introduction essay to romeo and juliet

Romeo and Juliet Essay, with Outline

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Romeo and Juliet Essay Outline

Introduction.

Thesis: Romeo and Juliet are more responsible for their plight than fate is.

Paragraph 1:

Throughout the play, astral images are used to show how Romeo and Juliet are responsible for the unfolding events surrounding their love and lives.

• References are made to the stars, heavens, moon, and sun.
• This may imply that a different view of human responsibility can be expressed through imagery.
• Romeo uses the image of stars to describe the otherworldly beauty of Juliet.
• Romeo compares Juliet to the sun out of his love for her.

Paragraph 2:

As humans, Romeo and Juliet or either of them could have acted to halt their situation from reaching its tragic conclusion.

• It is through their own decisions that they move towards their destruction at the end of the play.
• Romeo could not have allowed Tybalt to engage him in a fight on his own wedding day.
• He takes his own life just moments before Juliet wakes up.

Paragraph 3:

Romeo has a propensity for rash action and this gets him and his love Juliet into unredeemable trouble.

• In popular culture, he earns the status of a romantic icon due to his impulsiveness
• In the play, this proves to be his greatest undoing.
• He climbs Juliet’s wall and prevails on her to blind herself to him.
• He murders Tybalt.
• He poisons himself.

Paragraph 4:

Juliet too contributes to their downfall as she proves a strong-willed partner for Romeo.

While she is worried about the speed at which their love progresses, she does nothing to address these worries.

• Each choice she makes drives them towards their tragic end.
• She agrees to marry Romeo.
• She out of despair takes the potion.
• She kills herself.

Paragraph 5:

The major theme of the play seems to be the intertwinement of love and fate.

• Shakespeare’s message in the play was that once one falls deeply in true love, they may not be able to control what happens to them out of the love.
• He must have been warning young people against the risks involved in loving someone too much.

Romeo and Juliet have more responsibility for their tragedy than fate. They make decisions that are rash because they are apparently blinded by love not realizing that most of the decisions are destructive.

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Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet , the chorus in the opening prologue refers to the characters Romeo and Juliet as “star-crossed lovers,” giving the impression that events on earth can be controlled by stars and planets. Out of this line, many readers may believe that it is out of destiny and fate that the two characters fell in love. The possibility that the characters’ lives were shaped by some supernatural, impersonal forces is further raised as the play continues. However, as the play ends, it becomes clear that Romeo and Juliet are more responsible for their plight than fate is.

Throughout the play, astral images are used to show how Romeo and Juliet are responsible for the unfolding events surrounding their love and lives. Though the first and perhaps the most famous celestial imagery example in the play is provided by the prologue, references are made to the stars, heavens, moon, and sun throughout it. Taken as a whole, this may imply that a different view of human responsibility can be expressed through imagery. When Romeo and his gang approach the Capulet’s ball in Act 1 Scene 4, he says that he fears “some consequence yet hanging in the stars.” However, Romeo does not refer to the astrological power of the stars when he mentions them next. He rather uses their image to describe the otherworldly beauty of Juliet. The subsequent use of celestial images in the play follows this trend, including the scene where Romeo compares Juliet to the sun out of his love for her.

As humans, Romeo and Juliet or either of them could have acted to halt their situation from reaching its tragic conclusion. This is because it is through their own decisions that they moved towards their destruction at the end of the play. For example, Romeo should not have allowed Tybalt to engage him in a fight on his own wedding day since the day should always be peaceful. He goes on to take his own life just moments before Juliet wakes when he should have chosen to remain alive and see how things play out. It may be true that the two lovers do not shoulder the entire responsibility for their difficult situation. Their society, their families, and their friends may have contributed in creating the unfortunate circumstances. However, they should not have acted in a manner that made it easy for the circumstances to get worse and finally lead to their destruction.

Romeo has a propensity for rash action and this gets him and his love Juliet into unredeemable trouble. In popular culture, he earns the status of a romantic icon due to his impulsiveness but in the play, this proves to be his greatest undoing. Shakespeare cautions the reader right from the beginning not to too idealistically view this character’s sudden fits of passion. After all, it is suggested by Shakespeare in the play that Romeo’s feeling towards Juliet was initially based on infatuation before it developed into real love. Compared to any other character, Romeo arguably contributes more aggressively towards the tragedy through his hasty actions. The night they meet with Juliet, he climbs her wall and prevails on her to blind herself to him. He murders Tybalt in a blind rage before poisoning himself thinking that Juliet is dead, actions all of which show that he never thinks before he acts.

