her beauty serve but as a note Where I may read who passed the passing fair?
Farewell. Thou canst not teach me to forget. ” (I,i,238-246) Here, Romeo is saying how much he loves Rosaline, and that he cannot forget about her. However, a couple of scenes later, his love quickly changes: “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear – Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear. So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows As yonder lady o’er her follow shows. The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight,
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night. ” (I,v,51-60) How quickly young love changes. Juliet, a little more cautious than Romeo was, refused to allow him to swear his love by the moon. “O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise valuble. ” (II,ii,114-117) Young love can often distracting in the minds of young people. Romeo and Juliet found it unbearable to be without each other, and, to a young couple, the feelings can be mutual at times. Young love often ends up being ignorant, instead of passionate and true heart.
Most of the time, the two youths are too fickle to understand or even feel what true love is, due to immaturity. Life in Verona seems to have seldom difference from today’s situation. Romeo portrayed himself to be too fickle to understand what actual love was. He thought that he was in love with Rosalin, and then fell in love with Juliet having no idea what true love really was other than the image in his thoughts. Obviously, Romeo was not ready to commit himself and the reasons why the certain obscenities took place was because Romeo had to take the consequences for the actions he committed.
Young people seem to face the same problems, make the same difficult choices and confront the same obstacles. Parental influence, young love and the revenge code still have an effect on youths, even after four hundred years, these problems are still present in the everyday lives of today’s youth and for this reason, young love can cause or finish anything. In conclusion, from the very beginning, the love of Romeo and Juliet was destined to be destroyed. It is tragic that both these people had to give their lives just so they could love each other. There were circumstances throughout the course of heir lives that led up to their deaths.
If their parent’s had not been feuding and if the Nurse had not betrayed Juliet, the outcome of this story would have been different, although fate could not be changed. This was the most important factor in the lives of Romeo and Juliet. In my opinion the quote that accurately summarizes this play is, “For never was there a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo. ” (Romeo & Juliet, V, iii, p. 138, ll. 309-310) Love is the biggest thing that can happen in human life. It can make your life incredible or forgettable. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, it was both. They had something between them that would never be destroyed.
Their determination to stay together through the tough times was incredible. Even when they knew that their relationship would never be normal, they never gave up. It was a case of love at first sight when their eyes locked on each other. The story of Romeo and Juliet is more to do with love than hate. Nearly every scene of the text has love conveyed in some way in them. From the pain Romeo suffered from the rejection of Rosalyn, to the first scene where the two meet. The only scene in the whole story where love isn’t conveyed is the very first scene where we see the first conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues.
That just shows how much of an impact love has in Shakespeare’s story about two star-crossed lovers. Romeo and Juliet had such a strong love that they would die for each other. This is what Shakespeare is trying to show us what love is all about and this is why he chose to write this story, not to show hate, but to show love. The love in the story is not only shown between Romeo and Juliet. It is also shown in the form of filial love between Romeo and Mercutio. Romeo ‘loved’ Mercutio as a friend so much that he would vow revenge on the person that brought upon his death.
The friendship was everlasting and would always be treasured by Romeo, even after Mercutio’s death. Other love was shown between Juliet and the Nurse. Juliet grew up with the nurse by her side all the time. The nurse was more of a mother to Juliet than Lady Capulet ever was. Romeo’s parents cared for him much deeper than Juliet’s did for her. His mother was always worried or concerned about where he was and what he was doing, hoping he wouldn’t get caught up in any trouble. Shakespeare also shows paternal love to go along with the others in the text.
I guess that you could say that their was a bit of love from Juliet’s parents towards her in that they only wanted what they thought was best for her as well as getting what they want at the same time. They imagine that Juliet would be happy living her life with Paris, although Lady Capulet was much more loving than her husband was. Romeo and Juliet is a story purely based on love. The majority of the text makes references to love and how it effects those involved. Hate is only shown between the two families only when they are together, not when they are living their normal lives.
Most of the hate comes from Tybalt’s mouth anyway, we hardly hear any words of hate from anyone else’s mouth. I have come to the conclusion that Romeo and Juliet is more to do with love than hate because of the style of language used and the way the characters express how they feel about one another. The story contains mostly references to love and therefore would conclude that the story was written about love. After all, love is something that everyone can relate with. In the novel Romeo and Juliet, Romeo shows two different kinds of love depending on before and after he meets Juliet.
Before Romeo falls in love with Juliet he lives a life of sadness. Even though he has many friends he still finds a way of putting his friends behind him and living a miserable life. He is very miserable because he has fallen in love with a woman by the name of Rosaline, but she can not love him back because she did’nt even know about it. Romeo did not have the courage to tell her. His love is not true love, he is just in love with the the fact of being in love. He likes the feeling of being in love and will try to be together with anyone as long as he has the love feeling and enjoys the time being,not necesserily the girl he is being with.
