Shakespeare was a really superstitious writer and he would use the stars as the main theme of one of his most famous books, The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In the book, Shakespeare describes Romeo and Juliet as being "star-crossed lovers." Shakespeare makes over 100 references to the stars, the sun, and the moon throughout the entire story. As said before, the stars had a great influence on their fates and the stars are the "unseen forces" (Moss and Wilson 1) are what controlled the characters. Romeo and Juliet were able to predict their own deaths in certain occasions because these forces were acting upon them. Romeo and Juliet even received their own horoscopes. Every aspect of astrology in the story is important because it builds up the story and it supports the…
One light quote from the story is during the balcony scene when Romeo is talking about Juliet. He says "It is the East and Juliet is the sun" (act II, scene ii, line 4). This motif has more than one meaning. One meaning could possibly be that the sun is very hot and gives off a very strong glow that blocks out all of the stars and the moon, much like Juliet is very beautiful and gives off a glow that makes all other girls disappear as Romeo says. In this motif the tenor would be Juliet, the vehicle would be the sun and the ground would be how their glow blocks out all else.…
Additionally, Fate is another hurdle Romeo and Juliet have to jump over,except this one appears in several scenes as the source of blame for death of the two. In the play’s Prologue the line, ”A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life”, appears. This line suggests Romeo and Juliet were bound to fall in love with each from their first breath because it is stating their love was written in the stars and the families they were born to wasn’t a coincidence but a destined event. As the Prologue continues it announces how the star-cross’d lovers have a death-mark’d love. Their love being described as death-mark’d is a bad omen because it is foretelling how Romeo and Juliet’s destinies are entwined,which will bring their deaths. Fate has already decided these…
Shakespeare uses a variety of techniques in Romeo and Juliet in order to enhance the reader’s experience and to communicate messages through his work. For instance, the use of celestial imagery contributes to the tragic tone of the play, because it suggests the inevitable end to the main characters. Notably in the opening of the play, the reader hears: “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life” (I.Prologue.6). Likewise, before Romeo enters the Capulet party he tells his friends: “I fear, too early; for my mind misgives/ Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars,/ Shall bitterly begin with this sweet date/ Of a despised life, closed in my breast,/ By some vile forfeit of untimely death. (I.iv.116-121). Celestial imagery is a form of author’s craft that uses the…
(I i 6), nor it is about celestial symbolism hinting fate as the manipulator of “civil blood” (I I 4) “in fair Verona” (I i 2). Instead, Romeo and Juliet portrays a love not for another, but a love of unhealthy obsession, for the sins of the minds true desires. Desires disguised as love, unity, and wit, but when uncloaked the sins of lust, division, and malice begin to materialize.…
One of the primary impetuses in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is intense, wild feelings; love, hatred, anger, captivation, and shock are all obvious in the play and directly affect the terrible scenarios that develop. In (II.ii), the most acquainted feelings passed on are those of despondency, adoration and genuineness. Shakespeare utilizes symbolism, non-literal language and effective vocabulary to pass on these feelings to his audience.…
In Shakespeare's acclaimed romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, the death of the two main characters can be attributed to two things. Their love for each other, and the social expectations of their time.…
From two houses with deep rivalries comes the tale of two lovers destined to die by the stars above. William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet tells the tale of star crossed lovers and how their love is destined to fail because of flawed decisions and actions made throughout the play. One of the characters that makes the most flawed decisions and actions is Friar Laurence. The Friar first displays his flawed decision making when Romeo asks him to marry him and Juliet because he believes that this hidden marriage will relieve the tension between the houses. Later in the play, the Friar decides that fixing the relationship between Romeo and Juliet can be fixed by only telling one of the two the plan to…
Even through the darkest times in life, there is always light. Moreover, light brightens to overwhelm the darkness. In Night by Elie Wiesel and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, a major conflict exists to which people are killed from their violent and inhuman actions. These conflict last for so long, seeming as if there will never be a resolution. However, the motif of light is presented as the thought to never give up for Eliezer, Romeo, and Juliet, in order to reach their goal of freedom or unity.…
