Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essays

Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essays Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essay Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essay Romeo and Juliet is an epic love story that climaxes in tragedy. The story follows two lovers from opposing families over the course of two days, and it features many twists and turns that always keeps the audience on its toes. In my opinion, Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeares greatest plays. It features love, tragedy, comedy, action and a classic story that will never be forgotten.During this essay I will discuss the passions that are in this play, and how they feature. Are passions dangerous, and do they need to be controlled? Or are passions what make life worth living, and without them the world would be dull and meaningless? I will discuss both these questions, and try to come to a conclusion.Every character experiences some kind of passion during the play. Romeo and Juliet obviously both feel love, but they feel other passions such as anger, sadness and vengefulness. For instance, Romeo feels anger when Tybalt has killed Mercutio. Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio sl ain! Away to heaven, respective lenity, and fire-eyed fury be my conduct now! is what Romeo says when he eyes Tybalt after the killing. This shows how angry Romeo is at Tybalt. Previously, Romeo was speaking in kindness to Tybalt, telling him he loved the Capulet. Tybalt did not yet know that Romeo and Juliet were now husband and wife, and wished to fight the groom. Romeo declined, and Mercutio stepped forward. Mercutio was killed in combat, and Romeo became angry. In his fury, he killed Tybalt. This is a defining moment in the play because the fight resulted in Romeo being banished from Verona.Yet, as Romeo feels such anger at one point, he feels much loveduring another. Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night, as a rich jewel in an Ethiops ear is what Romeo says upon seeing Juliet at the Capulet party. This not only demonstrates that Romeo thinks Juliet is absolutely beautiful; it also brings some poetry to the play. Throughout the s cenes, Shakespeare manages to add many pieces of poetry into the play, which gives the scene that little extra magic. This quote also highlights how passion is necessary at the right moments. If there were no passion during this scene, the scene would be pointless.I think it may be worth noting at this point that since the couple met, they have never held a real conversation. I think it is ironic how the two can tell each other they love one another when they have never talked about their personalities or lives. Whenever Romeo and Juliet meet, all they ever talk about is how they love each other and want to stay togetherJuliet has a wide range of emotions and passions throughout the play. She also feels happiness, but also feels sadness and deep sorrow. Is there no pity sitting in the clouds that sees into the bottom of my grief? is what Juliet speaks when she finds that she must marry Paris, even though she is married to Romeo. Yet she cannot tell her parents she is married, as the y can never know she is sharing her life with a Montague. I think she also feels anger towards her family at this point too. She cannot be with her love because of the families frivolous feud and she wants it to end. It is worth noting that Shakespeare never reveals why the families quarrel. I believe he does this because he wants to make the audience feel that the grudge they bear against each other is so old, neither families remember why they fight. I think this shows that angry passions do need to be controlled, as they can have dangerous consequences.Sadness features quite often in this play. Most characters feel sadness at some stage in the play. Once again, it is ironic that possibly the greatest love story ever written features so many negative feelings. Maybe Shakespeare wanted to teach us something about love; love can only lead to pain. While many good things come from love in this play, it all eventually leads to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet dying. One could blame the ir deaths on the families fighting, but they would never have died if they had not been in love.The audience always knew that the play would be ending in sadness and tragedy. In the prologue the audience is told A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life, revealing that both Romeo and Juliet kill themselves. Therefore, throughout the play the audience always has on their minds that the couple will kill themselves before the end of the play. Even when the audience should be happy that Romeo and Juliet are in love, they always know that it will end in death. I think Shakespeare does this to keep the theme of tragedy running in the play, even at the happiest of moments.In contrast to many other characters, Mercutios personality rarely changes. At every appearance during the play, even leading to his death, Mercutio is witty and charming, his language filled with sexual comments. However, during Mercutios death scene his words become deadly serious. When Mercutio first appears, he is headed with Romeo, Benvolio, and friends to the Capulet party. Mercutio debates everything the sad, gloomy Romeo says and lightens up the mood with his wit. His upbeat personality contrasts sharply with Romeos melancholy. He counters Romeos every complaint with comment that is bound to make the audience smile. It is also ironic how Romeo is the main character and hero of the story yet the focus is always on Mercutio whenever the cheerful character is around.Mercutio dies in a very memorable way. He and Tybalt