Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay Example For Students

Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay In this essay I will be focusing on act four scenes one, two, three and four of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. This section of the play is highly significant, several major issues are raised which have an enormous impact on the whole play. Throughout these scenes we also learn alot about the characters and how they deal with and overcome their difficulties. I will study each scene individually pinpointing various themes and concentrating on moments of dramatic tension. Leading up to act four the story so far is; Romeo Montague has met and fallen in love with Juliet Capulet. This relationship is forbidden to both the sets of parents, Romeo and Juliet are starcrossed lovers. However Lord and Lady Capulet have some delightful news, a relation to the Prince of Verona, Paris, wants to marry Juliet. Juliets parents together try their best to persuade Juliet to marry him and want the wedding as soon as possible, unbeknown to them Juliet is secretly married to their enemys son, Romeo, by Friar Lawrence. As the result from a gory street brawl Romeo gets banished, Juliets cousin Tybalt brutally kills Mercutio, Romeos friend. Romeo and Juliet contently spend their wedding night together, but Romeo has to reluctantly leave for Mantua in the morning. Juliet trys to persuade him to stay Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day. Romeo has to go. Juliets mother confronts Juliet and orders her to marry Paris, Juliet is appalled and refuses to do so. Lord Capulet i s infuriated on hearing the news of Juliets rejection to marry Paris and threatens to disown her if she continues to disobey him. The scene turns nasty and gains a high climax as the Nurse interrupts and defends Juliet. At the end of act three Juliet is frustrated, already a married woman she decides to seek Friar Lawrences aid. Act four begins with Paris visiting Friar Lawrence about his wedding arrangements. Paris comes across as a pleasant, courteous young man, who is certainly fond of Juliet. He thinks hes being thoughtful and helpful in trying to forward his marriage to Juliet, as he believes she is grieving for Tybalt and wishes to marry her soon, Lord Capulet has faith this will ease her sorrow. Juliet arrives at Friar Lawrences cell feeling terrified but showing great composure. She has a tremendous amount of bother on her mind, she visits him to try to resolve her problems, instead Paris is there unexpectedly, him being the reason she has gone to see Friar Lawrence. There is dramatic conflict, its the first time Juliet and Paris have been together. Paris is genuinely overjoyed and pleased to see her. He cheerfully greets her with hope she will soon be his wife. Friar Lawrence announces he needs time alone with anxious Juliet, there confidential conversation is now delayed. There is little polite conversation (through gritted teeth from Juliet) and Paris leaves saying God shield I should disturb devotion! and blows her a kiss. In this scene it is plain to see that Juliet is very apprehensive and dreadfully worried about the position she is in, Shakespeare makes this known to us by allowing Paris to appear in the opening of this scene causing dramatic tension. Juliets true character is revealed in this scene she is learning to deceive by using words to disguise rather than to inform. She craftily holds Paris at a distance with some of her remarks, That may be sir, when I may be a wife. Juliet is then left alone with Friar Lawrence to discuss her options, she threatens to kill herself if she has to marry Paris. Although Friar Lawrence obviously couldnt let this happen. He is in the wrong, he has married Juliet, a child of fourteen without parents consent. At the time he believed he was doing the right thing, but now he realises what he did was wrong and he has to think of a way out of his mess. So using his knowledge of herbs and drugs he devises a plan to reunite Juliet with her husband Romeo and ruin any future between her and Paris, although he did not think this through thoroughly. If the plan is successful it will eventually reveal his own complicity, if Romeo arrives in time to collect Juliet and take her back to Mantua, the subsequent explantions would have no doubt in involving Friar Lawrence. He overlooks this point and gives her a powerful drug which she must take the night before her wedding with Paris. The drug will make Juliet seem dead, its effects wil l last up to forty-two hours. In detail he explains to her that he will write to Romeo to tell him whats happening, and will arrange for him to be in the tomb where Juliet will lye for when she awakes and he will then take her back with him to Mantua. In desperation Juliet accepts Friar Lawrences plan. Hades EssayThere are a lot of elements and characteristics in the play that make it popular and successful. One of the points that gets critics attention is that despite the plays Italian setting, the language, customs and attitudes are generally English (Brian C). Another characteristic thing for the Elizabethan age is that there are no sudden and original plot turns. Elizabethans werent so interested in that, how the story was told was more important for them (Brian C). The good rhyming lines are much frequent in the play, which is another positive element (Rowse 68). Music and references to music are also used a lot in the play. In fact, musical elements in this play are greater than in any other one (Rowse 73). Romeo and Juliet is rich of different and contrasting personages, who eventually become persons and this personality continues throughout the play (Ward 267). One of these characters is Romeo, who is an excellent example of a person with the lovesickness and stereotypical attitude towards love (Brian C). Some of the finest poetry in the play is given by Romeo, when he sees Juliet for the first time (Brian C). The play also contains a mix of high tragedy and comedy, displayed in another character the Juliets nurse (Brian C). Romeo and Juliet has been a very good target for critics of the past three centuries. Some critics have praised this play for its beautiful and easy-reading language, interesting plot and touching theme and characters. Others have found some faults with certain aspects of the play (Scott 410). But despite these faults, most of the critics have been saying that Romeo and Juliet is one of the best works of Shakespeare and it has had a big influence on the development of the English drama (Scott 410). In general, Romeo and Juliet has been a really good topic to discuss and criticize. But however it has always been and will remain a work proving Shakespeares perfect talent and a great love story to read, watch and admire. BibliographyBrian, Paul. Study Guide for . 1997. URL: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/love-in-the-arts/romeo.htmlRowse, A.L. The Annotated Shakespeare, Volume 3: The Tragedies and Romances. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc./Publishers. 1978. Scott, Mark W. Shakespearean Criticism, Volume 5. Romeo and Juliet. Detroit: Gale Research Company. 1987. The World Book Encyclopedia 17: S-Sn. William Shakespeare. Chicago: World Book, Inc. 1997. Ward, A.W. and A.R.Waller. The Cambridge History of English Drama, Volume 5: The Drama to 1642, Part 1. Shakespeares Plays. London: Cambridge University Press. 1970. Shakespeare