Examine the similarities and differences in the ways Shakespeare presents Juliet and Romeo.

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Engl 111, Past Masters, 2007

Assignment 2: Essay

Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Question One: Examine the similarities and differences in the ways Shakespeare presents Juliet and Romeo.

Due Date: 21/05/07

Extension Granted by Tatjana to 25/05/07

Charlotte French

300075543

Word Count: 1423


Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a tragedy about love. But, more specifically it is a tragedy about young love. Shakespeare presents both he characters of Juliet and Romeo as being particularly young and youthful. But he gives each of them different characteristics that form this picture. These characteristics are often contrasting, but all build up the picture that emphasises the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet: that the love they experience is so short-lived, and they die so early in their lives.

Juliet has an undoubtable youthful innocence about her. She is only just coming towards the verge of woman-hood. In many ways she is still a child at the outset of the play. At the beginning of the play her father, Capulet, asserts this to Paris her potential suitor, saying: “My child is yet a stranger in the world, / She hath not yet seen the change of fourteen years;” (1.2.8-9). When Lady Capulet enters with the intention of expressing her desire to see Juliet marry Paris, Nurse reminisces of some sweet thing Juliet did as a small three-year-old child, emphasising that not much time at all has passed between then and the present moment: “And since that time it is eleven years,” (1.3.37).

Juliet’s youth is also emphasised through her obedience, or expected and apparent obedience to her parents. When Lady Capulet urges Juliet to look upon Paris to see if she can love him, Juliet acquiesces, saying: “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move” (1.3.99), but she will not look any further than Lady Capulet bids her to. Juliet doesn’t believe she could possibly fall in love with Paris just by looking at him, but she agrees to look anyway because it is her mother’s wish.

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This expected obedience is further emphasised when Capulet later changes his mind from saying that Juliet is too young to marry. He then says to Paris that he is sure of Juliet’s obedience to her father should he bid her to marry Paris. When Juliet expresses her protestations to her mother, Lady Capulet dares her to tell her father of her desire to disobey him. Lady Capulet is also sure that Juliet is incapable of disobeying her parents’ orders. Capulet goes so far as to begin to organise the wedding for the coming Thursday. He is so certain of ...

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