In Line 6, Romeo and Juliet was referred to as star-crossed lovers, suggest they have been defeated by stars/ fate. One example that contradicts the theory that Romeo and Juliet met their end because of fate is the role of Friar Lawrence. Although his actions were intentionally good, it caused much pain for the other characters in the play.…
Throughout the novel, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, several motifs are used as a way to bring a deeper meaning to quotes that may see you uninteresting from the surface. One very prominent motif in this novel is dreams and premonitions. These motifs are used throughout the novel as ways to introduce foreshadowing and insight into what characters may expect to happen. Most of the occurrences where dreams and premonitions appear are when characters are looking forward to an event or occurrence. In turn, this creates a lot of foreshadowing towards dramatic events that happen all throughout the novel. Several characters experience premonitions before certain events or occurrences that may foreshadow upcoming events. The major purpose…
According to Duff Brenna, “All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason, which motivates characters in literature.” This is demonstrated in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and Of Mice and Men. Human beings are often driven by their emotions or passions. Sometimes their actions defy sound reason or judgment. However, due to the emotions that the individuals might be experiencing at that time, their initial response is usually impulsive. I agree Duff Brenna in her assessment of how characters in literature are motivated by their raging emotions and not by reason, common sense or wisdom. One cannot merely act upon how they feel, especially if those emotions are negatives. Negatives emotions, if acted upon, will lead to negative actions; whereas positive emotions will leads to positive actions.…
Figurative language; although most do not take the subtle hints, many are indeed scoured all through out the book—clues about Fate being real. One of which are found in Act1.Scence4.Line113, “ ‘I fear too early, for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars, shall bitterly begin his fearful date with this nights revels…By some vile forfeit of untimely death.’ ” This is Romeo, son of the Montague family. He is saying this just before he meets Juliet, daughter of the opposing House. He says solemnly that he feels that something tonight will happen here—at the Capulet’s party—where it will change his life forever, and lead to his death. Romeo ended it with saying; he felt it in the stars. Now, there is one peculiar thing leading up to this meeting between the two families. And that is how Romeo even got to know of—his supposedly hated people—Capulet’s party. A servingman, with the list of people to attend asks Romeo to read it for him, due to this strange coincidence that he, bearing the invitations, cannot read. Now pray tell, is this not, but the Fates doing? Stars, is the hidden key meaning; it is the disguise of the Fates. Although not seen or spoken out loud, Shakespeare has ‘stars’—a…
I will first look at lines 18-22. Shakespeare writes “What if her eyes were there, they in her head?” By Shakespeare again speaking of Juliet’s eyes as he did earlier in Scene 2 Act 2 he is continuing to refer to them as the stars, as when the stars shine they are thought of as the most beautiful thing in the sky suggesting Romeo is thinking the same of Juliet. By Shakespeare continuously referring to eyes he is creating the sense that Romeo is getting lost in Juliet’s eyes as that is all he can think about. Shakespeare then goes on to write (In line 19) “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars” Here Romeo is reiterating how beautiful he truly feels Juliet is, by constantly talking about Juliet’s beauty compared to when he spoke of Rosaline it shows the depth of Romeos love for Juliet because he claimed to love Rosaline however he never spoke of her as lovingly as he now does of Juliet.…
Fate is a powerful force in the play of Romeo and Juliet where the events of the two characters were heavily influenced. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, both Romeo and Juliet are subject to fate even before the play had started. Shakespeare had established immediately within the prologue that the plot of Romeo and Juliet would heavily rely on elements of fate. From the line, “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.” audience members learn of the predetermined end of the two protagonists, giving them expectation. In this line, Shakespeare refers to the two lovers as star-crossed, connecting them with the constellations, which in history had the theme of controlling destiny and moulding fate. Farther along the prologue, Shakespeare interpolates the idea of predestination when he refers to the love between Romeo and Juliet as “death-mark’d” referring to the concept that no matter what actions the two take during the course of the play, their destinies remain doomed.…