Preview

Similarities Between Romeo And Juliet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
681 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Similarities Between Romeo And Juliet
Romeo and Juliet Through Time and Translation
One of the most popular literary classics that nearly everyone must have come across once in their lifetime is the story of Romeo and Juliet. Interpreted by the infamous playwright Shakespeare in the late 1500s, this play follows the tragic love which stirs between two teenagers of feuding families. Although Romeo and Juliet was first composed several centuries ago, it is one that seems to resurface itself time and time again. Whether in new works of literature or popular films, the initial ideas of this Shakespearian play continue to be prevalent today. What makes Romeo and Juliet seem so timeless are the reoccurring themes of young love, fate, and fortune, which have been and still are relative to most modern audiences.
…show more content…
The plot, in its entirety, happens over the course of only five days, meaning that the lovers meet Sunday night, get married on Monday, and are joined in death on Wednesday. Upon parting for the first time, Romeo expresses his worries and says, “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt” (Rom. 1.5.131). In similarity, Juliet declares, “If he be married, my grave is like my wedding bed” (1.5.148). After just meeting and exchanging only a few words, Romeo and Juliet explain how they are willing to die for each other. This idea of the crazy, reckless love shared by young Romeo and Juliet is an aspect that is quite relative to premature romance today. In Irving Ribner’s “Then I Denie You Starres: A Reading of ‘Romeo and Juliet’”, the critic highlights that “The impetuosity, haste, and carelessness of the lovers are the universal attributes of youth” (Ribner 140). Love between two hormonal teens, whether in the middle ages or in modern society, is nonetheless impulsive, causing young people to make obscene

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    However, in spite of the many differences, there are similarities between the two stories. Romeo and Juliet and “Teen Couple Executed by their Parents…for daring to fall in love,” both involve the deaths of the couples all happening at a young age, all of them dying before the age of 19 before any of their parents died. Throughout both stories a common factor is that the couples were forced to make adult decisions about their lives and love lives; while, the adults around them were making many poor decisions. Unlike many love stories where the strong, handsome male saves the damsel in distress, the female protagonists in both of these stories appeared to be stronger than their male counterparts. Maybe that is why when the time came, both mothers…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most teenagers fall in and out of love like day turns to night, Romeo and Juliet however, are different. Romeo and Juliet seem to think that they are each other’s one true love and are both prepared to do crazy things to protect it. Some say that they did these things because they’re teens and teens often do reckless things. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare the star-crossed lovers’ tale ultimately ends in death not only because teens often tend to value reward over risk but also because their families were feuding. The article “Teenage Brains” by David Dobbs also gives us insight on why teenagers like Romeo and Juliet tend to act the way they do.…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet’s relationship reaches a new height only to fall due to their youth and unadvised guidance. Examples of Romeo and Juliet’s inexperience due to youth is portrayed when they decide they are soul mates even though Juliet is only 13 and when they decide to marry after only knowing each other for a couple of days. The ill-advice from the controlling father, the ongoing family feud and the gullible friar contribute to the heightened love and tragedy. For example, when Friar Laurence says to Romeo, “young men's love then lies. Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.”(ActIII,Scene2) shows misjudgement of the Friar’s part. Perhaps if they had been more experienced in life and received better advice then this tragedy could have been prevented and their love prevailed.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” is a popular known love story between two opposites. If you look deeply into the story you will realize that it is not a story of love, but a story about rebellious children. Romeo comes from a poor family with very little, whereas Juliet comes from a rich family with a very popular name. With the two families so very different, the children are told not to have any interaction with the other family. With both Romeo and Juliet being rebellious teens, they have attractions towards each other. They believe it is love, but it is truly just an infatuation for each other.…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play Romeo and Juliet has two themes that rely on each other to create an understanding of the dynamics of relationships - the power of love and hate. One could easily conceive that hatred is the stronger theme when looking at the tragic denouement that befalls the star - crossed lovers. The ongoing feud between the Capulets and Montagues, functioning as a mean of hatred results in the deaths of the youths. However, a more profound exploration widens our horizons. Romeo and Juliet has become forever associated with love. The play has become an iconic story of love and passion, and the name “Romeo” is still used to describe young lovers. Shakespeare’s treatment of love in the play is complex and multifaceted. He uses love in its many guises to thread together the key relationships in the play.…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo falls in love with Juliet rapidly, and they decide to get married within a day. The morning of their wedding, Romeo is talking to the Friar and says, “Amen, amen. But come what sorrow can, /It cannot countervail the exchange of joy/That one short minute gives me in her sight” (II.vi 3-5). In response to Romeo’s comment, the Friar advises, “Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so. /Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow” (II.vi 14-15). Here, Romeo explains to the Friar that looking at Juliet for “one short minute” fills him with joy. In response to Romeo’s speech, the Friar tells him to slow the relationship down. Soon after Romeo and Juliet’s wedding, the consequences start to come into effect. Romeo, not thinking through his actions, kills Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Romeo kills Tybalt because he is filled with rage after Tybalt has killed Mercutio, his dear friend. When Benvolio is explaining the fight to the citizens, he says to the Prince, “And to't they go like lightning, for ere I/Could draw to part them was stout Tybalt slain. /And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and fly” (III.i 134-136). Romeo quickly makes a decision to kill Tybalt after a fight that broke out in haste, not thinking about the consequences of his actions. Benvolio uses a simile, “’they go like lightning,” demonstrating how fast the fight started and ended.…