are duelling, and Mercutio is doing very well. Yet Romeo foolishly intervenes and Mercutio is slain. It is debatable that if Romeo had never got in the way of the duellists, Mercutio would have probably won the duel. However, Romeos new found love for the Capulet family blinded him and all that was on his mind was stopping the fight, no matter what the cost. This obviously shows that passions do need to be controlled in certain situation, as they can lead to this. However, if t he characters passions were controlled this scene would not exist. If they were controlled there would be no anger felt toward each other therefore this encounter would have been avoided.When Romeo tells Mercutio that the wound is not deep, Mercutio replies: No, tis not as deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but tis enough, twill serve. This time, Mercutios wit is accompanied by a curse on both families. The wound is only small, but is enough to kill him. He says A plague o both your houses! many times before he dies. This shows that even when Mercutio has been witty and charming, he is angry with the families because of their frivolous row. As Mercutio is one of the audiences most loveable characters, this makes the audience angry with the families for such a ridiculous feud that can lead to such consequences.From Mercutios death, the plays tragedy doesnt stop. A vital character from the play is killed, and this triggers the tragedy. From this moment on, nothing happens t hat is celebrated. Many people are angry with Shakespeare for killing off such a cheerful and important character half way through the play. I agree with them.The friar is a close friend to both Romeo and Juliet. It is the Friar who agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in secrecy, though he knows their parents would not consent. He also concocts the plan for Juliet to play dead and is supposed to get the word out to Romeo. He fails. I cannot help but notice that everything that the Friar touches goes wrong.I believe that the Friars passion is to bring the two feuding families together. This is why he marries the two star crossed lovers as he believes that it will bring the two families closer together.Romeo greets the Friar Good morrow, father, and Friar Lawrence responds by calling Romeo Young son. Though these exchanges are appropriate because of the religious context, this interchange has greater importance. It is not just the exchange between the priest and the penitent. The Friar a lso stands in for Romeos own father since there are no scenes between Romeo and his parents. The Friar is the only person to whom Romeo turns for advice, and he is the last person to whom Juliet turns after all others have forsaken her. In this sense, he is father to them both and responsible for upholding order.The Friar is always there to comfort and help the two lovers, especially Romeo. One part that stands out is in the Friars cell, when Romeo has just been banished. Romeo is having a tantrum, and is incredibly upset that he has been separated from Juliet and fair Verona. The Friar tells Romeo this: O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness! Thy fault our law calls death; but the kind Prince, Taking they part, hath rushd aside the law, and turnd that black word death to banishment. This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not. The Friar is telling Romeo that he should be thankful and lucky to still be alive. At this point, The Friar tells off Romeo, and demands that he stop crying and a cting like a girl. From this scene it is obvious to see why The Friar is seen as a father figure to Romeo, as he is saying everything a father would say to his boy in such a situation.However, even though he is seen as a father figure, many of his ideas go awry. He is the person to suggest that Juliet should fake her death, therefore leading to Romeos death. This was obviously a ridiculous idea from the start, one that would never work. I think the Friar has a constant passion, one that is to try and direct Romeo and Juliet. This shows that passions need to be suppressed and controlled because he often leads the couple the wrong way. Ultimately, it is the Friar that kills Romeo and Juliet. He is the person to suggest the ludicrous fake death plan, and this drives Romeo to suicide. Romeos death then destroys Juliet.At the end of the play, the Friars loyalty is tested. He is in the tomb when Juliet awakes, and she spies Romeos corpse. Instead of staying to help, he hears a noise and f lees. How can someone seen as a father figure do this? Even though the two lovers regularly turn to him, his advice is usually bad and he proves how disloyal he is at the end of the play.Even though such terrible things can come from passions, I still believe that the world needs them. I believe that they could never be controlled as they put the excitement into our lives. Without passions, there would be no point in living. Without passions, life would be incredibly dull. We need passion to keep us alive. I believe Shakespeare felt the same, even though such feelings can lead to such disastrous consequences. As the old saying goes, what is the point in living if you cant feel alive? Romeo and Juliet Coursework Essays Romeo and Juliet Coursework Paper Romeo and Juliet Coursework Paper Act 3, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet is one of the key scenes of Shakespeares play. Consider why this scene is so important and show how a production of it could be directed to create its full dramatic impact.Act 3, Scene 5 is one of the most significant scenes in the play. It is Romeo and Juliets last night together and Shakespeare has already shown us how risky it is for them to be together because of