Book Smarts vs Street Smarts

Although Friar Lawrence had book smarts, he gave really bad advice to Romeo and Juliet, this shows his world experience isn't up to par with his book smarts. This advice caused a lot of the dramatic consequences within the play. In act 2, scene 3, Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence for advice about his love for Juliet. Friar Lawrence thinks it’s strange that last time he spoke to him; he was in love with Rosaline. “Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, so soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” (Act 2, Scene 3, 67-69) Even though Friar Lawrence did not agree with Romeo’s swift marriage, he still agreed to marry them, knowing that their families were at war. Friar Lawrence did not foresee any of the consequences that were to come. And in act 4, scene 1, Friar Lawrence tells Juliet to take a sleeping potion that will make her seem dead to anyone. “And this distilling liquor drink thou off, when presently through all thy veins shall run a cold and drowsy humour ” (Act 4, Scene 1, 95-97) Shakespeare uses a foreshadowing technique to show Friar Lawrence’s naivety, as his predictions for the future weren't supported by street smarts.     

The role of women

Within the play, Romeo and Juliet, there are 3 main women characters: Juliet, Nurse and Lady Capulet. However, there are many more male main characters: Romeo, Mercutio, Capulet, Tybalt, Benvolio, County Paris, Friar Lawrence and Prince Escalus. This shows that the women’s voice in this play is not valued by Shakespeare. In addition, the topics discussed by both male and female characters are worlds apart. For example, the men discuss things such as war, love, sex, partying, fighting, honour, sports, food, peace and death. However the women within the story discuss love, marriage, and gossip. Shakespeare portrays women to only value being wives and gossipers, the Nurse says of women, “No less! Nay, bigger: women grow by men.” (Act 1, Scene 3, 99). Women are also portrayed as owned by men. Capulet shows this by offering all of the abled women to men, “Welcome gentlemen! Ladies that have their toes unplagu’d with corns will walk a bout with you.” (Act 1, Scene 5, 8-9). Imagery is used as a technique to portray women, in particular ‘women grow by men’ metaphorically relates women as a smaller person without a man.  

Suicide

At the end of Shakespeare’s play, both Romeo and Juliet end up committing suicide over believing one another is dead, but is this really the right way? Near the end of the play, Juliet fakes her own death so that she didn't have to marry Paris. When Romeo heard of Juliet's 'death', he obtained an illegal poison so that he could be in heaven with her as soon as possible as he couldn't bear to live without her. Romeo drinks the poison that he purchased, and he kisses Juliet, after which he says that the poison works quickly, and that he will die with a kiss. "O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die." (Act 5, Scene 3, 121-122) To inform the audience of the suicide, or that something bad such as suicide were to happen at the end, Shakespeare used the foreshadowing technique. It is as though Shakespeare had written this part to say that it is ok to kill yourself if you are in love or lust with another person. 

Love vs. Lust

Throughout the world, readers of Romeo and Juliet have interpreted it as a story of either lust or love. Shakespeare had used several techniques to show that Romeo and Juliet are not in love, but in lust. In the play, Romeo and Juliet had fallen in love with each other only by their beauty in only a few minutes without actually physically meeting each other. This wouldn't happen in real life as someone cannot just fall in love in just a few minutes without actually knowing that person, and just immediately fall in love by just their looks. In the play, Romeo describes Juliet as being so bright that she teaches the torches to shine just like her. “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear; beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, and touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night. (Act I, Scene 5, 38-41)”. In Act 2, Romeo proposes to Juliet, only after meeting her a few hours before. They both act carelessly; they both marry too quickly which leads to problems. Love is always patient, and slow, however lust is always quick paced. There are several techniques utilised by Shakespeare in this play that portray lust between Romeo and Juliet. These are dramatic irony, the way that Romeo speaks of Juliet, such as comparing her to light, and the foreshadowing of their fate afterwards. Shakespeare has written Romeo and Juliet, not as a love story, but a lust story. 