    • 1023 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Absolutely, I do think that we are in charge of our fate. Even though "destiny" and "fate" have similar meanings, they are very distinct in my opinion. Opportunities are presented to us by fate, but in the end, our choices define our fate. For example, it was fate if you met the ideal person at a party. However, your fate is in the actions you take.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet’s love is unique because it is a new genre of teenage love that Shakespeare created(). Their love is infatuated but confuse it with obsession with real…

    • 1444 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo & Juliet Essay

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Love is all consuming, and can not be defined with one word. One of the most famous literary texts about the variations of love is William Shakespeare 's ‘Romeo and Juliet’. In the play Shakespeare utilizes language techniques, characterization and plot to provide the reader with a range of ideas about love. The fundamentals of the play lie within the protagonist, Romeo where the notions of love are held. This essay will explore the variations of love depicted in the play, and discuss what literary techniques are used by Shakespeare in defining love.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare creates a world of violence and generational conflict in which two young lovers fall in love and die because of that love. The story is rather extraordinary in that the normal problems faced by young lovers are here so very large. It is not simply that the families of Romeo and Juliet disapprove of the lovers’ affection for each other; rather, the Montagues and the Capulets are on opposite sides in a blood feud and are trying to kill each other on the streets of Verona. Every…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet both live in Verona. They’re from feuding families. Romeo is from the family Montague and Juliet from the Capulets. Romeo is in love with a girl named Rosaline. He wants to show his love for her but Rosaline has sworn off love.…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    The Golden Arches

    • 2054 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The Golden Arches, Mickey-D 's, Macca 's, or Mick-dicks. Whatever you would like to call it, they all refer to the same money making machine, McDonalds. Selling more than 75 hamburgers every second, McDonalds serves anywhere from 62 to 68 million million customers each and every day, more than the population of Great Britain and about 1% of the world 's population (Schlosser, 2004). Since its inception, McDonalds has not only grown into a global money making super power, but an extremely controversial culture and lifestyle that has expanded it 's dark and secretive menu of unusual and very controversial preparation methods and lack of quality, healthful food throughout the world.…

    • 2054 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Death of a Salesman

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is a commentary upon society in relation to the painful conflicts of a working class family in New York, who throughout their life has struggled to make a decent living and fulfil the American dream. The play illustrates its critical commentary on American society through Willy’s obsession with the Dream, depiction of women and the disrespect towards the “elderly.”…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The influence of the bureaucracy on mass participation and empowerment, how mass participation and empowerment are promoted or discouraged by actions of the bureaucracy.…

    • 1883 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays