In William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, the characters Romeo and Tybalt are great examples of foil characters, they contrast with each other in different ways, like motivations, traits, and actions. Romeo exemplifies emotions like love, passion, and impulsivity. While traits such as an aggressive nature, a strict disciplinary code, and loyalty to your family are more important to Tybalt, they are not. The constantly contrasting motivations of the two is a great reason why they are considered…
October 16th was the opening night for a Carroll production of Romeo and Juliet. Many familiar faces around Carroll are involved with the shakespearian production and everything seems to be going smoothly. On Thursday night (the 15th), a dress rehearsal was given to an open audience and was very well received with seemingly everything going according to plan. However, behind the show are some interesting characters as well.…
A foil character is one who enhances unique characteristics of another character. This is accomplished by a strong contrast between the two characters. The famous play writer, William Shakespeare uses numerous foil characters throughout his plays. One of these famous plays is Romeo and Juliet. This play has many foil characters which magnify qualities in other characters. Specifically Romeo, who is the main character of the play and has three main foil characters. Each one of these characters brings out a specific quality in Romeo 's character.…
Foil characters are defined as characters that are used to contrast another character. This character in most cases is the protagonist. Moreover, foil characters tend to be based on the protagonist’s hubris, wherein contrasting the fatal flaw shows how it has ballooned out of control. Foil characters further themes by highlighting the characteristics of certain characters that will help enhance the theme. The role of foil characters in Shakespearean tragedies is to show what could have happened if the protagonist made a different choice. Likewise, this idea is prevalent within Romeo and Juliet. Furthermore, this play portrays two children from warring families who meet and fall in love, but eventually kill themselves as their love is not accepted in either family. In Romeo and Juliet foil characters are used to contrast different characteristics of both Romeo and Juliet. They also take on the role of changing faith. These characters exemplify how faith can have two sides. The death of a foil character for example, brought chaos and misery towards both the families. However, the quick thinking of another foil character brought Romeo and Juliet together. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s qualities are emphasized and distinguished through the foil characters: Mercutio, Tybalt, and Benvolio.…
A foil character contrasts the personalities of another character, which particularly enlightens certain characteristics of the individual. This element portrays these characteristics in an obvious manner, as it benefits the reader or audience. By showing the characteristics of one, it directly heightens the character traits of the other, creating a foil illustration of an individual. Nowhere is this element of literature more prudent than in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as he effectively engages the use of foil characters. In the play, two lovers from opposing, and hateful families fall in love, but the hatred between households lead to their downfall. Characters in the immoral city of Verona are set to represent key themes and elements of tragedy, and these features are illuminated by the strong use of foil characters. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s qualities are emphasized and distinguished through the foil representations of Mercutio, Tybalt, and both households.…
In many famous literary works, writers use counterparts to highlight key traits of characters, as well as themes and other literary techniques. Most main characters have foils to show their importance. The more alike two characters are, the more their different traits stick out. Whether it is a couple of lovers or villain against protagonist, counterparts are important in all literature. In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, two star-crossed lovers are similar in their emotional dramatics and impatient mindset, but different in their consistency of love.…
Shakespeare uses foil characters to point out the differences between them. One example of this is when he uses Rosaline as a foil character to compare to Juliet. The first thing you see when Rosaline is compared to Juliet is that Juliet is extremely immature. To prove Juliet's immaturity is when she is talking about not marring if she can't be married to Romeo. This is an immature thought because she is acting similar to a child trying to get whatever it wants. Another pair of foil characters is Benvolio and Mercutio. "I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire...we shall not scape a brawl; For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring."[III, i, 1& 3-4] This quote shows Benvolio is civil and not looking for trouble, unlike Mercutio. This quote also demonstrates Benvolio's smarts because one can see that he thought out the events that could potentially happen.…
In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Juliet is fortunate enough to have two mother figures. However, these two women create contrast in Juliet’s life. Lady Capulet, being her mother, and the Nurse, being the one who nurtured her, are foils. While Juliet is a Capulet by name, she was hand over to the Nurse to be raised immediately following her birth. Shakespeare uses these foils to create contrast and complexity to his tragic composition.…
