Romeo And Juliet
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was popular in his own time because the story was one that audiences were already familiar with. The play contains fights, romance, parties and comedy. The quality of the language also made Romeo and Juliet so popular. The romantic male lead and the story line of teenagers being prevented from seeing each other by parents makes Romeo and Juliet still popular today.
Shakespeare’s plays were notable fertile themes, which were evident throughout. In Romeo and Juliet we are introduced to several, one of which is love and hate. Throughout the play there is overflowing passions i.e. in act1 scene 1 when Romeo realises that his love for Roasaline is artificial. Another theme in the play is light and darkness. Light and darkness is mentioned in the play when Romeo welcomes the darkness as he’s afraid of the sun. Also it me plays a big part in the play as Juliet needs time to pass by quickly and Romeo feels time is going too slowly.
Fate and free will are clearly a strong theme in this play. We are introduced fate right at the beginning in the prologue as its fate that Tybalt arrives and makes the situation worse. The secound example is in act 1 scene 1 where there is a fight between Montague’s and Capulet’s. Sampson starts the fight by saying ‘my naked weapon is out’. The reply from Tybalt, ‘as I hate hell all Montague’s and thee.’ These comments start the fight as Tybalt makes it very clear that he hates Montague’s. It was free will that the he started the fight but fate that he goes in and makes the situation worse. Asfter Romeo decides to go to the party he vastly falls in love with Juliet. We know this from the play as Romeo quotes ‘Juliet is the sun’. He also says that if it were night she would light up the night to day. Mercutio then provokes Tybalt into a fight by saying ‘will you pluck you’re sword make haste?’ This provokes Tybalt as he replies ‘this is a Montague our foe’. We know that Mercutio is killed as Romeo states ‘and Tybalt slain, doom the death’. After this the next example is in act 4 scene 1. Juliet decides to take the potion, which Friar Laurence gives her as an alternative than to kill herself. We know she goes to see the Friar to get the potion as she tells the nurse to tell Capulet that she’s gone to the Friar to say sorry. She hasn’t really gone to say sorry she’s gone to tell him that she’s going to kill herself. The quote that explains this is ‘ill to the Friar to know his remedy’. The next example of free will is when the Friar says ‘ill send a letter with speed to Mantua’. As the letter never got to Romeo, he kills himself because he thinks that Juliet is dead. We know this from the play as he says ‘thee poison, to Juliet’s grave, for there must I use thee’. This supports the idea of Romeo taking the poison. Romeo then says his last words ‘here’s to my love. Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die’. Juliet then wakes up and finds that Romeo is dead so she decides to kill herself as she doesn’t think she could cope without him. The sentence that supports this is ‘happily some poison there must let me die’. The very end of the play ends up with fate playing a major part the families become friends after all the tragedy. This is fate as none of the killings should have happened for them to become friends.
