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Identity In Romeo And Juliet

Decent Essays

How does the idea of identity contribute to the story of Romeo and Juliet? Consider family affiliation, gender, social class and age in your response. Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, contains dramatic plots that made the story extremely tragic and romantic. One of the main elements that carry forward the plot is the characters’ identity. Firstly, family affiliation is a significant part of the story, because it is the main reason that destroys their romantic love. Secondly, gender role is an essential part of the story, because it was set in a patriarchal society, Juliet doesn’t have freedom to choose her love. Furthermore, social class plays a vital role in the story, because Juliet is an elegant girl who lives in upper class society, which means she does not have a lot of freedom and privacy that is why she cannot see Romeo …show more content…

Juliet is an upper class girl who is a member of Capulet family. In Act 3, Mr. Capulet makes a marriage contract with Paris’s family; he tries to make his family stronger by Juliet’s marriage. He does not care about Juliet’s feeling, because this is a upper social class marriage contract. There is a quote illustrate Mr. Capulet’s feeling when Juliet tries to refuse to the marriage. “Soft! Take me with you, take me with you, wife. How! Will she none? Doth she not give us thanks? Is she not proud? Doth she not count her blest, unworthy as she is, that we have wrought so worthy a gentleman to be her bride.” (Act.3 Sc.5 145) This quote demonstrate how angry Mr. Capulet is, when he heard his daughter wants to marry a Montague Romeo. It also shows Juliet is tightly controlled by the Capulet family, she does not have freedom to choose her lover, everything is plotted for her. That is why she uses nurse to contact Romeo, she is actually house arrested by her parents, and however, all of these happen because Juliet is in the upper social class

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