In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare; Lord Capulet, the father of Juliet, portrays the characteristics of being caring, being stubborn, and being courteous. During the conversation with Paris about his proposal of marriage to Juliet, Capulet shows his caring side by protecting his only daughter when he says that, “My child is yet a stranger in the world,/ She hath not seen the change of fourteen years;/ Let two more summers wither in their pride,/ Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride” (I.ii.8-11). Capulet recognizes that Juliet is too young to become a bride as she is not even fourteen. He also understands from his own experience with marrying Lady Capulet that he should give Juliet more time to prepare for the role as a bride. Not only is he caring to his family, he also shows courtesy towards his friends and guests. At the masquerade, Lord Capulet displayed his courtesy when he explains to Tybalt, his nephew, that Romeo, “…like a portly gentlemen,”/ where “Verona brags of him/ To be a virtuous and well-govern’d youth/ Here in my house do him disparagement” (I.v. 65-69). Although there is a long standing feud between the Capulet and Montague family, Lord Capulet overlooked their family’s dispute and allowed Romeo to remain at the masquerade to enjoy himself. On the other hand, Capulet has shown signs of mood swings, especially during the conversation when Juliet politely refuses to marry Paris. Capulet overreacts, “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? (III. V. 142-145). Lord Capulet’s stubbornness is shown when he is forcing Juliet to marry Paris, even though she cannot. It will be interesting to see if Lord Capulet’s caring, courteous and stubborn characteristics develop further as we continue reading the play Romeo and Juliet.…
Romeo and Juliet is an extremely well-known play written by William Shakespeare in the late 1590s. It is a story about an ancient rivalry between two wealthy families which is defied by two teenage star-crossed lovers who tragically die. The play was set in the Elizabethan era in Verona Italy. Despite that the play was written four hundred years ago it continues to capture the imaginations of teenagers in the 21st century, and the themes within the play are still seen in modern culture. These themes include infatuation, emotional extremity and rebellion.…
"The older you are, the wiser you get." is a well known proverb that provides insight in human tendencies to be impulsive, perfunctory and hasty. Part of maturing as a human being comes from understanding a predicament, deducing a solution and carefully reasoning whether there will be any consequences and if they would be worth it. Impulsive acts flaunt incompetence and immaturity. Albeit embarrassing regardless, there are often more resilient consequences than merely looking foolish for acting in manners that jeopardize goals and contravene strategies of success. Failing to analyze any situation appropriately in the heat of the moment incurs undesirable outcomes such as a punishment of some sort or in some cases, death. This is the message that William Shakespeare tries to convey in his infamous play, Romeo and Juliet. This play revolves around characters from two rival families that elicit their deaths and that of several others due to their impulsive personalities. Romeo, Juliet and Tybalt each let a particular emotion cloud their judgement, causing them to make decisions with no prior thoughts of consideration for consequences. Their lack of will to resist and control their desires becomes the cause of their demise.…
William Shakespeare is an English poet and play right. His plays mainly consisted of comedies, history, and tragedies. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare. For a play to be a tragedy there must be a tragic hero. In Shakespeare plays, tragedy is identified as a story that ends unhappily due to the fall of the protagonist, which is the tragic. In this play there are two tragic heroes. Romeo and Juliet are both the tragic heroes. To be a tragic hero they must be from a high estate, have a tragic flaw, and the tragic flaw is the cause of their downfall.…
In the early stages of Romeo and Juliet, the Montague parents send Benvolio to discern the cause of Romeo’s melancholy. They intervene in his relationship, but in this case it has no long-lasting effects. During Romeo’s relationship with Juliet, adults again intervene; sadly, though, in this case the effects are deeply felt and much more pernicious. Adult figures deter Romeo and Juliet’s relationship.…
Shakespeare portrayed many views on love in the romantic tragedy play Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare presents this idea as a force of nature, so strong that it transcends social conventions. Many of the friendships in the play are as sincere as Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other. Close relationships were formed between Juliet and her nurse, Romeo and Mercutio and Mercutio and Benvolio.…
Throughout Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows many examples of the main theme, forbidden love. In this story two feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets, each have a child who falls in love with the other. The young Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague meet and fall in love at first sight. They know they cannot be together because of their names, and that is how the main theme, forbidden love, comes about.…