Shakespeare’s use of language shows that “Verona” is a violent place by using the feud to add much more violence into the play that would normally be found in a city. By using the feud to escalate the violence, the violence in turn increases the repulsion of the two families.
Sampson (Capulets): “I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads.”
This quotation is effective because of the emotive word used that creates a scene of unnecessary violence. This scene of violence is so unimaginable in our culture it shows how violent Verona must have become to make this sort of violence even contemplatable. It shows that Sampson may have been feeling quite reckless and that he didn’t find it difficult to consider murdering for no reason.
Shakespeare is saying, by using this quotation,
Juliet (Capulet): “If they do see thee, they will murder thee.”
That the hatred between the two separate families is so great that if a Montague is even found uninvited on the Capulets grounds that he will be killed. This again is showing how extreme the violence is in Verona. The effect this has on the audience is that they want to see whether Romeo is caught so overall makes the scene much more intense.
Teenage love is Shakespeare’s way of making Romeo and Juliet fall in love so quickly and perhaps is the reason why the play is only four days long. And also that they were being reckless because they were young and never really stopped to think about what they were doing.
Friar Lawrence: “Young men’s love then lies
Not truly in their hearts but in their eyes.”
This quotation is referring to the way that Romeo is so fixed upon one girl, Rosaline, and then suddenly is in love with Juliet and wants to marry her. It makes the audience contemplate whether Romeo and Juliet were ever truly in love and if Rosaline had ever shown an interest in Romeo would he have felt the same way about her as well. It is also showing the way that even characters, Friar Lawrence, doubted that is was true love.
Paris: “Younger than she are happy mothers.”
I think that this quotation is Paris trying to be reassuring and persuasive about Juliet’s age because he wants Capulet to trust him to marry his daughter. Shakespeare is showing again how vastly different their society and ours are.
Patriarchy is another reason why the play only lasted four days as Romeo only heard Juliet was dead, after taking the poison, because Capulet tried to force her into marrying Paris.
Capulet: “I will make a desperate tender
Of my child’s love: I think she will be ruled
In all respects by me.”
The words “ruled in all aspects” imply that Capulet thinks of his daughter as an object that he can do what he pleases with. This quotation has a massive impact on the outcome of the play, as it is here that he is ordering Juliet to marry Paris, causing her to threaten suicide in front of Friar Lawrence. It shows that Capulet thinks himself to be very dominant and doesn’t like to be defied in any way becoming violent and angry when this happens. Shakespeare wanted the audience to realise that Capulet thought this and become more interested in the outcome because of the twist in the plot this quotation leads too.
Throughout the play there are situations which could have had a number of outcomes only by chance and misfortune have events happened which led to the tragedy
Juliet: “My only love sprung from my only hate.
Too early seen unknown, and known too late.
Prodigious birth of love is to me that I must love a loathed enemy.”
We can tell from this quotation that Juliet feels that it’s terrible that her first true love is also her hated enemy. Also the section where she says, “Too early seen unknown, and known too late,” sounds quite confusing so it may reflect her feelings on chance and fate. The language could also confuse the audience.
Fate is a deciding factor of events throughout the play. The characters in the play seem to be convinced in the phenomenon, which is fate, they appear to think that the course of fate cannot be changed.
Romeo: “ My mind misgives
Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars.”
The language in this quote is very metaphorical, as consequence does not hang in the stars. It creates the image of fate falling out of the sky and would give the audience a feel of suspense.
In conclusion I feel that although all of these causes are important to the outcome, teenage love is the one that affected it most.
Romeo: “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight.
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”
All thoughts of Rosaline have gone straight away as Romeo has seen “true beauty”.
This is said when Romeo has not even spoken to Juliet, yet he is talking of loving her already.
I have come to the aforementioned conclusion because I think that if they had been older they would have thought more rationally about what they were doing and could have resolved things eventually.
