Abstract This paper focuses on the importance of the women's roles in the plays Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Othello. Particularly, the relationship between the woman and their fathers is analyzed in this paper. The father-daughter relationship that this paper focuses on is the relationship between pairs of characters in the plays mentioned above: Lord Capulet and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Polonius and Ophelia (Hamlet), and Brabantio and Desdemona (Othello). Each character is evaluated according to their interaction not only with other people, but most importantly their interaction with each other. An analysis on the effect of woman roles in contributing to the tragedy that happened in the play is also discussed.
From the Paper "Women in many of Shakespeare's plays establish their own identity in the story through a series of interaction with various characters in the play. Aside from their roles as a woman and a wife or lover to the main characters of Shakespearean plays, the author presents another side of the woman's character through a reflection of the existing father and daughter relationship in the story. If women were regarded as "goddess" by their husbands/lovers, their relationships with their fathers present another part of their persona, and each of them possesses unique characteristics that make their roles in the story memorable. "
Abstract This paper explains how Lady Capulet is a loving mother and wife who changes into an impatient, vengeful, and confused woman. It shows how Shakespeare proves himself a master of his characters by performing such a transformation in so few lines.
From the Paper "Shakespeare first introduces us to Lady Capulet when her husband is entering into a dispute with Montague and calls for his sword. She questions his asking for a sword and to the reader is the sensible balance that Capulet needs. What is unknown to the reader is the true Lady Capulet that lies behind the caring fa"ade is an inpatient, vengeful woman. Through her fa"ade, the reader is led into a trap where one feels sympathy for Lady Capulet. However, once the true character is revealed, it becomes apparent that she deserves each thing that occurs to her."
Abstract This paper examines "Romeo and Juliet", written by William Shakespeare, which is set in Verona Italy, where two feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets, produce a pair of "star-crossed lovers". It looks at how within the play there are five events that drastically change the course of Romeo and Juliet's love: Romeo and Juliet's meeting; their marriage; the death of Tybalt and Romeo's banishment; Friar John being detained with the letter allowing Balthasar to inform Romeo of Juliet's death; and Romeo killing himself before Juliet awakens. It attempts to show how these events could be classified as the direct results of a character's action, an act of fate, or a combination of both.
From the Paper "Romeo and Juliet's first meeting is completely due to fate. Their families? hate for one another would have made it impossible for them ever to meet unless there was another force at work. Romeo was originally infatuated with Rosaline, a woman who did not belong to either the Capulet or Montague family, and who would have nothing to do with Romeo. If the Serving Man of the Capulets had not approached Romeo to read the list of guests he was to ask to the party, Romeo would never have been aware that Rosaline was invited, which is the reason that induced him to enter the home of his enemy. This string of events and coincidences could not occur in a situation without fate, which sets up the rest of the play around the delicate relationship of Romeo and Juliet that under normal circumstances would not exist."
Abstract This paper analyzes how Shakespeare manipulates indoor and outdoor settings to drive the two different plots: the private love of Romeo and Juliet and the public feud between the Capulet's and Montague's. In doing this, public and private scenes are also intertwined to contrast the intensity and power of the young lover's passion with the folly and senseless damage of the old feud that dooms them. It also examines how Shakespeare manipulates the tension created by displaying these two plots, side by side in some scenes, to create both comedy and sorrow. Whatever the effect, Shakespeare skillfully plays with the societal meanings attached to these places to enhance the drama of the theatrical performance.
From the Paper "The play begins with the establishment of the families' feud by showing public conflict between Sampson and Gregory, servants of Capulet, and Abraham and Balthazar, of the house of Montague (I.i 35-55). This takes place in a public, outdoor arena, a street in Verona, which brings in two important elements of the feud between the two houses: the compulsion to fight because of family honor, which is demonstrated by the insults that preface the swordfight, and the sense of public justice holding these feuding men accountable, which hints that the feud is a legacy of the past."
Abstract This paper analyzes the various factors pertinent to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, with an emphasis on Friar Lawrence's role in their deaths. The writer concludes that the responsibility for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet lies not only with the Friar but also with nearly every main character in the play.
From the Paper "Although it often appears that the Friar is responsible for events leading to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, in reality it is usually other influences that are accountable. For instance, the Friar's plan (giving Juliet the sleeping potion to evade the wedding to Paris, then spiriting her to Mantua until Romeo could return to Verona) was not flawed in itself. Unfortunately however, Balthazar, seeing Juliet's funeral, hastened to tell Romeo that he ?saw her laid low in her kindred's vault,? (5, 1, 20). It was this information that made him, and later Juliet, commit suicide. Again, while marrying Romeo and Juliet may seem like an irresponsible action, it did not contribute to the lovers? deaths. Their first meeting, based on chance, and their separation, as a result of Romeo's banishment, played a far greater role in the tragedy."