He is feeling so full of sorrow that he can’t take it so he locks himself in his room in darkness yet he doesn’t even know if she loves him His love for Rosaline is great but yet she can not say the same and for that he will continue to be miserable. He has lots of support from his friends and lots of advice given to him but he doesn’t take the time to think of the many opportunities he has to chose rom, such as forget about Rosaline and find someone else, or tell Rosaline how he feels and see what happens.
After he meets Juliet his love for Rosaline disappears and a new As he see her for the first time he falls madly in love. He speaks to her and they both say they feel the same about each other. Even though they are forbidded to get married or even get together with each other,they do. He shows a tremendous excitement knowing that he is loving and getting love back. He gets in trouble because of the killing of Tybalt and he is banned from Verona and he has to leave. When Romeo must leave Juliet and move away neither Romeo nor Juliet can put up with the pain.
They fight with all the power they have to try to stay together forever,till it comes to the point that the only solution to be together is by death. They tried everything else but they didn’t succeed. He just can’t bear to live a life without her. He thinks of his only choices and knows that either he forgets about her and leave town or he stay with her and is sent to death penalty. Even though he knows he has family and friends he chooses to die with her, to be together. So we see a big change In love here.
At first he is in love with the idea of being in love and is too shy or ashamed to tell the woman how he feels, but then when he met Juliet and fell in love with her the love was mutual, now he does anything to be together with her. At first he is sad and every minute of his life is sad until he Romeo’s love life to him was a lot more clear and happier even though, it meant having to die together. Romeo and Juliet is also a play which is full of anger, passion, and death. The secrecy of the marriage of Romeo and Juliet pointed out a form of dramatic irony.
This is shown by Juliet’s ” double-edged “phrases when Lady Capulet is denouncing Romeo. For example, my cousin’s death. ” (Act III, Scene V, line 86) or when Juliet states in an awkward way, “indeed I never shall be satisfied with Romeo till I behold him -dead- ” O there dramatic ironies included when Romeo falls in love with Juliet, Mercutio imagines he is still in love with Rosaline. “Ah that same pale hard-hearted wench, that torments him so that he will sure run mad. ” (Act II, Scene IV, Line 4). All the dramatic ironies caused a very lively presence throughout the play and has caught the eye of many readers.
Last but not least, Shakespeare’ s writing style has also hypnotised people. Shakespeare had artistic power in his characterisation. He was often careless in the plot, suck like Romeo and Juliet where he adds his imagination into the story . This really attracted people as they read the play. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare reveals an underlying message that points to the contrasts between youth and age that are even apparent now today. The youth of society tend to question and then possibly disregard the rules that are important to their parents if they do not have good reason to believe in these rules.
The rebellious actions of youth can eventually cause their own untimely destruction. We see today in the headlines many instances where teens have followed their own unguided course bringing about tragic results. Shakespeare shows us in his play how these factors contributed to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The youth of the society is quite different from the aged of society. Romeo and Juliet were brought up to despise other families because for centuries the Montagues and Capulets had been feuding.
These two young people who found love at first sight could not find a problem with each other even though their parents felt that they were their enemies. They were able to cross the barrier of hate that was put before them all their life. This was a remarkable leap because it defied the traditional code of ethics handed down from generation to generation. Romeo and Juliet’s parents would never even think of relating to an enemy of the family never the less falling in love with one. Juliet is caught by love that blinds her reason.
She even goes as far as stating she will “deny her name for only the name is an enemy not Romeo”. The older generation accepted traditional beliefs without question. This was their way of showing respect to their parents. On the other hand, Romeo and Juliet had the conviction and trust in themselves to formulate their ideas based on their own experience of love. Throughout the play, Shakespeare purposely reveals an underlying theme that contrasts youth from age. The youth are the new radical generation who have revolutionized their traditional way of life. The youth overcome barriers and break traditional ideals.
The youth of society can react at a much faster pace than people of older generations. Juliet, a young person, felt that the aged moved too slowly. Juliet exclaimed “The clock struck nine when I did send the nurse. / In half hour she promised to return / But old folks, many feign as they were dead, / Unwiedly, slow, heavy, and pale as lead (pg. 105). ” Juliet is an impulsive young women who felt that she might have reacted too rashly.. Juliet weas frightened and uttered “It is too rash, too unadvis’d, too sudden; / Too like the lightening which doth cease to be / Ere one can say ‘It lightens.
These examples contrast the speed of the youth and the sluggishness of the aged – the impulsive versus the more reasoned reaction. In modern day society, kids act at such an incredible pace that grownups can not relate to. Kids can operate on the fastest video games out on the market with no problem. If an adult plays, it will be a whole different story. The main reason kids can play the video games with no problem is due to the fact that they are used to the speed. They have been playing them their whole life! Adults did not grow up playing video games and therefore are not accustomed to it.
These games are hard for them to follow and often make them dizzy. Adults are worried that kids do not analyze the repercussions of their actions and the results that could affect their life. In today’s high-tech world, kids question the authority of their parents because they believe they have a better way of doing it. The traditional code of ethics would have dictated that Romeo do what Lord Montague asked and not question why. Romeo abandoned everything and followed his heart. This is applicable in today’s modern day society.