what has happened before the scene begins. The audience knows that Romeo should be out of Verona but is not, and that Lord Capulet wants Juliet to marry the County Paris on the Thursday of the same week. As we can deduce the whole play is kept in quite a short time-space. As the scene begins the tone is sorrowful because Romeo and Juliet both know they might never see each other again.In Acts 1 and 2, Shakespeare shows Juliet to be the centre of the events because he demonstrates how she is a young girl who has not experienced love until she meets Romeo, the son of her enemy. The playwr ight shows Juliet to be willing to accept the possibility of marriage to Paris, I look to like, if looking liking move, but when she meets Romeo she falls in love and Paris love does not occur to her. We know that Juliets mother would like her to marry Paris and Shakespeare reveals to us that Lady Capulet was married young. This means that she might be a little anxious as to whether Juliet should be married young as well, or she would just accept it as appropriate for her daughter.At the beginning of the scene, Shakespeare shows the audience Romeo and Juliet the morning when Romeo must leave Juliet. We later realise it is the last time that they see each other alive. Romeos words are dramatic and tense, this shows that something could happen, I must be gone and live, or stay and die. As soon as Juliet realises this as the truth she hastily tells him to leave, hie hence, be gone, away, this shows us how afraid she is of losing Romeo. When the Nurse enters she hurries things up becaus e she knows that Juliets mother is coming to see Juliet, this creates a sense of urgency and tension. Juliet, as she opens the window says, Then window let day in and let life out, this shows as daylight comes into her room, Romeo, her life must go.O thinkst thou we shall ever meet again? are some of the most significant words spoken by Juliet before Romeo leaves because Shakespeare shows the audience how much Juliet feels and fears for Romeo; she knows how dangerous it is to have him in her house and in her life yet she cannot bear to see him leave. Juliet also has a vision as Romeo leaves, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb, Juliet sees Romeo dead and this ominous thought gives the audience another reason to believe that something could happen.Once with her mother, Shakespeares use of language allows Juliet to be ambiguous for a lot of this scene, I will not marry yet and when I do, I swear it will be to Romeo, whom you know I hate. As an audience we realise this because Juliet i s married to Romeo and loves him, not hates him. When Lady Capulet enters, Juliet does not know the reason of why her mother has come to see her because Lady Capulet does not get straight to the point. What unaccustomed cause procures her hither? Shakespeare then shows Juliet to be crying, Lady Capulet believes it is still because of the death of Tybalt, Juliets cousin, evermore weeping for your cousins death? however, the audience knows that it is because of the loss of Romeo. Juliets relationship with Lady Capulet is distant, Shakespeare shows the audience this by Lady Capulet echoing Juliets words, let me weep for such a feeling of loss, so you shall feel the losswhich you weep for. During this dialogue with Lady Capulet and Juliet Shakespeares uses Juliets feeling to portray ambiguity in a large amount of what she says, I will not marry yet, and when I do, I swear it shall be Romeo whom you know I hate To create dramatic irony, Shakespeare presents a character that hates Romeo and one that loves him. With Romeo, till I behold him dead is my poor heart, Lady Capulet believes the Juliet wants Romeo dead, however the audience realises the Juliet is being ambiguous and would rather have a dead heart, so she does not have to cope with all the emotions she is during the play.When Lady Capulet tells Juliet the good news, Juliets reaction is not at all what she expects however Juliet does not know it was coming and so is panicked and shocked and so is too outspoken, now by Saint Peters Church and Peter too, He shall not make me there a joyful bride In the century that the play is set, this sort of comment was considered blasphemy, as it was deemed to be swearing by the church. I would have set this particular dialogue between Lady Capulet and Juliet to be distant and I would have the Nurse in the background wanting to interrupt but holding back because we know that the Nurse likes to talk when the subject applies to Juliet.During this scene, when Lord Capulet i s on stage, Shakespeare shows the audience how his anger builds because Juliet does not want to marry Paris. Capulet is surprised because during Act 1, Scene 3, Juliet is open-minded about the possibility of being married off, speak briefly; can you like of Paris love? I look to like, if looking liking move. Shakespeare shows us Capulets anger by making him echo Juliets words, I thank you not, and yet not proud.' Capulet also insults Juliet because he finds it hard to understand why Juliet will not marry Paris when he truly believes it is the right thing to do, out, you green-sickness carrion! However before Lord Capulet mentions the marriage to Paris, he seems caring because he says, evermore showring? In one little body which shows that he feels sorry for her. Shakespeare also uses imagery to show sympathy, Sailing in this salt flood; the winds, thy sighsShakespeare also uses Lady Capulets line to be dramatically ironic, Capulet asks Lady Capulet if she has told Juliet about the m arriage and Lady Capulet says, Ay sir, but she will none, she gives you thanks. I would the fool were married to her grave. We realise that Lady Capulet has little sympathy for Juliet