Love & Tragedy: Past & Present Perspectives - In-Depth Shakespearean Study

Love & Tragedy: Past & Present Perspectives | In-depth Shakespearean
Study
Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love story in the English literary tradition. It tells the story of
two lovers thwarted with bad luck, who meet, kiss, get married and kill themselves all in the time
period of three days. Good morning (? / afternoon), and good day. This speech will analyse ACT 4,
SCENE IIIs effects on a modern audience, and an Elizabethan audience, and also the message it
portrays to both societies about love and tragedy. The selected scene is where Juliet runs through her
head the consequences of her drinking the potion Friar Lawrence has given to her, so she can fake her
death.
How exactly does this scene help make the play a tragedy? For starters, the Capulets lamentation
over Juliets death, shows that they had planted a lot of hope in Juliet, and her getting married. They
also seem to genuinely love her a lot, as does Paris; his mourning comes across as more than just
losing a wife who might have brought wealth to him, it seems as though he really loves Juliet. Prior to
her death, Juliet again shows her strength and power; she runs through her head that she might
legitimately die from drinking the potion (as Friar Lawrence attempting to hide his participation in the
marriage of her and Romeo), or if she wakes up before Romeo arrives she might turn mad because of
all of the death and skeletons around her in the tomb. Juliet goes ahead and drinks the poison, which
shows she will take her life into her own hands and also demonstrates her love for Romeo, as she is
willing to risk dying just because she thinks she love him. All of these things come together to
contribute to this work being a truetragedy.
Language devices are a key to this play, and in the chosen scene irony is easily recognizable. For
example, Juliet has only just met Romeo, and is somewhere around the age of thirteen, but she is
willing to risk her life so she can be with him. The fact that they hardly have had time to actually get
to know each other and grow on one another is irony in itself for the so-called love, but willing to
die, and eventually actually dying for each other is a whole nother level. Figurative language is found
in this scene as well, be stifled in the vault To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes
in, is a metaphor; Juliet is comparing the vault to a mouth. Also found in this scene is a simile:
shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth. Antithesis is big for William Shakespeare, and Romeo
and Juliet is no exception. Perhaps one of the most well-known oxymorons from the play is from the
balcony scene (ACT 2, SCENE II), where Juliet says, Parting is such sweet sorrow.
An Elizabethan society and our current society are very different in many ways, and thus their reaction
to Romeo and Juliet would be very different. For example, while the play was on they would probably
be eating and drinking, and they would be crying / weeping when Romeo and Juliet died. They would
laugh out loud at the jokes, irony and metaphors, and be much more exaggerated than a modern
audience. On the other hand, a contemporary audience would listen silently to the play, and pay
attention during the sad parts. A modern society would perhaps still understand the tragedy of the two
lovers, but they would certainly not be crying and reacting like an Elizabethan audience would.
There is certainly no doubt this is a truetragedy, and there is lots of evidence behind that. Romeo and
Juliet share what is called forbidden love, and as you are quite aware their families would not be
keen on their children marrying an enemys descendant. There is a lot of unnecessary dying, for
example Mercutio, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, etc, and the two lovers both end up dying for live. Their tale
was destined to end badly, but there is so much irony in that the audience knew that Juliet wasnt
really did, but Romeo didnt he killed himself because he thought Juliet had killed herself, and
when she woke up and found he had killed himself, she killed herself. Romeo is truly a tragic hero,
and if we use Aristotles definition of a tragic hero, I can support that claim. Romeo is generally of a
high social class because his father is a lord. He also is quite innocent as a character; Lord Capulet of
all people acclaims Romeo that made his way into the ball; [to Tybalt] He bears [himself] like a
portly gentleman, And, to say truth, Verona brags of him, where portly behaviour is dignified.
Romeo certainly has the fatal flaw that defines a tragic hero, he kills himself. He is too emotionally
driven and when Rosaline rejects him, he is deeply saddened. When Benvolio finally convinces
Romeo to go to the ball, it is this emotional drive and sadness that contribute to Romeo wanting to
marry Juliet so quickly.

All in all, Romeo and Juliet is a masterpiece, as Im sure youre aware. It is a generic plot, but it had a
major impact on Elizabethan audiences, as stated previously. Its use of figurative language, irony, and
antithesis play a key part in adding to the drama, and themes especially love also add to the overall
tragedy. In conclusion, Romeo and Juliets message is distinguishable now, as it was to a
Shakespearean audience: it tells the tale of true love and its irony; they meet, marry, and kill
themselves in 3 days and it tells is extremely well. Thank you for listening (?)

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