Themes In Romeo And Juliet
But written over four hundred years ago, do the concepts, messages, layout and more in Romeo and Juliet still remain relevant to audiences around the world today? Themes in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and with its ardent and realistic treatment of universal themes such as love and fate, the story has become timeless. Teenagers right up to the elderly can empathise with or find these themes interesting. This story can be interpreted in multiple ways, and still understood and relate to people everywhere, regardless of their culture, background or differing lives. Romeo and Juliet is a tale of two "star–crossed" lovers, whom fortune has not smiled upon. Love is a predominant theme conveyed within Romeo and Juliet. Physical attraction is implied when Friar Lawrence states, "Young men's love lies not in their hearts, but in their eyes" indicating that Romeo seems to love base on physical appearance. He switches from loving Rosaline to loving Juliet, almost overnight. Friar Lawrence believes that it is not true love, but lust. Romeo resembles an ordinary young teen as he bases his love on appearance, which individuals, even adults still do in today's world. As a result, Romeo and Juliet effectively impact modern audiences as they can relate and empathize with Romeo. Also, their stages or steps of love (i.e. marriage) was very quick paced. Even Juliet admitted, at the balcony scene, that their love is "too rash, too unadvised; too sudden, too like lightning.." The
LIGHTNESS/DARKNESS AND THE SUN/THE MOON
"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth."–Buddha. The tragic story of the two star–crossed lovers, tells a tale with multiple different themes, but the most vital one that plays throughout the whole play, is the sun andmoon and how Romeo and Juliet are associated and get affected by it. As the sun rises, the bright lights cast its shines onto good and peaceful times, which is why Juliet is depicted by the sun (As she is perceived as peaceful, obedient, and righteous). Although, the brightness of the day does not last long until nightfall happens and creates terror and issues for the days to comes. Where Romeo and Juliet, have their end set at the start. Subsequently, when the moon is present in the sky and the time states it is the night, it is the only time where Romeo and Juliet can be together without the distraction of the outside world. Consequently, the decisions they make at night, are not bright and causes eternal darkness for the two lovers. Furthermore, the moon alike Romeo, as he surrounds himself in darkness and Romeo initiates contacts with Juliet every night causing bad things to happen later on. To expand, he also gets dreams which are very close to the truth and foreshadows the ending of the story. To add on, as Juliet is the sun, he can never be with her as he is the opposite; the moon, which is proven by the calamitous ending. To conclude, the lightness of the day shows the brightness Get
The author, William Shakespeare, efficiently employs various events and characters in the play, Romeo and Juliet, to convey that love conquers all. Through manipulation of Act 2, Scene 2, also renowned as the 'Balcony Scene', Shakespeare effectively demonstrates how Romeo and Juliet's love surmounts numerous things, in the play. Additionally, Shakespeare portrays that/how the strength of Romeo's love for his murdered friend Mercutio, creates a desire for revenge despite potentially receiving death penalty; displaying that Romeo's love for his friend conquers the fear of death. Furthermore, the final scene also depicts how love triumphs over the terror of death and how the Montague and Capulet parents' mutual love for their children, Romeo...show more content...
As a friend of Romeo's, Mercutio supports the Montague's in the ancient feud. An example of Mercutio defending the Montague's is when Tybalt, a member of the loathed Capulet family, abuses Romeo and Mercutio intervenes on Romeo's behalf. Attempting to restore peace, Romeo gets between the two combatants and Mercutio "hath got his mortal hurt" (Page 149; Act 3, Scene 1) on Romeo's account. In spite of his "life shall pay the forfeit of peace" (page 17; Act 1, Scene 1), Romeo seeks revenge on Tybalt as he loves his murdered friend. As Romeo kills Tybalt out of love for Mercutio, Shakespeare suggests that love conquered the thought of being penalized with death. Shakespeare manifests the final scene of Romeo and Juliet to illustrate how love triumphs over the terror of death and depicts how the Capulet and Montague parents' mutual love for their children dismisses the ancient feud. The protagonists, Romeo and Juliet's preference of being killed rather than "death be prorogued, wanting thy love" (Page 91; Act 2, Scene 2), indicates they would rather die than death be delayed without the fulfilment of each other's love. Romeo commits suicide as he is unaware that Juliet's death is fiction, which results in Juliet finding his corpse when she awakens and stabs herself as they both do not wish to live with the absence of each other's love. Again, Shakespeare portrays that love conquers the most feared prospect of life: