Romeo and Juliet is a play of which has astounded many people both now and in the 17th century when it was probably made.

Romeo & Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a play of which has astounded many people both now and in the 17th century when it was probably made. The Montague and Capulet are two rival families. They are involved in a family feud that goes back years before any of the members were born. Yet the feud still continues due to the fact that neither family is ready to forgive and forget the past. Even the townspeople are involved because the families do not keep the feud in the privacy of their own home but have been seen fighting in the public streets and displaying violence. They disrupt the peace of Verona and even Prince Escalus personally had to break up a fight, where the family members were heavily fined. They were also given a warning that another public fight could result in death. At the same time, the Capulet's are planning Juliet's marriage to Paris. Juliet does not want to marry this man so she arranges with Friar Lawrence to fake her own death with a sleeping potion that will make everyone think that she is dead. Friar Lawrence promises to send word to Romeo to meet her when the potion wears off and to rescue her to Mantua, where Romeo is currently staying. There they would live happily ever after. Unfortunately, Romeo does not receive this message on time and upon hearing of her "death" goes to Juliet's tomb where he drinks poison and dies. When Juliet's potion wears off, she awakens to find her lover's corpse. She then proceeds to stab herself with Romeo's dagger. The two families find the bodies and their shared sorrow; finally make peace with each other.Thus from this brief introduction you can get a glimpse of how the play is interwoven with the scenes of love and hate. While this is occurring Romeo, the main character, is getting over his last love, Rosaline, and was very upset. Juliet of the Capulet household has just been introduced to a wealthy young man, Paris, who her parents wish her to marry. Yet she does not love him. Romeo (Montague), who is in love with Rosaline, goes to a party in an effort to forget her or to ease his broken heart. At this party he met Juliet, and immediately fell in love with her. He later finds out that she is a Capulet, the rival family of the Montague. He decides that he loves her anyway and they confess their love for each other during the very famous "balcony scene" in which they agree to secretly marry the next day. Friar Lawrence agrees to marry them in an effort to end the feuding between the families. Unfortunately, the fighting gets worse and Mercutio (Montague), a good friend of Romeo's, ends up in a fight with Tybalt (Capulet), Juliet's cousin. Tybalt kills Mercutio, which causes Romeo to kill Tybalt in an angry rage. For this, Romeo is banished from Verona.

What will have attracted a 17th century audience to ‘Romeo and Juliet’? Violence is a key factor in this aspect because fighting was probably a daily occurrence in the lives of the poor or middle class people. This play can be compared to a modern day film. This is because like many non-fiction films today comedy, fighting, romance and violence are common. Romance was also an important factor which would have interested such an audience. They would have been curious it since was unusual to see love scenes on the stage. The only flaw I could see in the play is to do with Juliet’s rebelliousness. The wealthy people who watched the play would have been appalled at Juliet’s rebelliousness because they usually married of their daughters to the richest men who happened to be in the town which was totally unlike Juliet who secretly married Romeo the son of her fathers’ arc enemy. Comedy was also present in the play especially from the nurse who was always making funny remarks .An example is when she was referring to men while talking to Juliet in Act 1 Scene 1, “my husband falls upon thy face, thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age will thou not Jule”. Tybalt and Mercutio also exchanged funny insults. In one context Tybalt called Mercutio “the prince of cats”. The setting would also have appealed to people in the 17th century because most of them never travelled and since the setting of Shakespeare’s play was in Italy it would have looked exotic and out of the ordinary to such an audience. Act 1 Scene 1 is perhaps the backbone of the play. The play opened with Samson and Gregory in the square talking about how much they loathed the Montague and what they would do to anyone who would try to fight with them, “a dog of the house of Montague would move me to stand. I would take the wall of any man or maid of Montages”. Immediately after, two serving men of Montague came into the square. Samson then bit his thumb at them which resulted in a fight when Benvolio arrived. Soon the families of the Montague were all involved in the fight. The fight between the two families ended when the prince came into the square he called them rebellious subjects’ enemies to peace and profaners of the neighbour-stained street. Last but not the least they were cautioned not to disturb the street again or else their lives would pay the forfeit of peace. Although Romeo is a Montague he is not involved in the fight since he is less inclined to violence. Rather his mind is focused on the opposite, love. This we know from Benvolio who describes him as being in his own little world. In act 1 scene 5 Romeo goes to masked ball held by Capulet where he meets Juliet the daughter of the host. they fell in love instantly, but unknown to Romeo and his new found love Tybalt had seen them and he swore to kill Romeo fortunately Capulet who saw Tybalt shames him for trying to disrupt his party meanwhile Romeo and Juliet discover the true identity of each other. Romeo saw Juliet on a knight arm and remarked, “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright it seems she hangs on the cheek of night. Romeo then says to Juliet, “my lips too blushing pilgrims ready stand o then dear saints let lips do what hands do they pray grant thou lest faith turn to despair. Both fell instantly in love despite recognizing each others identity, “my only love sprung from my own hate two early seen unknown and known too late … that I must love a loathed enemy. Unknown to Romeo, Tybalt spotted him,” this by his voice a Montague fetch me my rapier boy , what does the slave come hither, cover’d with an antic face to fleer and sworn at our solemnity he immediately tries to kill him, “now by the stalk and honour of my kin to strike him dead I hold it not a sin”. Capulet who saw the look in his face intervened because he didn’t want Tybalt to disrupt his party and also Romeo was gentle unlike the other Montague, “content thee gentle cuz, let him alone a bares him like a portly gentleman and to say the truth Verona brags of him to be a virtuous and well govern’d youth”. Tybalt gets angry at this and tells Capulet he would not endure the presence of Romeo “it fits when such a villain is a guest I would not endure him. The seeds of the tragedy are sown when Tybalt says, “I would withdraw but this intrusion shall now seeming sweet to bitt’rest gall.

