Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Essay Example For Students

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Essay The play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, an English poet, is about forbidden love. The play focuses on two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, whose families are feuding enemies. This forces the young lovers to marry in secret and betray their families. In revenge to his friends death Romeo murders Tybalt who is Juliets cousin (Lord Capulets nephew) and the heir to the Capulet fortune. This puts pressure on Lord Capulet, Juliets father, to find a match for his daughter that wont just marry her for their fortune. Ultimately Romeo and Juliet both commit suicide in a tragic end. In Elizabethan times family roles were different compared with modern times. It was common for marriages to be arranged for power or money and it was unheard of for a marriage to happen without the parents consent. In a family the father held the power in the household a wife and daughter had to obey. Sons would be the heirs to the family fortunes, if any. In Capulets case Juliet was his one and only child so Tybalt would have been the one that would inherit the money when Capulet dies. The purpose of this essay is to show how Capulet change of mood is shown through the words he uses. Also how Juliet and Capulets relationship changes and how this is shown through Shakespeares use of language in act 3 scene 5. In the beginning of act 3 scene 5 the audience view Juliet and Romeo part from each other, this makes Juliet upset. When Juliet talks with her mother, lady Capulet, Juliet cannot hide her emotions, and she says aside (only the audience can hear what Juliet says) God Pardon him! I do, with all my heart she is referring to Romeo and how she forgives him for what he did to her Cousin Tybalt. The audience are given evidence that Juliet is a forgiving person. Before Capulet enters the scene the audience get an early impression of him as a father. Lady Capulet describes him as a caring father. The audience can tell this when she says thou hast a careful father. By Shakespeare using this phrase careful father the audience get an immediate impression of Capulet being caring towards Juliet and that they have a loving relationship. Just before Capulet enters the scene Lady Capulet informs Juliet that her father has arranged a marriage for Juliet with a young and noble gentleman, The County Paris this forthcoming Thursday. Juliet replies rebelliously I will not marry yet. Juliet follows on by saying It shall be Romeo. Rather than Paris. This is a double meaning. Lady Capulet thinks that she is so intent on not marrying Paris that she would rather marry the family enemy Romeo who murdered her cousin Tybalt. But the reason that Juliet doesnt want to marry is because she is already married with Romeo. The audience can now understand that she is that much in love with Romeo she would rebel against her parents. In Elizabethan times not doing something as large as not marrying whom your parents tell you to was outrageous. When Capulet finally enters the scene the audiences tension rise dramatically but he does not know of his wives conversation with his daughter yet. Juliet is still crying wildly so Capulet says thou counterfeitst a bark, a sea he is referring to Juliets body being a boat in a sea of her own tears. He also says little body referring to Juliet and how in their relationship he still sees her as a little child, his little child. Capulet then goes on to say that if she carries on crying like this she will overset, he means that if she doesnt stop crying like this she will fall apart. Shakespeare choice language doesnt just tell the audience what Capulet means but he does it in an interesting way, he puts it in metaphors so the audience can interpret what he means on their own accord. Juliet being this upset and not telling her parents whats wrong shows the audience that she does not trust her parents and that they dont have an open relationship. The audience do not feel tense now because Capulet is calm. This shows that Capulet controls what is happening on stage. Lady Capulet says something that would outrage audiences from Elizabethan times and modern times. I would the fool were married to her grave what lady Capulet means is simply that she is so annoyed with her disobeying daughter that she would rather Juliet were dead. When Lady Capulet tells Capulet that Juliet wont do as he says and wont marry Paris his mod of sympathy changes into a mood of fury. The audience can clearly feel the tension rising on stage when Capulet questions Juliet and asks Lady Capulet, How! Will she none? Doth she not give us thanks? Is she not proud? Doth she not count her blest. Capulet is basically asking how can she not marry him, dont she thank us for finding her a worthy man. Role of Society and Honour codes in causing conflicts in blood wedding EssayThen when he finally found a suitable person, Juliet wont marry him, I cannot love, I am too young, says Capulet sarcastically. Capulet follows us on by saying And you be mine, ill give you to my friend. Again the audience see a controlling side of Capulet. Now their relationship has come to a dramatic end, the audience know this when Capulet says hang, beg, starve, die in the streets. When Capulet finally exits the audience are given the impression that he is not just exiting from the room but exiting from Juliets life. The audience are given this impression by the language Shakespeare uses just before Capulet exits. Capulet says by my soul, Ill neer acknowledge thee. As the biggest source of power has left Juliet she now turns to the second biggest source of power, Lady Capulet. She asks her mother to Delay this marriage for a month, a week. Juliet obviously feels like she needs time to think. Now Juliet threatens to commit suicide if her mother does not help her. The audience know this when Juliet says if you do not, make the bridal bed in that dim monument where Tybalt lies. Lady Capulet has the same response as her husband. Talk not to me, for Ill not speak a word, this shows that Lady Capulets loyalties lie with her husband over her daughter. When lady Capulet exits the audience get the same impression as when Capulet exited, the impression that she has exited from Juliets life. This is show through Shakespeare choice of language, when Lady Capulet says I have done with thee. This vocabulary shows that Lady Capulet is finished with Juliet. With both of her parents abandoning her Juliet now turns to her trusty Nurse for advice, as she is the only one that knows about Romeo and has helped her marry him. This in contrast to what Juliet gets. Nurse agrees with Juliets parents. She was the one that helped Juliet marry Romeo but now she is saying that she should do what her parents command and marry Paris. The audience know this through the language Shakespeare uses. Nurse compares Paris and Romeo, Romeos a dishclout to him. Shakespeares compares Romeo to being a dishrag compared to Paris. It is clear that this is not what Juliet expected and wanted to hear. This is shown through the language Shakespeare use. The audience know this when Juliet says sarcastically thou hast comforted me marvellous much. Juliet now knowing that she wont get no help from Nurse, she orders her to tell her mother that she is going to Friar Lawrence to make a confession. Juliet says the reason she is going to Friar Lawrence is because displeased my father. The audience know that it was friar Lawrence that wedded Romeo and Juliet so the audience might get the impression that she is going there for another reason and not for a confession. When Nurse leaves, the audience get the impression that Nurse like Capulet and Lady Capulet is leaving Juliets life forever. The audience get this impression by the language Juliet uses before Nurse leaves. Obviously there is a huge gap between Elizabethan times and the modern era that we are in. Juliet is nearly fourteen and it is common for her to get married at this age in Elizabethan times, in modern times this would be uncommon and/or against the law in some countries. Elizabethan times the audience would have probably agreed that Juliet should marry Paris because he is rich and powerful but in modern times marriage usually occurs because of love so they would probably think that Capulet is wrong to force Juliet to marry Paris. Some parts of the play the different eras of audiences would react differently some parts they might react the same. My personal response to the scene is sympathy. I feel sympathetic towards Juliet because she is going through a very bad ordeal and know seems to help her or understand her. I also feel sympathetic towards Capulet because his nephew has just died and hes been working hard top find his daughter a worthy person and when he finally finds one he has had it thrown back in his face. I think the message that Shakespeare and the play he has written is giving is that fighting always leads to pain. If there were no fighting between the Capulets and the Montagues Tybalt would have not been killed. If there were no fighting between the Capulets and the Montagues Romeo and Juliet would have probably been able to marry with their parents blessing as both families are of equal wealth and power. I think this message is still relevant and will always be relevant no matter what time in history.