Juliet too contributes to their downfall as she proves a strong-willed partner for Romeo. While she is at least worried about the speed at which their love progresses unlike Romeo, she does nothing to address these worries. She says, in the balcony scene, that their love is like lightning which can flare up but again quickly vanish into darkness. However, each choice she makes, though a logical response to a situation, drives them towards their tragic end. Since she needs evidence that Romeo is truly committed to her, she agrees to marry him. She also out of despair takes the potion while believing that the plan by Friar Lawrence will set things right and normalize the situation. Upon seeing her beloved Romeo dead, she decides to become rash in her endeavors and ends up killing herself out of grief.

The major theme of the play seems to be the intertwinement of love and fate. Shakespeare’s message in the play was that once one falls deeply in true love, they may not be able to control what happens to them out of the love. He must have been warning young people against the risks involved in loving someone too much. This was why as the play came to an end; the young lovers lost their lives. The specific message was that a person in love might be compelled into paying for their love with their lives. At the end of the play, the major lesson seems to be that though love is a beautiful thing, it can possibly lead one to destructive fate. The elements of the play that communicated this theme included the hatred between Romeo and Juliet’s families, the resolve of the two lovers to never let go of their love, and their eventual deaths.

Romeo and Juliet have more responsibility for their tragedy than fate. They make decisions that are rash because they are apparently blinded by love not realizing that most of the decisions are destructive. Even the use of imagery only serves to show how immersed in love they allowed themselves to be. This is why as the play ends; the characters’ actions are strongly condemned. They should have done better to save themselves and therefore, neither the gods nor fate should be blamed for their tragic end. They were so blinded that Juliet fails to act accordingly even as she develops worries about their love and the pace at which it was moving. Apparently, they blindly believed that all that that involves love ends well.

Shakespeare, W. (2016). Romeo and Juliet (Norton Critical Editions). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

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Romeo And Juliet Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on romeo and juliet.

Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love tragedy written by William Shakespeare. This is a story of love and fate. Furthermore, the basis of this tragic love story is the Old Italian tale translated into English in the sixteenth century. The story is about two young star-crossed lovers whose death results in reconcile between their feuding families. Moreover, Romeo and Juliet is among the most frequently performed plays by Shakespeare .

Lessons of Love from Romeo and Juliet

First of all, Romeo and Juliet teach us that love is blind. Romeo and Juliet belonged to two influential families. Furthermore, these two families were engaged in a big feud among themselves. However, against all odds, Romeo and Juliet find each other and fall in love. Most noteworthy, they are blind to the fact that they are from rival families. They strive to be together in spite of the threat of hate between their families.

Another important lesson is that love brings out the best in us. Most noteworthy, Romeo and Juliet were very different characters by the end of the story than in the beginning. Romeo was suffering from depression before he met Juliet. Furthermore, Juliet was an innocent timid girl. Juliet was forced into marriage against her will by her parents. After falling in love, the personalities of these characters changed in positive ways. Romeo becomes a deeply passionate lover and Juliet becomes a confident woman.

Life without love is certainly not worth living. Later in the story, Romeo learns that his beloved Juliet is dead. At this moment Romeo felt a heart-shattering moment. Romeo then gets extremely sad and drinks poison. However, Juliet was alive and wakes up to see Romeo dead. Juliet then immediately decides to kill herself due to this massive heartbreak. Hence, both lovers believed that life without love is not worth living.

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Legacy of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. Furthermore, the play was very popular even in Shakespeare’s lifetime. Scholar Gary Taylor believes it as the sixth most popular of Shakespeare’s plays. Moreover, Sir William Davenant of the Duke’s Company staged Romeo and Juliet in 1662. The earliest production of Romeo and Juliet was in North America on 23 March 1730.

There were professional performances of Romeo and Juliet in the mid-19th century. In 19th century America, probably the most elaborate productions of Romeo and Juliet took place. The first professional performance of the play in Japan seems to be George Crichton Miln’s company’s production in 1890. In the 20th century, Romeo and Juliet became the second most popular play behind Hamlet.

There have been at least 24 operas based on Romeo and Juliet. The best-known ballet version of this play is Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Most noteworthy, Romeo and Juliet have a huge impact on literature. Romeo and Juliet made romance as a worthy topic for tragedy. Before Romeo and Juliet, romantic tragedy was certainly unthinkable.

