The chorus describes Romeo and Juliet "star crossed lovers" to what extent do you agree with this view of the play
The chorus describes Romeo and Juliet "star crossed lovers" to what extent do you agree with this view of the play?
This essay is about the two "star crossed lovers" as the chorus describes them. Romeo and Juliet are the so-called "death marked lovers" because they fell in love when their families were sworn enemies. That was not the only reason their lives were ended though, these are the other reasons they were "doomed"
The feud between their families, and were not willing to get on with each other, The actions of the young lovers them selves because they were acting rashly, Lord Capulet because he acted quite rashly as well when he said that Juliet had to marry Paris the next day, or he was going to throw her out, Friar Lawrence, because he helped Juliet fake her death and because he married Romeo and Juliet in the first place.
I am going to investigate these reasons further.
Romeo and Juliet fell in love at the Capulets party. Tybalt wanted to kill Mercutio and Romeo for gate crashing their party. Tybalt killed Mercutio, Romeo killed Tybalt. Romeo was banished. Juliet had to marry Paris but did not want too because of her real husband Romeo. Juliet got a potion from Friar Lawrence and she slept though the day of her wedding 'faking' her death. Romeo did not get the letter, he then killed himself. Juliet killed herself too.
Fate played a dramatic part in Romeo and Juliet lives and deaths. Romeo and Juliet were said to be "...A pair of star- crossed lovers..." their love was doomed from the beginning. The chorus said that,
".... The fearful passage of death marked love..." The chorus meant that their love would end up with Romeo and Juliet dying.
In Act 1 Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, and the rest of their company are going to the Capulets feast; they were gate crashing the Capulets party. Romeo thinks that it was all a bad idea about going to the party he said
"...My mind misgives
Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars,
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
With this nights revels..." so he said that it could be a bad idea, meaning this might be the start of bad luck, yet he still goes to the Capulet party. At the party, Tybalt saw Romeo, Mercutio and the rest of their company, and Tybalt wanted to get revenge on them going to the Capulets feast. The next day Tybalt went looking for Romeo but finds Mercutio and ends up murdering him. Romeo then wanted to kill Tybalt for killing his cousin, Romeo succeeded in
killing Tybalt, so at this point fate has intervened with Romeo killing Tybalt, as Tybalt is Juliet's cousin. Romeo was now feeling quite bad about killing his new wife's cousin, and for this he said;
"O, I am fortunes fool!" meaning oh lord what have I just done? Romeo did not want his new wife, Juliet, to hate him because of this disaster that fate has caused.
Romeo was then banished from Verona, Romeo says in Act 5.
"...I dreamt my lady came and found me dead..." Romeo is in Mantua and ...
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killing Tybalt, so at this point fate has intervened with Romeo killing Tybalt, as Tybalt is Juliet's cousin. Romeo was now feeling quite bad about killing his new wife's cousin, and for this he said;
"O, I am fortunes fool!" meaning oh lord what have I just done? Romeo did not want his new wife, Juliet, to hate him because of this disaster that fate has caused.
Romeo was then banished from Verona, Romeo says in Act 5.
"...I dreamt my lady came and found me dead..." Romeo is in Mantua and has a dream that Juliet finds him dead. Romeo is also about to find out that Juliet is 'dead' or at least that is what he thinks. A letter was sent to Romeo, which he did not received, telling him Juliet and Friar Lawrence's plan to get them together again.
Fate also intervened in this course of action so he did not know, that he had to go and meet Juliet in her tomb, instead he only heard that Juliet was dead, so he rushed to her tomb and killed him self when he saw Juliet 'dead' so that he could be with her in heaven. Juliet then woke up seeing that Romeo is dead next to her and kills her self. Fate again intervened in that part of the play because if Romeo could have waited longer then he would have seen Juliet wake up and they could have lived happily ever after. But fate did not work that way. I think that fate played a rather large part in the way Romeos and Juliet's lives were led.
The feud also played a major part in the play Romeo
and Juliet.
The grudge was between the two families The Montagues and The Capulets. This feud has been in the family for years and years.
Romeo and Juliet fell in love and it would have been fine with a happily ever after play if it were not for the families they were born into; The Capulets and The Montagues.
Romeo was a Montague and Juliet was a Capulet.
Tybalt is a Capulet and he has a mean temper, he said things like this,
"...I hate the word
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee." You may think that Tybalt was being very rude and acting drastically by saying this about the Montagues, but I know that the Montague's were saying the same kind of thing about the Capulets.
This was said just as Tybalt starts the fight, because Benvolio tried to keep peace.
The Prince and the rest of the town think that this grudge is ridiculous, because it is upsetting their lives as well as others, everyone knew it would end in tears or worse, and of course it does, with the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
The prince says this to the Capulets and the Montagues,
"...Thee civil brawls bred of an airy word
By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,
Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets..."
The Prince is saying that their fighting has upset their nice little quiet town.
Juliet did not want to be a Capulet because of her love for Romeo; Juliet said this for Romeo,
"...Deny thy and refuse thy name -
Or if thou wilt not, be sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."
