Confusion in Romeo and Juliet

Peter Ligeiro

William Shakespeare's highly acclaimed drama Romeo and Juliet is the story of two lovers against fate who by their death end the quarrels between their families, the Montague's and the Capulet. After meeting each other at a masquerade, they fall in one. However, the dread between the houses proves too strong as the story ends with a tragic ending. People who become masters of their trade have first to become masters of the tool. For a writer, this tool is language, and throughout history, many have wielded the written word, including William Shakespeare. Throughout Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses these words to convey more than their surface value. This is done by using confusion, most notably in the form of oxymorons and puns.

Confusion is Shakespeare's primary asset when creating the irony within his story. He accomplishes this primarily by utilizing oxymorons and puns. This asset is first shown in an argument between servants of the houses of Montague and Capulet. Tybalt accuses Benvolio of hypocrisy because of the fact that Benvolio, the Montague draws his sword and talks of peace. The line "drawn and talk of peace" causes much confusion and also describes the conflict between the two rival houses, who pretend to be at peace while knowing they are at war.

One of the forms in which confusion is presented is in the form of oxymorons. These oxymorons found in the story such as "brawling love" and "loving hate" creates for us an intricate image from elements that seem to be self-contradictory. The contradictory statements that make up the speeches of the characters serve to showcase their inability to convince themselves of what is fact, due to the confusion that plagues them.

Yet another form is which confusion is presented is in the form of puns. The play on words employed by Shakespeare mean much more than what is on the surface. Many puns can be found within the conversation between Sampson and Gregory. They talk of "carrying coals", "the weakest goes to the wall" and "draw your neck out of the collar." On the surface, these words carry out the basic criteria of a pun, to add comical effect, but these puns do much more than that. They illustrate the effectiveness of Shakespeare's words. These words create an image that provides us with a vivid and enrapturing view of culture in the times of Shakespeare well as the location in the city of Verona.

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's use of his masterful language to enrapture the reader and keep the reader filled with suspense. In history, many people have said that the pen is mightier than the sword, but no weapon can be truly formidable unless held in the hands of a master. Just like a master swordsman can amaze any crowd gathered round, Shakespeare's vigorous, highly trained lashes with a pen enchanted any audience gathered around his theater. The tool of his trade, language, made impressions within our society that can never be erased.