Romeo and Juliet extended response

In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, we have seen different representations of love. There are numerous foreshadowing examples that are present throughout the play; some are said by the chorus, and others are said by the characters themselves. At the beginning of the play, the chorus tell the audience that there are two people that have fallen in love will both kill themselves, which tells the audience that fate controls everything, as well as giving an insight into what will happen later in the play. “A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their lives;” (Act 1, Prologue, 6) In Romeo and Juliet, the character Mercutio doesn't seem to believe in love for another woman, instead he just feels that a woman is like a sex object, he just cares about the physical side of it and nothing else. “I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes, by her high forehead and her scarlet lip, by her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh, and the demesnes that there adjacent lie, that in thy likeness thou appear to us!” (Act 2, Scene 1, 19-23). At the beginning of the play, Romeo sees love as this horrible torture, as he has fallen deeply in love with a girl that won’t love him back. “Not mad, but bound more than a madman is; shut up in prison, kept without my food, whipt and tormented, and-God-den, good fellow.” (Act 1, Scene 2, 50-52) However, we see a transformation of Romeo’s views for love when he meets Juliet. “The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand, and touching her, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” (Act 1, Scene 5, 44-47) When Romeo and Juliet first talk to each other, Shakespeare used a Shakespearean sonnet, which is a love poem from lines 90-97. Shakespeare then used a broken Shakespearean sonnet from lines 98-101, to show the true romance and positive love that Romeo and Juliet have. One technique used in Romeo and Juliet is motifs. In Act 1, Scene 2, line 25, a star motive is used by Capulet, where he creates imagery of heaven and stars.  

Creating empathy - Diary entry response

9/10/12

Dearest diary, today I have just the worst news from my family that anyone would want to hear - they would disown me if I break up with this boy I like!! And my friends aren't helping the situation because they are telling me if I keep on seeing him, they will just stop being my friends. I thought family and friends were supposed to support one another, not turn on them and decide to completely isolate them over something, especially over a boy! I'm finding it very hard to make new friends, especially being the 'plankton' on the bottom of the school food chain (luckily I found my friends while I did). I'm feeling it harder to express myself to most of my friends, but it's harder to try and even speak to my parents. Ever since they found out about this boy, they act like they only have a son. I'm so glad I will be out of this jail-house in 2 years! My parents have had a few massive fights over the last few months, but with them both agreeing that I should dump Jonathan,I think their relationship has grown stronger! Jonathan is an amazing, sweet man, however my parents aren't seeing the kind man I love, instead they see a booze drinking guy who hangs out with a lowlife rude gang. I just wish they wouldn't force me to choose between my first true love and my so called supportive family and friends. What am I going to do? 

Notes on PDF documents

Expectations of daughters in Elizabethan England

·         The best portion, the greatest inheritance and the most precious jewel that they can take with them on their wedding day is shamefastnes (the want whereof is most hurtful in all women)

·         Women must carefully avoid sluggish and nasty talk, nice looks, flirtation and light expression when they walk abroad or be in company

·         No man will look for any other thing of a women but her honesty

·         If you take everything away from a maid or woman (such as beauty and wealth) and give her chastity, you would have given her everything. If her chastity is taken away and is given everything else, she would be called a wore or naughty pack  

17^th Century rules regarding marriage

·         Ministers were not allowed to marry anyone without banners or licence

·         Ministers were only allowed to marry couples between 8 and 12 in the forenoon

·         Ministers cannot marry two people in a private place, only in the said churches or chapels where one of them dwells

·         The people getting married are not allowed to be under the age of 21

Marriage Customs

·         When a daughter turns 7, the father will have help from his tenants to marry her

·         When the daughter turns 9, she is able to deserve and have dower

·         When the daughter turns 12, she is allowed to marry

·         A woman married at 12 cannot disagree afterwards, however if she is married before 12, then she can disagree until the age of 14  

·         The first promising and inception of marriage is in 2 parts – part 1 is when a man and woman bind themselves by their word only to contract matrimony thereafter. Part 2 is when an oath is made

·         Chastity is the major feature of a woman – if she doesn’t have it then no man would marry her