Romeo and Juliet

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Zoey

Is it necessary to have a full understanding of attitudes and Elizabethan England to fully understand Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare in 1592. Shakespeare based Romeo and Juliet on a poem by Arthur Brooke, “The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet”, which was based on a story by Massucio Salerntino. Romeo and Juliet was Shakespeare’s first success and was his first real attempt of writing a tragedy and unlike his later tragedies it has a light side. Shakespeare’s version is regarded the best, due to the amazing language, poetic power and the exciting personalities that come to life throughout the play. This hasn’t changed; it’s still Shakespeare’s most popular and successful play. The play is still relevant today because what happens in the play can still happen in real life, for example, people still hate each other for no reason or love people regardless.

Although the play was set in Verona, there is no attempt to specifically portray the characteristics or customs of the country. Shakespeare could have set the action in Verona because around the time of the play, there was a huge voyage of discovery. Also, not many people travelled, so they relied on stories from people who did travel. Italy is known as a place of love and romance, but is also known for sin. Italians were portrayed as hot-tempered, fiery people. These tempers fit in with the characters and the plot. Shakespeare kept the characters and the place the same out of respect when the play was originally written. Although the play is set in Italy, it’s very plain in English. The play is remarkably English in tone; therefore the audience at that time would recognise the puns as in the first instances of dialogue: Sampson: “Gregory, o’ my word, we’ll not carry coals.”

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Gregory: “No, for then we should be colliers.”

Sampson: “I mean, an we be in choler, we’ll draw.”

Gregory: “Ay, while you live, draw your neck out o’ the collar.”

This exchange would have been topical and regarded as clever at the time. Also, certain customs, such as arranged marriages, would have been recognised and understood: “Having provided a gentleman of noble parentage.” The word provided, shows that Capulet think it’s his job to find Juliet a man and not for her to fall in love with a man. An arranged marriage would shock the audience today, as they aren’t ...

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