Okay, I've got this essay on Romeo and Juliet to hand in for college coursework, I'd really, really, really appreciate constructive criticism on it.
You see, the schooling system of the UK means that 80% of my final marks are not from the end of year exam, but from coursework, essays like this.
It's really crucial.
And no, I haven't got anybody to help me with it, so this really is my only hope.
It's not cheating, it's asking advice because I'm tearing my hair out at this and I don't want to screw up…:cwy:
How does Shakespeare prepare the Audience for inevitable tragedy before Act one Scene five?
_Romeo and Juliet, a Fateful tragedy.
During the entire play, even in the prologue we know what is to become of these “Star crossed lovers”. Fate plays a great role in the romantic tragedy. All these coincidences and chance meetings are so unlikely to occur that it has to be Fate that has set this chain of events in motion.
I think that Shakespeare has linked the lovers first meeting to Fate by harmonizing their words to form a Sonnet, just like the prologue. This makes it all the more obvious that this meeting was meant to occur, that it was written in the stars.
The prologue is Fate, we are like gods, knowing the destiny of others. This is reminiscent of Greek tragedy where a goddess or god would treat mortals like pawns in their game of fate. Knowing the destines of those mortal pawns.
The prologue also reveals the ending to create a more dramatic effect, making us empathize with the “Star crossed lovers”. We want to know how, when and where they die, and every moment towards the end, like the Sands of time, makes it clearer to us that tragedy is inevitable because the gods are “steering” them towards their Fate.
In the beginning Romeo is completely innocent of ongoing events surrounding him which is apparent by him being unaware of his surroundings at the beginning of the play.
He also uses Oxymoron’s like bright smoke, which shows his confusion, how he is lost in his own fantasy world.
He is obsessed with the idea of love and his own feelings but hardly mentions the girl who has triggered these emotions. His constant brooding on love clearly shows him as a romantic hero, like sir Lancelot in King Arthur. This is probably why in Luhrman’s Version of the play Romeo is dressed up as a knight in shining armor at the Capulet's party.
Romeo doesn’t notice the ruins of the feud and doesn’t care when he notices. I believe Shakespeare is setting the stage for Romeo to become his tragic, romantic hero.
Tybalt on the other hand is the opposite, the antagonist, a figure of Fate. Unlike Romeo who uses rhyming couplets about love in a poetic and symbolic way Tybalt uses rhyming couplets about hate and vengeance in a straightforward way.
I think that Shakespeare is in this way linking them by their language to show that they are equal and opposite of each other.
Contrary to Romeo who is ignorant of his surroundings, Tybalt is aware on them this is shown by his recognition of Romeo’s voice in a crowd. Tybalt's initial words “Peace? I hate the word” reinforces his trouble making character. We know from this that he will pursue the feud until either he or the Montague’s die. He is a different type of hero, a Machiavellian type of hero.
To him there is no honor except to himself and his family, anything is justified in defense of him and the Capulet family. “By the stock and honor of my kin, to strike him dead I hold it not a sin” Supports my view of him being a Machiavellian hero.Tybalt in other words is the perfect counterpart to Romeo, a destined foe.
Benvolio’s initial words sharply contrast with Tybalt's “Part fools! You know not what you do.” His words clearly show him as a peace maker, but there is a note of desperation in his speech that shows that no matter how hard he tries, he can’t stop Fate. Just like Jesus said while crucified:” Forgive them, they know not what they do” We know that he will fail, that he won’t be able to stop the feud.
Fate intervenes again when Benvolio and Romeo are talking about Romeos love for Rosaline, when they encounter Peter, a servant of the Capulet’s who can’t read but is given the duty of giving out invitations of a forthcoming party at the Capulet's Mansion.
Peter asks Romeo to read the invitation scroll and through this discovers that Rosaline is going to the Party.
Benvolio wagers with Romeo that he will forget his love for Rosaline once he has seen a fairer lady and they agree to go to that party.