because she had to marry young, and she knows that if she argued with Capulet she would not be being loyal. As Capulets anger builds, Shakespeare shows us the full extent of his anger, my fingers inch, which suggests that he wants to hit her but doesnt, however he knows that because he is the dominant figure in the house he has the most power and so Juliet should respect it. We also realise that Lady Capulet does not speak much because she has turned her back on Juliet.In this scene, when Juliet tells her father she does not want to marry Paris, Shakespeare shows us that Capulet cannot contemplate what his daughter is saying he only wants the best for her. As an audience we realise this because he loves Juliet being his daughter and so wouldnt think of putting her out on the streets or disowning her , we know this that he has only reacted like this because he is hurt and upset. Shakespeare has shown us Capulets love for Juliet in Act 1, Scene 2. Capulet and Paris talk about a possible marriage, however Capulet does not seem sure about the idea of arranging a marriage yet for his only daughter as she is so young, and too soon marred as those so early made. Capulet, during Act 3, Scene 5 hasnt really understood what Juliet has been saying but does understand the underlying meaning, how how, how how, chopt logic?Lady Capulet does not really say anything because she knows she is supposed to be loyal to her husband and go along with what he says. (In the times that Shakespeare was writing and has set his play, the wife of the household was expected to do exactly as the man desired and if that meant not defying him and not expressing her own opinions, she would not.) However, the audience knows that Lady Capulet would not want to hurt Juliet and so must be increasingly worried. I thi nk that this should be shown on stage if Capulet is up close to Juliet when the tension builds, and Lady Capulet could pull her husband away to show that she does not want Juliet to think that she does not care and so that Lord Capulet does not hurt Juliet physically.Later on in the scene when Capulets anger builds, we hope that he doesnt mean what he says but is just hurt and angry, hang, beg, starve, die Capulet also shows his dominance and authority by putting characters in place. In the century that the play is set in, men were the most important people in the house and so they could say whatever they wanted. Capulet speaks rudely and severely to the Nurse, but is allowed to because she is a servant, hold your tongue, peace you mumbling fool.We know that Capulet reacts the way he does because he is so surprised by what Juliet thinks and how she reacts to the concept of marriage to Paris. We know that he wants what is best for Juliet and so when she refuses to marry him, Capulets first reaction is that she is defying her father, Shakespeare shows us this reaction by the anger we see on stage.Juliets reaction to the proposal of marriage is as expected, the audience realises this because she has just spent her last night, perhaps for ever, with her love and now is being forcefully asked to marry someone who she does not have any feelings for. It is quite the opposite to earlier in the play when Juliet is open-minded to the idea of marriage but her change of heart is understandable.By the end of this scene, Shakespeare shows the audience that she is decisive by the way she tricks the nurse and the rest of her family into thinking that she is going to ask Friar Laurence for forgiveness, when the audience knows that she is going to see him for advice or a potion to kill herself, Ill go to friar to know his remedy; if all else fail, myself have power to die.Juliets mother, Lady Capulet reacts in a way that makes the audience wonder if she feels anything for Julie t, Talk not to me, for Ill not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee. She does not help Juliet and does not comfort her when Capulet exits. This could either be because she fears Capulet and so does not want to defy his wishes. Also Shakespeare may have wanted the audience to believe that she does not comfort Juliet because needs to convince herself, Lady Capulet was married to Capulet when she was young and so perhaps wasnt happy, maybe this means that she needs to grasp that it is happening to her daughter, Juliet.The Nurses reaction in this scene is not to be expected. She has been supportive of Romeo and Juliets love from the beginning but when Capulet puts across his point, the Nurses opinion changes. This surprises Juliet, that same tongue which hath praised him above compare so many thousand time. I think that the Nurses opinion changes because she sees Capulets reaction and is scared of his response if he found out that she went against his word, also it c ould be a practical response because the Nurse realises that Romeo and Juliets love has too high a risk and is pointless. Maybe she is also afraid of losing her job.During Act 3, thehs of major characters, Tybalt, Juliets cousin, and Mercutio, a friend of both families. We know that Romeo kills Tybalt out of anger because Tybalt kills Mercutio. This creates tension between both families, Lady Capulet wants Romeo dead and Juliet knows this, which is why she has to be careful when Romeo comes to see her. It is the Nurse that tells Juliet about Tybalts murder but still convinces Juliet to stay on Romeos side, which is why it is a surprise to Juliet when the Nurse suddenly chooses to tell Juliet to forget about Romeo. Act 3, Scene 3 is when Shakespeare shows us that Romeo does not know who to turn to for help and so seeks Friar Laurences advice, however by the end of this act it is Juliet who does not know who to turn to and so she too turns to Friar Laurence for help.