Injustice In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

“Two households, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient Grudge, break to new mutiny.”

Imagine yourself, dear reader, transported to Shakespearian Verona, a bustling, peaceful city (aside from the occasional death or two), with its obligatory social classes going about agreeably (aside from the occasional brawl or two), and all people happy and successful (aside from the occasional poor wretch or two). The Verona in which Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet takes place in is made sinister by the deadly consequences than ensue from its strict, unbending society. Romeo and Juliet paints a tale about two young lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, whose attempts to be together are cruelly thwarted by society. Society’s fixation on honor and disgrace, poverty-creating laws, and austere social roles all have crucial

Through a brilliantly written play of tragedy and woe, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a thrilling tale of romance and passion. However, there is also a less obvious, nonetheless present, theme within the story – rebellion. Throughout the story, the main protagonists, Romeo and Juliet, show rebellion through their words and their actions. They oppose their social world and their families for the sake of their all-consuming love.

Oh, poor Romeo and Juliet! To fall madly in love only to kill themselves besides each other is heartbreaking. Now you might think that because of this tragic outcome, the two lovers had no mentors to guide them. Well you’d be wrong. In the play, Romeo and Juliet (Rom.), written by William Shakespeare, Friar Laurence served as a positive mentor for both Romeo and Juliet.

Despite their feuding families’ opinions, Romeo and Juliet have an instant attraction to each other. Seeing as Romeo and Juliet met at a party at the Capulets’ house, their attraction is one that would not have been discovered if it was not for the similarities in their socioeconomic status. According to Dr. Aaron Ben-Zeév, similarities in the backgrounds between people is “helpful in maintaining love relations.” Because of their high status, both Romeo and Juliet experienced life as if they were invincible. When the truth that “Romeo slew Tybalt” (III. 1. 190) was revealed and Romeo was banished, Romeo and Juliet realized they could not uphold the high expectations placed upon them at birth. Romeo and Juliet’s fatal downfall caused by an attempt to leave Verona together was the result of this realization and burdensome socioeconomic

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that involves young lovers, their “untimely death,” and a feud between their two families. The Capulets and the Montagues war against each other. The feud continues to escalate and provides the background for the story of these “two star-crossed lovers.” This literary masterpiece is still relevant today since it involves parental ambition, family fighting, and young love.

The society of fair Verona of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has corrupted themselves. The extent to which goes far beyond the simple divide between the two most wealthy, and by extent most powerful, families in the city. Their corruption has been to their very emotions, namely, to their understanding of love. Throughout the play, relationships between characters are never as intimate as is usual to the nature of such relationships. The only “romantic” relationship portrayed in the play is that of Romeo and Juliet, whose relationship is by all means unconventional.

Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in 1594-1595, within the ‘The Elizabethan Era’ when the father acted in the undisputed role of head of the household. It was a common assumption to associate men with the ability to obtain power and control, whilst the female role was more to do with having children – who were considered as property. The role of the child was to be matched with a partner that would secure the wealth within the family, to consequently pass down power continually. Women maintained no form of authority, (ie:) in the sense they could not purchase a house, use money or possess certain holds over people – yet could influence the decisions made by their husband. Shakespeare reflects themes that ran through society in his historical period, by using the character Capulet to illustrate the issues surrounding an inequality of power.

Throughout Romeo and Juliet the theme of conflict is conveyed in many forms, mostly through physical violence; reflected in the era of the Renaissance where there was political turmoil and many European nations were at war. Shakespeare presents the theme in other forms as well; family versus family, sacred versus profane, parent versus child and language versus inner conflict. Conflict is a key in the structure of the play; it is highlighted in the beginning, middle and end. As an audience we are constantly being reminded of conflict which is reflected within the era the play was written in. The Renaissance was the 'rebirth ' of classical learning and was also the time when Science challenged many traditional Christian beliefs which resulted in Catholics fighting Protestants; the Gunpowder plot and the Spanish Armada. Shakespeare chose to dramatise conflict as it was the context in which he was writing plays. It is therefore arguable that this period was characterised by irreconcilable opposites in politics, religion and art. Nothing in the world can exist without its opposite- just as love cannot exist without hate, violence cannot exist without peace.

Those with power abuse it. People who obtain power will use their power to conflict physical harm or manipulate their victim. They use their power to obtain control of one's body or actions. People use power to physically harm others. In the film Nicholas Nickleby, NIcholas Nickleby goes to a boarding school ran by a man named Mr. Squeers to find an education where he can earn money for his now poor family.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – popularly considered by many to be the quintessential love story of all time – is a play that we are all familiar with in one way or another. Whether it be through the plethora of portrayals, adaptations and performances that exist or through your own reading of the play, chances are you have been acquainted with this tale of “tragic love” at some point in your life. Through this universal familiarity an odd occurrence can be noted, one of almost canonical reverence for the themes commonly believed to be central to the plot. The most widely believed theme of Romeo and Juliet is that of the ideal love unable to exist under the harsh social and political strains of this world. Out of this idea emerge two

Shakespeare understood that with young love came rebellion, (which upon Juliet’s marriage to Paris being advanced ahead of time), made the lovers more determined to defy their scorning families and the chain of being. Had their families ceased their feud and with time, let their children get to personally know each other, their young love might’ve extended into true love. Shakespeare presents the complexities and faults with young love in the play with rebellion and time as catalysts in their downfall, suggesting a negative view of the human nature.

Justice is defined as being fair, right, or lawful. To determine if an action is just, the question “was it morally right or wrong” must be answered. In law today, justice is determined through written rules or laws. Similarly, the novel Romeo and Juliet uses the idea of justice, for two lovers have families are at war, which creates great tension throughout the families. The two families, the Montagues and the Capulets often begin riots throughout the streets of Verona, which causes many complications for Romeo and Juliet, as well as challenges the idea of justice. In the novel Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, justice was not achieved through the Prince’s ruling.

Shakespeare's famous play of the two star crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet arouses many debates in the literary world; among them belongs the question of who Shakespeare portrays as the culprit responsible for the couples death: foolish young love, societal norms and customs or simply fate?The plot of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare unfolds in Verona, where the protagonists, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, each belong to powerful feuding Verona families. Juliet, who is only 14 years of age, has been promised by her father to a man named Paris without her consent, as was common for women at the time. In Verona, expectations and societal norms for men and women diverge. Men are portrayed as sexual, violent, strong characters who fight for honor while women are portrayed as inferior, weaker and represent possessions and conquests of men. Although, Juliet does not conform to these expectations and defies them throughout the play by her actions and behavior until she meets a tragic and untimely death with her lover Romeo. William Shakespeare uses Juliet, an unconventional protagonist compared to the society’s gender roles, and her tragic downfall to criticize the patriarchal society he lived in during the Elizabethan era.

Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; whose misadventure piteous overthrows. Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-marked love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.