The contrast in the plot and themes of the play is also shown (and personified) through contrasts between the characters. For example, the contrasts between Fr Lawrence’s character and Romeo’s character emphasises the difference between fast and slow in the play, and the speed at which Romeo falls in love and gets married. Romeo is impatient and acts on impulse, where as Fr Lawrence is hesitant and thinks about and plans his actions much more carefully. He warns Romeo of what could be the consequence of his hasty actions in act 2, scene 6, and tells him to “love moderately, long love doth so”.
Shakespeare uses the attitudes of Mercutio and Romeo to show the difference between love and sex and to show how true Romeo and Juliet’s love is. Mercutio is rarely serious and always making crude sexual jokes (“If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark” act 2, scene 1), where as Romeo is much more serious, even at the beginning with his courtly love (a great fashion of the time) for Rosaline, he “Private in his chamber pens himself, shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out” (act 1, scene 1). Romeo recognises that there is a difference between love and sex, and how special love is. There is also a contrast in character between Juliet, who loves Romeo back, freely announcing to him her love, and quickly marrying him, and Rosaline who is cold, ignores Romeo’s affection, and says she never wants to marry.
The contrasting characters of Benvolio and Tybalt portray the desires for peace, and the hatred between the two families. Benvolio doesn’t like the fighting, and often tries to keep the peace (“Part fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do” act 1, scene 1), where as Tybalt (a Capulet) is passionate about his hatred for the Montagues, and is always trying to start fights and fuel the hatred between the two sides (“What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee “ act 1, scene 1).
As with all Shakespeare’s writing, the language contains a lot of the play’s meaning itself. Shakespeare uses contrasting language in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to emphasise the contrasts in the play. There are many oxymorons (two contrasting words brought together to have a striking effect) in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. These are especially used in act 3, scene 2, to express Juliet’s confusion and mood swings after hearing that her husband of only three hours has killed her cousin. She calls Romeo a “damned saint” and “an honourable villain”, which shows how torn she is between her love and loyalty to her family, and that to her husband.
In the language of the play there are also contrasts between life and death (Romeo: “I must be gone and live, or stay and die” act 3, scene 5). These are very striking and often dark, and have the effect of catching the audience’s attention and keeping them gripped to the events of the play.
Another contrast in the language is between light and dark (Romeo: “more light and light, more dark and dark our woes!” act 3, scene 5). These contrasts between light and dark are often very poetic and spoken between Romeo and Juliet about their love. They are also often tied in with contrasts between night and day. In act 2, scene 2 Romeo describes Juliet as being the sun, and says “Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon”, this is very a very strong image and personifies the sun to make it a more real rival to Juliet’s beauty as well as alluding to the violence and tensions in the plot.
There are also many examples of dramatic irony in the play, often to do with the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet at the end of the play. Lady Capulet says in act 3, scene 5 (about Juliet) “I wish the fool were married to her grave” also in act 1, scene 5 Juliet says “My grave is like to be my wedding bed”, these are both very dramatic and dark and conjure strong images to the final scene. Another example in act 3, scene 5 is when Juliet says, “I would rather marry Romeo, who you know I hate, than Paris” when she is already married to Romeo. This is also a contrast between love and hate, as in reality she loves Romeo.
There are also contrasts in the language between dreaming and reality, through the use of poetic language, similes, metaphors and imagery used and the more real life language. Dreams are often talked about, and although they may not be true (“Dreamers often lie”), they can hint at, or be an insight into future events, therefore they often use dramatic irony. In act 5, scene 1, Romeo tells his messenger “I dreamt my lady came and found me dead”. This is dramatic irony as in the final scene Juliet wakes in the tomb to find Romeo dead, and a contrast between dreams and reality and life and death, as the messenger has come to tell Romeo that it is Juliet who is dead. Shakespeare often uses the language to reflect the themes of the play.
Probably the cleverest way language is used in this play is to show the contrast between language and reality. Shakespeare shows how something as simple as a name can create prejudice and hatred, so much as hearing Romeo’s voice in act 1, scene 5 at Capulet’s party angers Tybalt, despite Capulet telling him that Romeo is “a well governed youth”. This is contrasted with the love of Romeo and Juliet, which looks beyond names, to the people they represent. Juliet shows how she loves Romeo despite the fact he is a Montague in act 2, scene 2 when she says, “That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet”.
Shakespeare uses Romeo to show the contrast between feelings learned from books and poetry and genuine emotions gained from experience with the contrasts between his courtly love for Rosaline and his genuine love for Juliet (“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night.” Act 1, scene 5). This shows the contrast between words and action (he may say he loves Rosaline, but he is prepared to give up everything for Juliet) and the more general contrast between language and life.
There are many contrasting themes in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The most obvious of these is love and hate, the essence of the plot, demonstrating that, despite the fact that the hate between the families destroys not only the love of Romeo and Juliet, but them too, their love, in the end, is what unites the families, proving that love is stronger than hate, a time enduring theme that has given hope to countless generations.
There are also many contrasts between light and dark, often through contrasts between day and night. There are contrasts between shining light things such as jewels, stars and fires, and dark, unclear things such as clouds and smoke. The contrasts between light and dark are often tied in with contrasts between life and death, such as Romeo saying he sees Juliet’s beauty lighting up the dark tomb (“her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence full of light”). There are also points where day is contrasted with night, and night is portrayed more positively than day, such Juliet in act 3, scene 2, saying “all the world will be in love with the night, and pay no worship to the garish sun”.
Another big contrasting theme of the play is between fate and free will. There are strong beliefs that fate rule their lives, that they are destined to fall in love but never be able to be together, even at the very beginning they are described as “a pair of star crossed lovers”. Despite this, both Romeo and Juliet struggle against their fates, Juliet is prepared to risk everything not to marry Paris, and when Romeo hears of Juliet’s death he shouts “Then I defy you stars”.
Another contrast in the themes of the play is the differences between the way the characters behave in public and in their private lives, contrasting the freedom of personal love with the constraints of social life and other peoples expectancies and the loyalties of the families with the loyalties Romeo and Juliet feel towards each other. There is also the issue of male dominance. This demonstrates contrast between Juliet’s father, who believes he owns her (“And you be mine”, act 3, scene 5) and the equality of the love of Romeo and Juliet, where neither is dominant.
I think that without all it’s contrasts on so many levels ‘Romeo and Juliet’ would probably not have been as successful as it has been, and would have been just another predictable love story. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ breaks the mould, as the lovers do not end up happily together, which is what makes it so powerful and poignant. I also think that it is the contrasts, between love and hate, peace and violence, and old and young that makes it such an enduring story that people can still identify with and appreciate today, over 350 years after audiences first fell in love with it. Audiences automatically empathise with Romeo and Juliet, for whom nothing is ever easy or straightforward, even when they’ve just met. They have to have the courage to fight, which was especially hard with the cultural contexts of the day, where Juliet was expected to follow her father’s wishes, and it would have disgraced their families if they had eloped. People respect how brave Romeo and Juliet had to be, and aspire to the kind of enduring love that remains strong, no matter the sacrifices. Because of this, I see no reason why audiences won’t still be on the edge of their seats, and identifying with the enduring human issue of the ever-present contrast between love and hate in another 350 years time.
