Romeo and Juliet and the Isolation of Desire

Although this line signifies a fresh start for Romeo from his depressive state, snow can also symbolize isolation, despair, and coldness, thus personifying his first initial characteristics of unstable emotions and actions. But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? The light images used describes how easy it is for Romeo to be uplifted from his lowest depressive state vastly to a very positive and powerful condition.

To no surprise, Romeo eventually loses his appreciation of the sunlight as he states: The morning signifies death and darkness for Romeo as he realizes that the light forces the couple to stay apart, as they cannot be seen together during the daytime. However, dark imagery prevails in his hatred for the light and displays his insanity with will triumph if he is apart from Juliet at all.

Lastly, Juliet does not show signs of mental illness, however her frail and adolescent personality allows her to be manipulated and satisfied in believing that Romeo is her one true love, as he is the first choice in men she has ever had the opportunity to have. Although lightning may represent a spark of light and positivity in a controlled and dark life, it can also represent negativity or a terrible event.

After a short couple days, the couple wish to get married in an attempt to also prevent Juliet from being forced to married to kinsman Paris. Juliet is convinced from an indoctrinate position that only night and death will allow herself and Romeo to stay together forever as she contrast his brightness to the blackness of the night. Instead of considering the possibility of life with Romeo, after a few short days of romance, death or faking her death would be the only option to continue her love.

In the end confusion, immaturity, and insanity cause for a sour plan to end negatively in a teenage suicidal love story for both characters. Dark and light imagery is used to help illustrate the change and loss of innocence and sanity Juliet experiences during her short time of knowing Romeo. The contrasting imagery highlights the short, yet emotional roller coaster both Romeo and Juliet experience by presenting a concept that both Romeo and Juliet are not in love with each other, but instead are in love with the idea of love.

Folger Shakespeare Library, , You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. In this case the lovers each speak in quatrains; the passionate pilgrim, Romeo, speaks first, and unlike other 16th century traditional sonnets wherein the female voice is silent, Shakespeare gives Juliet the right of reply, showing a greater sense of power of the feminine. Juliet is distrustful of fancy phrases and implores Romeo to speak as plainly as possible.

She suggests that no matter what one calls a rose, its quality would be the same. He struggles to assert a self that is not confined to the boundaries of the feud and indeed to the language of that feud. Contrastingly, Rosaline and Romeo have a tendency to be pretentious and affected. Like Romeo, Juliet struggles to avoid the language that seeks to confine them both to an established sexual order. Rather, Juliet asks Romeo to avoid slipping into the role of devoted worshipper at her shrine.

Eventually, though love brings about a rapprochement between the families. Capulet and Montague agree to bury their feud in light of the tragedy that has befallen their families and the incredible sacrifice of the lovers. Who is to blame? The continual feud between the Montague and the Capulet families results in ongoing conflict. There are many factors that are responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence, fate and their parents can be held responsible for their tragic demise.

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But the lovers and Friar Lawrence, unwittingly, make decisions that undermine their best intentions. They seem to choose against themselves. The feuding families To a large extent, the feud is responsible for the tragic deaths. Significantly, both Romeo and Juliet fall in love before they become aware that they both hail from the enemy clan.

Juliet and Romeo are both determined to find a way to be together and get married despite their enemy status. Lord and Lady Capulet force Juliet to marry Paris without asking her opinion because they assume that she will obey them. Reflecting the patriarchal views about women, Capulet implies that Juliet is his property: When she does not obey their orders, Lord Capulet angrily retorts: Go to the church on Thursday, or never look on my face again!

Ironically, the chain of events undermines his best intentions. Whilst he preaches moderation and restraint, his plan gives rise to extreme actions. During his initial soliloquy, he tends lovingly to his plants, which he collects to make medicines. Using the analogy of the natural world, he notes that a disturbance to this natural balance has malign consequences. This harmony can be replicated in human lives so long as passion and desire are appropriately restrained.

Such comments foreshadow the simmering feud between both Tybalt and Mercutio, who misapply the notions of courage and honour, with disastrous consequences for the lovers.

Shakespeare constructs the two figures, Mercutio and Tybalt, as mirror images of their different families. Both incite hatred and inflame the tension between the two clans. Both bear a grudge against each other. They both use words and phrases to deliberately offend each other. Mercutio is just as provocative as Tybalt. His language and his words are very inflammatory.

As a result, Mercutio interprets this offensively. He refuses to listen to reason from either Benvolio or Romeo. They refuse to settle for peace. They deliberately use inflammatory words and spoil for a fight. Even Friar Lawrence tries to warn him about the unforeseen consequences of impulsive actions.

Romeo and Juliet

In his own way, Romeo unwittingly contributes to his demise because of his inability to constrain the two warring foes during the fatal encounter that precipitates his exile. Tybalt and Mercutio are both spoiling for a fight and ironically, the more Romeo seeks to reconcile the two enemies, the more he provokes the duel.

Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to show the differences between Mercutio and Tybalt who seek to provoke each other, and Romeo, who prioritises peace and reconciliation. He struggles to articulate the consequences of his profound love that have an impact upon his conduct. However, his offer of peace is misinterpreted by Tybalt as a reason to fight. After Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo decides that he must defend his honour and no longer shows control and restraint.

He imagines that his love has weakened him. Only when it is too late, he realizes how foolish he has been. Sadly, Romeo also panics when he sees Juliet in the casket.

The Isolation of Juliet throughout "Romeo and Juliet" by Hayley Dors on Prezi

Although love and peace are his main aims, Friar Lawrence instigates the dangerous plan that has disastrous consequences. Also he knows that Juliet is threatening to kill herself if he does not find a solution.

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The plan appears simple, but is risk-laden. It encourages Juliet to deceive her parents. She feigns death which leads to disaster upon the lack of communication with Romeo. Juliet blindly places her faith in the Friar and when the plan backfires both Romeo and Juliet are too young, naive and innocent to think of other remedies.

He does not have any back-up plans.

Friar John is held up by the authorities. He begs Romeo to show patience, which may have led to a different outcome.