The Tragedy of Love

ROMEO and JULIET
By William
Shakespeare.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two
young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was
among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and along with Hamlet, is one of
his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal
young lovers.
Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. The
plot is based on an Italian tale translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and
Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562 and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter
in 1567. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but expanded the plot by developing a
number of supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris. Believed to have been
written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597. The
text of the first quarto version was of poor quality, however, and later editions corrected the
text to conform more closely with Shakespeare's original……
The Forcefulness of Love Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love story in the English
literary tradition. Love is naturally the play’s dominant and most important theme. The play
focuses on romantic love, specifically the intense passion that springs up at first sight between
Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, love is a violent, ecstatic, overpowering force that
supersedes all other values, loyalties, and emotions. In the course of the play, the young
lovers are driven to defy their entire social world: families (“Deny thy father and refuse thy
name,” Juliet asks, “Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I’ll no longer be a
Capulet”); friends (Romeo abandons Mercutio and Benvolio after the feast in order to go to
Juliet’s garden); and ruler (Romeo returns to Verona for Juliet’s sake after being exiled by
the Prince on pain of death in 2.1.76–78). Love is the overriding theme of the play, but a
reader should always remember that Shakespeare is uninterested in portraying a prettied-up,
dainty version of the emotion, the kind that bad poets write about, and whose bad poetry
Romeo reads while pining for Rosaline. Love in Romeo and Juliet is a brutal, powerful
emotion that captures individuals and catapults them against their world, and, at times,
against themselves…………
On a hot morning fighting by young servants of the Capulet and Montague families is stopped
by the Prince who tells them that the next person who breaks the peace will be punished with
death.Capulet plans a feast to introduce his daughter, Juliet, who is almost fourteen, to the
Count Paris who would like to marry her. By a mistake of the illiterate servant Peter,
Montague’s son, Romeo, and his friends Benvolio and the Prince’s cousin Mercutio, hear of
the party and decide to go in disguise. Romeo hopes he will see his adored Rosaline but
instead he meets and falls in love with Juliet.
Juliet’s cousin Tybalt recognises the Montagues and they are forced to leave the party just as
Romeo and Juliet have each discovered the other’s identity. Romeo lingers near the Capulet’s
house and talks to Juliet when she appears on her balcony. With the help of Juliet’s Nurse
the lovers arrange to meet next day at the cell of Friar Lawrence when Juliet goes for
confession, and they are married by him. Tybalt picks a quarrel with Mercutio and his friends
and Mercutio is accidentally killed as Romeo intervenes to try to break up the fight. Romeo
pursues Tybalt in anger, kills him and is banished by the Prince for the deed. Juliet is anxious
that Romeo is late meeting her and learns of the fighting from her Nurse. With Friar
Lawrence’s help it is arranged that Romeo will spend the night with Juliet before taking
refuge at Mantua………
To calm the family’s sorrow at Tybalt’s death the day for the marriage of Juliet to Paris is
brought forward. Capulet and his wife are angry that Juliet does not wish to marry Paris, not
knowing of her secret contract with Romeo. Friar Lawrence helps Juliet by providing a
sleeping potion that will make everyone think she’s dead. Romeo will then come to her tomb
and take her away. When the wedding party arrives to greet Juliet next day they think she is
dead. The Friar sends a colleague to warn Romeo to come to the Capulet’s family monument
to rescue his sleeping wife but the message doesn’t get through and Romeo, hearing instead
that Juliet is dead, buys poison in Mantua.
He returns to Verona and goes to the tomb where he surprises and kills the mourning Paris.
Romeo takes the poison and dies just as Juliet awakes from her drugged sleep. She learns
what has happened from Friar Lawrence but she refuses to leave the tomb and stabs herself
as the Friar returns with the Prince, the Capulets and Romeo’s father. The deaths of their
children lead the families to make peace, promising to erect a monument in their
memory……….
The End

The Tragedy of Love

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Tragedy of Love

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Tragedy of Love

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ROMEO and JULIET

You might also like