Abstract This paper discusses Romeo's friend, Mercutio in William Shakespeare's famous love story, "Romeo and Juliet". The paper compares and contrasts Romeo and Mercutio and concludes that Mercutio is the better of the two. Mercutio is more mature in his views of love, his wit is outstanding and he carries impulsiveness to a fault.
From the Paper "Even in a simplified modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio's character stays with similar wit. "Unable to make anything coherent" with Mercutio's dialogue, the author of the film had the actor "put a handkerchief over his face and say, 'blah, blah, blah, blah, blah'" (Pendleton 62). Mercutio's witty punning is directly a part of his character, and leads to his death with the baiting of Tybalt (Vickers 73). He described his wound simply as "not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve." Also punning, he states, "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man." (Shakespeare 61)."
Abstract This paper discusses two plays by William Shakespeare, "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet". Specifically, it provides an analysis of the theme of revenge in both plays, and compares how revenge harms the characters in both the plays. The paper portrays revenge to be the undoing of the main characters in both plays, and illustrates how deadly the need to avenge can become.
From the Paper "Revenge may be sweet, but in "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare shows the ugly side of revenge, the side that harms everyone it touches. Revenge is an ugly word that indicates evil and violence, and these two plays illustrate the tragic side of revenge. All the lives lost in both plays could have been spared if vengeance had not been such an issue for all the families, and that is the real and abiding tragedy of these works."
Abstract The paper explores how several factors (society, state and family) create insurmountable obstacles for the love of Romeo and Juliet. The focus is on a particular scene (act 3 scene 1), which the author feels is a turning point, or a point of no return for Romeo and Juliet.
From the Paper "From the start, the audience knows that Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers, doomed to be separated by fate. Even so, there are many moments of hope where it seems like they just might be able to overcome all the difficulties they face. Act 3 scene 1 seems to crush this hope and seal the fate of the lovers. This scene is a turning point in the play where the influence of social institutions directs the tragic fate of Romeo and Juliet by creating insurmountable obstacles for their love. Their fate becomes inescapable when in this scene Romeo and Juliet's society, state and family create the circumstances that keep the lovers from being together."
Abstract This paper explores the role of fate, as Shakespeare employed it, in "Romeo & Juliet". The paper uses examples from the play to show that fate made the tragic outcome inevitable.
From the Paper "Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is set in Verona Italy, where two feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets produce a pair of "star-crossed lovers". Within the play there are five events that drastically change the course of Romeo and Juliet's love: Romeo and Juliet's meeting, their marriage, the death of Tybalt and Romeo's banishment, Friar John being detained with the letter allowing Balthasar to inform Romeo of Juliet's death, and Romeo killing himself before Juliet awakens. These events could be classified as the direct results of a character's action, an act of fate, or a combination of both. Quite often this is the case, fate played upon the flaws of the character, therefore producing the event. In these situations the character is often aware of the part that fate played."
Abstract This paper examines how Act 3 Scene 1 is a key scene in William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet". It discusses how it represents the climax of a love story and the beginning of a tragedy and how the scene shows the consequences of hatred or feud and what can happen if things go too far. It also looks at the dramatic effectiveness this scene has on the audience, both contemporary and in Shakespeare's time.
From the Paper "Act 3 scene 1 has a lot of contrast because of its variety of language and style. For instance, it changes from blank verse, to prose to blank and rhyming verse. It's language and style changes to indicate the mood of the scene as well as it's development. In Act 2 scene 6 and Act 3 scene 2 Shakespeare uses blank verses to draw attention to a change in a speaker's mindset, to move from serious to lighter subject matter or vice versa, to emphasize the differences between social classes but in Act 3 scene 1 it is important that Shakespeare uses less verse because this an active scene. Prose is used a lot in this scene. In fact almost half the scene uses prose and this is appropriate because in Act 3 scene 1 there are a lot of speeches in which the characters speak about their state of mind and prose signal insanity."
Abstract This paper analyzes the main female characters in "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer-Night's Dream" and then discusses their similar and dissimilar qualities. In discussing their similarities, the paper notes that both Hermia of "A Midsummer-Night's Dream" and Juliet of "Romeo and Juliet" are strong and courageous females, and both will do anything for love. Among their differences, the paper cites their differences in age. The paper also points out that the major difference in the two plays, the outcome, has to do with the plot of the play and not the differences in the characters of Juliet and Hermia.
From the Paper "Hermia and Juliet share a major similarity in that they are both female characters devoted to love and willing to do anything to be with their lover. They are also both strong and courageous characters, though Hermia is more mature, while Juliet is younger and more naive. The major difference though, is the outcome for the two characters, with Juliet's love leading to her tragic death, and Hermia's leading to a happy ending. This difference is related not to the qualities of each character, but to their roles in the play, and to the type of play each character is part of. These similarities and differences will now be considered in more detail."
