Theme Of Poison In Romeo And Juliet
Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet are among the most well-known in American society today. References made to lines and specific scenes can be acknowledged by most who have had a high school education. A huge commonality between the two plays is the word poison and its use by male characters. Throughout Hamlet, the word poison is mentioned eight times in the text, and once during scene nine in a stage direction, (H 9.135,171, 15.22,34, 17.77,92,94,102). Romeo and Juliet mentions the word poison fourteen times throughout the text and once in act 5.1 during an added stage direction, (H 1.2.48, 2.2.24, 3.2.46, 3.3.44, 3.5.97, 4.3.23, 5.1.50,60,79,83,85, 5.3.162,165,287). The use of poison reflects feminine qualities of the administrator.
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Looking at these two characters in a more feminine way alters how the audience justifies their actions. Also, the emasculation of these men modifies the audience’s interpretation of their role as the husband in their marriages. The King and Romeo represent different social classes of Early Modern England, yet they both use poison as a means to kill others, or themselves. It is important to note the different definitions of masculinity that coincide with the social classes because the King, who has the highest title of nobility, is viewed as the leader of the country. The use of poison, which emasculates him, reduces his ability to be a good leader, since feminine qualities were tied to poison and women were considered to be unequal to men. As for Romeo, he is a commoner, so the femininity that coincides with the use of poison does not affect his social standing. In the play, he is the male love interest of Juliet, and in relationships of Early Modern England, there was a significant difference between the role of the man, and the role of the woman; however, with Romeo and Juliet, the line appears to be
Looking at these two characters in a more feminine way alters how the audience justifies their actions. Also, the emasculation of these men modifies the audience’s interpretation of their role as the husband in their marriages. The King and Romeo represent different social classes of Early Modern England, yet they both use poison as a means to kill others, or themselves. It is important to note the different definitions of masculinity that coincide with the social classes because the King, who has the highest title of nobility, is viewed as the leader of the country. The use of poison, which emasculates him, reduces his ability to be a good leader, since feminine qualities were tied to poison and women were considered to be unequal to men. As for Romeo, he is a commoner, so the femininity that coincides with the use of poison does not affect his social standing. In the play, he is the male love interest of Juliet, and in relationships of Early Modern England, there was a significant difference between the role of the man, and the role of the woman; however, with Romeo and Juliet, the line appears to be