Theme Of Oppression In Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet, one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, tells the story of two young lovers whose romance is forbidden. The character Juliet faces oppression and objectification, as was common for women in Elizabethan times, and struggles to live as an individual with freedom and choice. Our Juliet’s most pressing struggle is her relationship with Romeo, whom she intends to wed despite her father’s persistence she marry another. This struggle escalates until ultimately, at it’s climax, both Juliet and her Romeo lose their lives. In my recast, I propose this same plot struggle persist, only with a more modern and hard hitting twist; Juliet is no longer a royal of Verona, but a trans woman in Brooklyn whose forbidden love is none other than heroin. Just as Shakespeare’s rendition of the toxic relationship becomes exponentially dangerous, this rendition’s apogee involves Juliet’s infatuation with
Women and children in Elizabethan England faced oppression and objectification regularly. The rules enforced on children prevented them from differentiating from their parents and becoming individuals. Children were not regarded as beings with desires and needs independent of adults; Elizabethan youth were merely “miniature adults” (3). Little freedom, strict expectations around manners, and the encouragement of harsh chastity were all burdens these children endured. If these rules were broken, parents often scolded and punished their children harshly (1). Wealthy families had much higher expectations for their children than poor families, because expectations were much higher for the noble families themselves. Due to the era’s classism, children of impoverished families – who made up the vast majority of the population – were expected to work on the farm or as an