Discuss How Shakespeare Introduces The Major Themes of The Play in The Prologue and Act 1 Scene 1 of "Romeo and Juliet".

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Coursework                                                                                      Jessica Logan 10F

Discuss How Shakespeare Introduces The Major Themes of The Play in The Prologue and Act 1 Scene 1 of “Romeo and Juliet”

The sixteenth century play  “Romeo and Juliet”, written by William Shakespeare was based on a poem by Arthur Brooke, “The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet”. Shakespeare modified and developed the poem into the well known play it is today. One of the main changes is that the play took place over five days whereas the poem, more realisticaly, took place over two months. This increased the dramatic nature and made the story more tragic. Another difference Shakespeare made is that his play consisted of only speech and stage directions, through which he has to add a large ammount of detailed description but a poem is naturaly more descriptive.

Romeo and Juliet is a well known play and it is common knowledge that, even to those who havn’t seen it, it is a tradgic love story in which there are lots of conflicts between the two families. There are conflicting or opposing emotions, for example; love versus hate, life and death and fate against free will. These themes are introduced at varius points through out the play. One of which (love versus hate) is introduced at the beginning of the first scene when Benvolio and Tybalt are together before a fight breaks out. Benvolio who symbolised peace and love, is trying to convince Tybalt, he symbolises hate and anger, that the fighting is wrong and it should be left to be dealt with by the two Lords, Old Capulet and Old Montague.

“I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword or manage it to part these men with me.” Here Benvolio is asking Tybalt to help him stop their men from fighting. To which Tybalt replies

“What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate Hell, all Montagues and thee.” Tybalt is comparing Benvolio and his family to Hell, he says that they are all equally as bad.

In the prologue Shakespeare explains the plot of the play. This gains the audiences sympathy towards the young lovers as we already know their fate. This is called dramatic irony, when the audience knows something the characters don’t, and is a very common technique used in Shakespeare’s works. Also, some themes are introduced during the prologue, such as love vs hate anf fate against free will. The theme love vs hate is introduced in the following lines,

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“From ancient grudge break new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” Shakespeare is saying that the fighting has gone so far that the civillians of verona are involved, their innocent blood is shed due to the hatred of the two families.

“A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life”

“The fearful passage of deathmarked love, and the continuance of their parents’ rage,” These two line make referance to Romeo and Juliet’s love. Their love has to overcome their parents hate.

During Act 1 Scene 1 more themes are introduced as Benvolio and Romeo speak to each other and we ...

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