The fact that Rosaline will go to the party is motivation for Romeo and that many fair ladies will attend it and to prove to Romeo that he is not in love with Rosaline is the motivation for Benvolio to go into their greatest Enemy’s party.
I believe that this is Shakespeare’s way of engineering the meeting of Romeo and Juliet.
Juliet already has a suitor, the Count Paris.
Paris approach to Juliet is the traditional and formal way, through her parents. Yet Lady Capulet's description of him
Shows us that he isn’t going to be the man who sweeps Juliet off her feet. Actually the opposite is true, Juliet is being hinted by her mother that she must work to like Paris.
Lady Capulet uses the romantic metaphor of a book to introduce Paris as a suitor to Juliet, but a book is a poor metaphor because it is passive Juliet will have to do all the work to get to even like him let alone love him. Juliet isn’t really keen on this prospect and shows this by saying: “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly.” In other words she will try to like Paris but won’t make any special effort to do so. This shows that Juliet could be open to other suitors.
Romeo in contrast to Paris
Is an Active suitor, he sees Juliet and takes her hand and starts giving her compliments referring to her as a Saint and himself as a pilgrim who will worship her. Romeo touches his palms with his own and offers to do the same with their lips, and kisses her. After their kiss Juliet says:” You kiss by th’book”This shows that Paris has been usurped as a suitor and that she is now interested in Romeo.
I believe that Shakespeare has deliberately harmonized their speech in their first meeting to form a Sonnet to remind us of the prologue or Fate. It also shows that they are meant to be, they are the perfect couple. Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting is by far the most fateful
Encounter in the entire play. This is where the tragedy unfolds. After their first sonnet they start another one but they are interrupted by the nurse, this Foreshadows the fact that they will always be interrupted by circumstances, and that they will never be able to cherish their newfound love.
After Juliet leaves to talk to her mother, Romeo asks the nurse who she is and is shocked by the revelation:” Is she a Capulet?
O dear account! My life is my foes dept.”
This shows us that doom is near at hand.
But this is not the first time Romeo sees his own fate. Even Before going into the party Romeo speaks of a dream he had the previous night:” My mind misgives some consequence, yet hanging in the stars, shall bitterly begin at this fearful date. With this nights revels and expire the term. Of a despised life, closed in my breast, by some vile forfeit of untimely death.”
Romeo, like the oracle of Delphi was granted the gift of foresight, a gift only given to those mortals whom are in favor of the gods. He saw that going to this party would change his life forever, that this change would be for the worst not for the best. Yet he doesn’t try to change his destiny like Macbeth, but says:” But he that hath steerage of my course, Direct my sail!” He was given a chance to live, but he refused to take it.
I think this is because he truly believed that if he followed his destiny only then he would find “the one” his other half, the person made to love him. This also shows that Mercutio knows him well by saying that Romeo is:” More inconsistent than the wind, who woos even now the frozen bosom of the north. And being angered, puffs away from thence, turning his face to the dew-dropping south.” Mercutio is telling us that Romeo has no will of his own, he goes wherever the wind (Fate) takes him.
Mercutio is also trying to get Romeo to grow up, he is the only one who truly understands Romeo, he truly cares about him and with his Queen Mab speech is trying to talk some sense into Romeo. But to no avail.
Romeo remains passive towards his fate and unlike Macbeth doesn’t even attempt to change it.
I think Juliet is less guilty on this account though, because she wasn’t granted that foresight into her future. But in the party scene she does make an unconscious prediction of her future: “If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed.” This reminds us of the prologue, of Fate again.
It is dramatic irony that she mentions her grave to be her wedding bed and that this becomes real, she spends her wedding night with Paris in her tomb, feigning her own death.
Shakespeare in his brilliance has set all these elements together to create this unique theme of Fate, romance and death.
He shows us that we all have a predetermined path ahead of us, and that no matter how hard we try it cannot be changed.
Romeo, Juliet and the others are simply marionettes controlled by the gods, they have no will of their own._