Act 1 scene 1 is important for several reasons. In the first place Romeo first meets Juliet. This sows the seeds of tragedy because when Tybalt swears to kill Romeo, Capulet tells him off which makes him very mad because of the public humiliation. While leaving the party, Romeo hides in the orchard while Mercutio and Benvolio call for him to come out of hiding and go home with them; yet he will not. After they leave, Romeo appears and speaks to Juliet under her window, saying "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and ...

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Having stayed up all night, Romeo visits Friar Lawrence's cell and tells him of this new love for Juliet. Although Friar Lawrence is critical at first, Romeo eventually convinces him to marry them. In the street, Benvolio tells Mercutio that Romeo did not come home that night, and that Tybalt has sent the Montague a letter challenging Romeo to a duel. Romeo appears and they tease him for hiding from them. Juliet's nurse appears and Romeo tells her to tell Juliet to go to the Friar's cell that afternoon to be married. The Nurse returns to Juliet and, though she skirts around the message, she finally tells Juliet the wonderful news. Soon, at the Friar's cell, Romeo is married to Juliet and Juliet.
At the street, Benvolio and Mercutio encounter Tybalt and Petruchio, leading to Tybalt and Mercutio fighting since Tybalt tries to pick a fight with Romeo, but he refuses. Romeo tries to break up the fight, but Tybalt slays Mercutio under Romeo's arm, then Tybalt flees. As Mercutio dies, he declares "A plague on both your houses," since he is only a friend of Romeo's and not his kinsmen. When Benvolio informs Romeo that Mercutio is dead, Romeo seeks out, fights, and slays Tybalt in revenge. Benvolio convinces Romeo to flee.

