Character Analysis of Romeo

Analysis of Romeo (3rd Edition)
Author: Campbell 08/11/2011
The play Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in which Romeo is a tragic hero, who is the son of Montague and falls in love with Juliet from his feud family, Capulet, at their first glance of each other. Shakespeare uses several rhetoric devices in Romeo’s lines to suggest that Romeo is a romantic yet rash figure. As Russ McDonald mentions in his essay “Shakespeare’s tragic characters are visionaries, purists, idealists” 1, Romeo satisfies to be an idealist, who believes that he is going to have an adorable life with Juliet but gets totally messed up when things turn down.

First, “Heaven is here where Juliet lives and every cat and dog and little mouse, everything unworthy thing live here in heaven and may look on her, but Romeo may not… They may seize on the whit wonder of dear Juliet’s hand and steal immortal blessing from her lips…” 2 Both personification and metaphor are used in this quote in order to vividly describe the grief in Romeo’s heart. Human behaviours are applied to every dog, cat, mouse and other unworthy things that they can “seize” and “steal”. Evidently, to “seize the white wonder” and to “steal immortal blessing from her lips” are things that Romeo wants to do rather than he wants those animals to do. It is also suggested that Romeo would rather to be those animals instead of him to stay with Juliet given that he has been sentenced banishment. These things show that Romeo is suffering from anguish that he is going to leave Juliet and regarding himself as one that ranks lower those cats, dog, mice and other unworthy things. Moreover, “heaven”, in this context does not refer to the place where people live after they die. Actually, Shakespeare uses metaphor here to refer “heaven” to the place where Juliet lives but Romeo is prohibited to live. On the other hand, Romeo implies that he is going to a place like the hell. The contrast between the heaven and the hell is so strong that Romeo is upset because before he believed that he would lead a sweet life with Juliet. At this point, I conclude that Romeo is round character in this play. Round characters are defined to be those “who are more complex, who change their minds, attitudes, and actions, or who take readers through a process of conflict along with them.” 3 Before Romeo is sentenced, he was assuming that he was going to stay with Juliet after he married Juliet and most of the readers think so. But given that Romeo kills Tybalt and he is exiled, things turn to the dark side so that Romeo becomes sorrowful by which the reader is shocked.

Second, “Eyes, look your last. Arms, take your last embrace. And, lips, O, you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death.” 4 This piece contains imperative sentences that Romeo does certain things to show his magnificent love to Juliet straight from his heart. It is also an appealing detail, which carefully depicts the actions of Romeo’s eyes, arms and lips and which the reader is able to visualize in their head. As Gail Kern Paster mentions in his essay “ Rather Romeo and Juliet’s love is a social problem, unresolvable except by their deaths, because they dare to marry secretly in an age when legal, consummated marriage was irreversible” 5, in that historical context, in order to show that he is still loving Juliet not anyone else, he has no choices but to kill himself.

Third, “Hence ‘banished’ is ‘banished from the world,’ And world’s exile is death. Then ‘ banished’ is death mistermed. Calling death ‘banished’, thou cutt’st my head off with a golden ax…” 6. In this quote, the word “banished” is repeated several times. Such a repetition shows enormous grief that exists in Romeo’s heart and his unwillingness to leave the place where Juliet lives. Moreover, Romeo regards banishment as death and the fantasy, “cutt’st my head off with a golden ax”. At this point, I think that Romeo is quite rash and pessimistic. As Russ McDonald mentions “… they are like children, for their idealistic conception of the world is usually marked by a radical simplicity and naïveté” 7, I state that it is Romeo’s simplicity and naïveté that he equals banishment to death. In my opinion, it is just a tiny stumble block in his life as every other individual will have and Romeo is so rash that he is demanding death.

Fourth, “…her beauty makes this vault a feasting present full of light.” 8 The hyperbolic language in this quote suggests that Romeo sees that Juliet presents impressive and glorious beauty, which looks light. Again, it is a very strong piece of language to emphasise the unshakable status of Juliet in Romeo’s mind.

Bibliography
1 The Flaw in the Flaw Russ McDonald page 9
2 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Folger 1992 New York page 143
3 Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing AP Edition Hephzibah Rosekelly, David A. Jolliffe Pearson 2005 page 184
4 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Folger 1992 New York page 227
5 A Modern Perspective: Romeo and Juliet Gail Kern Paster page 255 in Romeo and Juliet
6 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Folger 1992 New York page 147
7 The Flaw in the Flaw Russ McDonald page 9-10
8 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Folger 1992 New York page 225

Bibliography: 1 The Flaw in the Flaw Russ McDonald page 9 2 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Folger 1992 New York page 143 3 Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing AP Edition Hephzibah Rosekelly, David A. Jolliffe Pearson 2005 page 184 4 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Folger 1992 New York page 227 5 A Modern Perspective: Romeo and Juliet Gail Kern Paster page 255 in Romeo and Juliet 6 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Folger 1992 New York page 147 7 The Flaw in the Flaw Russ McDonald page 9-10 8 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Folger 1992 New York page 225