Abstract This paper compares the play, "Romeo and Juliet", written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan Times in the late 1500s with four modern day movie adaptations: "West Side Story", directed by Robert Wise in 1961; "Romeo and Juliet", directed by Baz Luhrmann in 1996; "Shakespeare in Love", directed by John Madden in 1998; and "Romeo Must Die" directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak in 2000. The findings conclude that "Romeo Must Die" has little to do with the original play in terms of plot and passion. "Shakespeare in Love" evokes some of the passion that "Romeo and Juliet" had, but deviates substantially in events. The paper shows that, while the movie, "Romeo and Juliet", comes closest to the storyline of the original play, only "West Side Story" succeeds in capturing the romantic passion first relayed by Shakespeare.
From the Paper "The script understates the romance in favor of emphasizing the intensity of the war that is going on. Trish and Hans try to discover who killed their loved ones and develop a relationship more akin to a friendship than the passionate love of Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo Must Die, Hans and Trish fall supposedly completely in love, and yet don"t kiss, don"t swoon, and don?t even show a tinge of passion".
Abstract This paper first presents a brief overview of the life of William Shakespeare, before explaining the story of one his most famous plays, "Romeo and Juliet". The paper argues that the play and Juliet are both a comedy and a tragedy and that, although it is the ultimate love story between two young lovers and their ironic deaths, the play has comedic highlights.
From the Paper "Juliet, realizing that she may never be with Romeo, concocts a plan to separate herself from Paris by swallowing a potion to put her into a lifeless state. Romeo reacts irrationally to the news that Juliet is "dead" and plans his own death. Romeo drinks poison, killing himself all the time believing that his true love is dead. When Juliet awakens from her lifeless state to find that Romeo is dead she finds the bottle of poison that Romeo drank. Finding the bottle empty, she takes Romeo's dagger and stabs herself. Both young lovers commit the last defiance of their complicated lives, creating the ultimate tragedy."
Abstract This paper examines how Juliet begins the play as a dependent, adolescent young woman and how, by the end of the play, she shows others, but mainly herself, that she is ready to be self-reliant and make her own decisions. In particular, it looks at how the last lines of the play revolve around Juliet and her development as a character. They show that she is essentially more significant than any other character in the play.
From the Paper "In Act 1 Scene 5, Juliet starts to move toward her independence but still shows dependence. Once Juliet meets Romeo, her actions change. Juliet allows Romeo to kiss her without her parents' permission. "Then have my lips the sin that they have took." (1,5,119) After Juliet receives her kiss from Romeo, she asks him to kiss her again, "You kiss by th' book."(1,5,122) Juliet continues to show dependence in this Scene. As Romeo leaves the Capulet party, Juliet asks the Nurse what the boys name is walking out the door,"Go ask his name. If he be married, My grave is like to be my wedding bed."(1,5,148-149). As Juliet seeks independence she finds herself becoming more mature and self governed in her actions."
Abstract This paper considers the characters of "Romeo and Juliet" on a psychological level, with the analysis looking deeper at the real reasons for their decisions and their behavior. The paper presents "Romeo and Juliet" not as a story of star-crossed lovers, but as one of two teenagers trying to deal with the anxiety in their lives. The paper examines "Romeo and Juliet" from this psychological perspective, illustrating that their story is one that deals with love and anxiety.
From the Paper "One of the first critical points in understanding Romeo is that Juliet is not the first woman he has been in love with. In the first scene he describes his love for Rosaline. Most importantly, like Juliet, Rosaline is also a Capulet. In the first scene, Romeo describes how Rosaline is sworn to chastity saying, "Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit / With Cupid's arrow; she hath Dian's wit; / And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd, / From love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd" (I,i 206-209). This shows that Romeo has selected a person to love that is a completely unsuitable match for him. It is also important that Romeo speaks as if his love is pure and will never die. When Benvolio urges Romeo to forget about her, Romeo replies that he could not possibly forget her because he loves her too much. Considering that Rosaline has shown no interest in Romeo and that they do not have a real relationship, it is suggested that Romeo is inventing his sense of deep love. This is further suggested when Romeo meets Juliet and instantly forgets about Rosaline and transfers all his feelings of love to Juliet. Reading Romeo and Juliet as a love story, it could be argued that Romeo forgets about Rosaline because he experiences real love when he sees Juliet. However, on seeing Juliet, he decided that he loves her intensely without even knowing her. In fact, the only thing he does know about Juliet is that she is a Capulet. This suggests that Romeo desperately wants to love a Capulet."