The prince appears and Benvolio explains all to him, at which the Prince exiles Romeo for slaying Tybalt. At the Capulet's orchard, Juliet waits for Romeo when her Nurse appears and informs her of Mercutio and Tybalt's deaths, and Romeo's banishment. Juliet falls into despair, realizing she would rather Tybalt dead than Romeo, but also that a banished Romeo is virtually dead. At the Friar's cell, he informs Romeo of the Prince's edict of banishment, putting him into despair. Romeo states he would rather be dead than banished. The Nurse arrives and tells Romeo that Juliet is sad too, but forgives Romeo. Still, Romeo pulls a dagger and tries to kill himself, but the Friar stops him and tells him to stay the night with Juliet, and then flee to Mantua. At Capulet's house, he and Paris set the wedding date for Paris and Juliet to be three days hence. In Juliet's bedroom, Romeo says a tearful goodbye to Juliet. After he leaves, Lady Capulet appears and, while discussing Tybalt's death, states she will send a henchman to Mantua to kill Romeo (though she never does). She then informs Juliet of her impending marriage to Paris. Juliet tells her parents she will not marry, but Lord Capulet commands it will be so. The Nurse, too, tells Juliet she should marry Paris. In private, Juliet decides to no longer trust the nurse and vows to kill her if the Friar cannot find a way to save her from marrying Paris.
At Friar Lawrence's cell, Paris informs the Friar of his upcoming wedding to Juliet. When Juliet arrives to see the Friar, Paris politely leaves. The Friar, hearing Juliet threaten suicide, tells her of”distilled liquor" she can take to fake death. He explains the drug will keep her asleep and seemingly dead for 42 hours, during which she can be placed in the Capulet tomb. Then, when she wakes, Romeo can be there waiting for her to take her to Mantua. Friar Lawrence sends Friar John to Mantua with an explanatory letter for Romeo. Juliet returns to her father and apologizes for refusing to marry, causing her dad to move the wedding up to the next morning (two days early). In her bedroom, Juliet sends her mother and nurse away, then, after much worrying over the future, she drinks the vial of medicine and sleeps. Later in the early morning, all feverishly prepare for the wedding and Capulet sends the Nurse to wake Juliet. The Nurse wails upon finding Juliet "dead", summoning the others to find her and mourn. The Friar instructs all to prepare Juliet for her funeral. .
In Mantua, Romeo's servant Balthasar arrives and tells Romeo that Juliet is dead. Romeo vows to see Juliet in her tomb and poison himself there, buying the poison from a poor Apothecary who illegally sells it to Romeo only because he (the Apothecary) needs the money. At Lawrence's cell, Friar John reports he could not deliver the letter to Romeo since he (John) got stuck in a quarantined house while searching for Romeo. Friar Lawrence heads to the cemetery with a crowbar. At the tomb, Paris and his page arrive and Paris mourns Juliet's death. Paris hides when he hears Romeo and Balthasar approach. Romeo orders Balthasar to leave him alone, no matter what he hears. When Romeo opens the tomb, Paris steps out and tries to stop him by provoking him to fight. Romeo entreats Paris to simply walk away and not fight, but Paris forces Romeo to fight him, resulting in Romeo slaying Paris. In sorrow, Romeo lays Paris in the tomb, while Paris' page secretly leaves to call the watch. Romeo finds Juliet and mourns her death, then drinks his poison and dies.

Friar Lawrence’s plan has gone tragically wrong. Outside the tomb, he arrives and meets Balthasar who tells the Friar that Romeo has been in the tomb for one half hour. Lawrence enters the tomb and finds Romeo and Paris dead. Juliet then awakes and spots Romeo. The Friar, upon hearing noises outside flees, leaving Juliet with Romeo. Juliet tries to kill herself with Romeo's poison, but can find none, either in the vial or on Romeo's lips. In desperation, she stabs herself with Romeo's dagger. The watch arrives, having found Balthasar and the Friar. The Prince and Lord and Lady Capulet arrive and learn Paris, Romeo, and Juliet are dead (amazingly to them, Juliet seems to have been alive, and then newly dead again). Lord Montague arrives and reports that his wife has died from grief over Romeo's exile, and then learns himself of Romeo's death. Capulet and Montague make peace and swear to never fight again. They vow to build solid gold statues of Romeo and Juliet and place them side by side so all can remember their plight.

What I remember from reading the play.

From reading the play I remember a bit of both (love and hatred). This is doubtless because of Shakespeare’s talent in incorporating the above mentioned together. My favorite scene after watching the play was when Romeo was mad at Tybalt for killing Mercutio his best friend and decided to avenge his death. Shakespeare really captured the attention of his audience by using a widely used technique by writers and artists alike which is making them curious for more and I should say he was very successful in this aspect.

Emmanuel Korang

10 DH

Mr. Starr