Juliet said that she would deny being a Capulet if it means that she could be with Romeo.
Romeo said the same really kind of speech that Juliet said, "...My name...is hateful to myself
Because it is an enemy to thee..."
Romeo said this because Romeo hated his name because it was the enemy of his love who is Juliet a Capulet.
Romeo was in Juliet's garden after the feast, and she had just expressed her feelings for Romeo aloud without knowing that Romeo is there. He then calls out and she recognised his voice and they get talking about their so- called future together.
Mercutico died because of the families feud. Mercutio said;
"...A plague o'both your houses! You have made worms meat of me!" Mercutio meant that he blamed them for his death.
Romeo was left alone and was feeling ashamed that he did not respond to Tybalt's insults, himself so that might have been able to save Mercutio.
The feud between the two families led to many brawls. Romeo took his revenge on Tybalt, this act got Romeo banished from Verona. If there was no feud then Romeo would have been invited to the party instead of gate - crashing it, Tybalt would not have take offence and not got mad.
The young lovers themselves, Romeo and Juliet, played an important part in ending their own lives.
Romeo and Juliet rushed into their lives together; they quickly end them as well.
Juliet had a feeling that it was a bad idea rushed into their love. Romeo is in Juliet's garden after the Capulets party. Juliet is on her balcony; Romeo and Juliet were talking about how they were so in love with each other.
"I have no joy of this contract tonight
Its to rash too unadvised too sudden"
Romeo thinks that they should get married the next day! Juliet's instincts are not get married and take things slower but she agrees anyway, because she loves him to much to say no.
Romeo left Juliet's and went to see Friar Lawrence.
Because it was very early in the morning Friar Lawrence thought that Romeo had been with Rosaline. Friar Lawrence was very confused because the day before Romeo was so in love with Rosaline and he was convinced that she was the one and only for him, but Romeo was really upset because Rosaline didn't feel the same way about Romeo. Now Romeo was planning on getting married to Juliet the next day! Friar Lawrence also thinks that they are acting too fast but agrees to marry them on one condition, that Friar Lawrence thinks that joining Romeo and Juliet in holy matrimony, it will bring the to families together and end the feud, between the Capulet' and the Montague's.
Friar Lawrence said this to Romeo about his change in love between his to 'lovers' Rosaline and Juliet.
"...What a change is here!
Is Rosaline that thou didst love so soon forsaken?..."
Friar Lawrence meant, what a change in feelings, and it happened so quickly!
Friar Lawrence did not understand how he could have changed his feelings so fast. Friar Lawrence warned Romeo against acting rashly. Friar Lawrence said that to warn Romeo.
"Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast."
Because they rushed into their relationship and got married with out thinking it though, it led to disasters. That is how they them selves intervened with ending their own lives.
Friar Lawrence, lord Capulet and the nurse were also involved in the couplet dramatic ending. Friar Lawrence was partly to blame for the tragic send off to Romeo and Juliet, because he married Romeo and Juliet in the first place, although he did that with the best of intentions, that it would bring the to families together and everyone would be very happy. Friar Lawrence said, "...In one respect ill thy assistant be -
For this alliance may so happy prove
To turn your households' rancour to pure love."
Friar Lawrence meant that he would marry Romeo and Juliet because he thought it would end the feud between their families. Friar Lawrence gave the potion to Juliet, and wrote a letter to Romeo, but the letter never got to him. He realises his part in the tragic ending when he said at the end of the play; "...And here I stand, both to impeach and purge,
Myself comdemned and myself excused..."
Friar meant that he now knows that he had done wrong and if they think that he is to blame then they could take him away. Friar Lawrence had the right idea when he was putting his plans into actions.
The actions of the nurse also had an impacted on the lives. The nurse was the messenger between Romeo, Juliet and Friar Lawrence. The nurse said to Romeo, when Romeo was making arrangements to marry Juliet, "This afternoon sir? well she shall be there." The nurse was interfering in their lives again with the best intentions but it did not work out the way they planed.
Lord Capulet was another person to help them end their lives. He did this because he was going to make Juliet marry Paris but Juliet did not want to because she was already married. Juliet then faked her own death. All these people did what they thought was the best for the lovers. It did not work out the way they wanted.
In Romeo and Juliet are described as 'star - crossed lovers' and I agree with the chorus because their love was 'doomed' and ' death marked love' from start of their love, because of the fate. Fate didn't want Romeo and Juliet to be together. No matter what anyone did to try and help Romeo and Juliet, fate was always going to get in the way of their love and beign together .
The feud also played a critical part in the play. The feud between the two families was keeping the young lovers, Romeo and Juliet, apart. At the end of the play the Prince blames the two families, Montagues and Capulets, for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. For if it had not been for the feud they maybe could have confessed their love out in the open straight away and the families would not have had a problem, but fate and the feud does not work that way. They cannot deny the fact that Romeo and Juliet may not have made the right decisions the whole time they knew each other. They thought they were doing the right thing for themselves, that's what mattered at the time. All in all
The feud I think that fate and the feud had an equal but huge part in the course that Romeo and Juliets lives did take.
Amy McDaid English Romeo and Juliet