Play: Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

1. Tragedy and the role of fate

Romeo and Juliet is a great tragic play by William Shakespeare. The story line is about two star crossed lovers. Their families were enemies which is responsible for their tragic doom. Shakespeare always combines the role of fate and the weakness of a strong characters in his tragedy. Both are equally responsible for the tragic fall of the hero. In other words both the lovers were ill-fated. They were destined to meet their tragic doom. They were unlucky lovers and their stars did not favor them. Unfortunately both the lovers belong to the families involved in quarrelling with each other.

2. Theme of death

The theme of death counterbalance the love theme in the play. The playwright tells about several deaths. During the physical fight between Tybalt and Mercutio, Tybalt killed Mercutio. Therefore the death of Mercutio is the starting point of death. The references of the deaths of these two minor characters are , in fact, the background prepared by the playwright for the death s of two lovers at the end of the play. In the middle of the play, Romeo expresses his Strong desire to meet death. Similarly Juliet takes a potion from the friar that could help her to look dead.Both the lovers enact the drama of death before meeting the final death.

3. Theme of young love

The central theme of the play 'Romeo and Juliet' is the young love because the play tells about the tragic story of the two lovers who are passionately in love with each other. Both the lovers are very young. In the play there is also mention of the age of Juliet by her nurse. Nurse stats that Juliet will be fourteen years old. Similarly Romeo has not seen much in connection to real world experience. It is remarkable that even after having known about the enmity between the two families Romeo dares to enter into the house of the Caplets to meet Juliet at night.

Romeo praised the beauty of his love to Benvolio:-

"O, she is rich in beauty, only poor,
That when she dies with beauty dies her stone."

Romeo tells about Juliet's attitude toward love. By no means, she is ready to accept that his beloved is very beautiful but if she does not surrender to love, her beauty will die with her death.

"Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers' tears;
What is it else? a madness most discreet,
A choking gall and a preserving sweet."

It is a part of the long speech projected in the mouth of Romeo. He tells about his experience of love to his close friend Benvolio. Romeo has recently been rejected in love and so, he looks at love negatively. These lines denotes the pessimistic view of Romeo.

Why do I like this play:

I like the depth of true love between Romeo and Juliet.