Romeo and Juliet are probably the most popular romantic fictional characters. They have been an inspiration for lovers around the world for centuries. Most noteworthy, the story depicts the struggle of the couple against a patriarchal society. People will always consider Romeo and Juliet as archetypal young lovers.

Q1 State any one lesson of love from Romeo and Juliet?

A1 One lesson of love from Romeo and Juliet is that love brings out the best in us.

Q2 What makes Romeo and Juliet unique in literature?

A2 Romeo and Juliet made romance as a worthy topic for tragedy. This is what makes it unique.

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Romeo and Juliet

William shakespeare.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Romeo and Juliet: Introduction

Romeo and juliet: plot summary, romeo and juliet: detailed summary & analysis, romeo and juliet: themes, romeo and juliet: quotes, romeo and juliet: characters, romeo and juliet: symbols, romeo and juliet: literary devices, romeo and juliet: quizzes, romeo and juliet: theme wheel, brief biography of william shakespeare.

Historical Context of Romeo and Juliet

Other books related to romeo and juliet.

• Full Title: Romeo and Juliet
• When Written: Likely 1591-1595
• Where Written: London, England
• When Published: “Bad quarto” (incomplete manuscript) printed in 1597; Second, more complete quarto printed in 1599; First folio, with clarifications and corrections, printed in 1623
• Literary Period: Renaissance
• Genre: Tragic play
• Setting: Verona, Italy
• Climax: Mistakenly believing that Juliet is dead, Romeo kills himself on her funeral bier by drinking poison. Juliet wakes up, finds Romeo dead, and fatally stabs herself with his dagger.
• Antagonist: Capulet, Lady Capulet, Montague, Lady Montague, Tybalt

Extra Credit for Romeo and Juliet

Tourist Trap. Casa di Giulietta, a 12-century villa in Verona, is located just off the Via Capello (the possible origin of the anglicized surname “Capulet”) and has become a major tourist attraction over the years because of its distinctive balcony. The house, purchased by the city of Verona in 1905 from private holdings, has been transformed into a kind of museum dedicated to the history of Romeo and Juliet , where tourists can view set pieces from some of the major film adaptations of the play and even leave letters to their loved ones. Never mind that “the balcony scene,” one of the most famous scenes in English literature, may never have existed—the word “balcony” never appears in the play, and balconies were not an architectural feature of Shakespeare’s England—tourists flock from all over to glimpse Juliet’s famous veranda.

Love Language. While much of Shakespeare’s later work is written in a combination of verse and prose (used mostly to offer distinction between social classes, with nobility speaking in verse and commoners speaking in prose), Romeo and Juliet is notable for its heady blend of poetic forms. The play’s prologue is written in the form of a sonnet, while most of the dialogue adheres strictly to the rhythm of iambic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet alter their cadences when speaking to each another, using more casual, naturalistic speech. When they talk about other potential lovers, such as Rosaline and Paris, their speech is much more formal (to reflect the emotional falsity of those dalliances.) Friar Laurence speaks largely in sermons and aphorisms, while the nurse speaks in blank verse.

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“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare: Play’s Concept Essay

Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by Shakespeare and it is thought to have been written in 1595 or 1596. The play is set in the city of Verona. It is a tragic love story and the love between Romeo and Juliet eventually killed them in the end. Romeo and Juliet were responsible for their own destiny and from the start to the end they their love remains strong.

The young lovers Romeo and Juliet are both from families who hated each other for centuries. Their love causes many tragic events to occur as they are from a family of Capulet and Montague. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story of a forbidden love due to their families’ strong objection to their love. The two young lovers’ untimely death ultimately united their feuding families.

“William Shakespeare was born allegedly on April 23, 1564 in Stratford- Upon-Avon. The church records of Holy Trinity show that he was baptized on April 26 th , 1564. In reality” (Shakespeare’s Birth para. 1) the actual date of Shakespeare’s birthday is unknown. William Shakespeare father was John Shakespeare who was a Glover and leather merchant. His mother was Mary Aden who was a landed local heiress. According to the church register of Holy trinity, William Shakespeare was the third of eight children.

Little is known about Shakespeare’s education and it is alleged that he probably attended the endowed grammar school of Stratford where he learned “little Latin and less Greek” as referred by Ben Johnson. In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years his senior. In 1587, Shakespeare left his family to pursue his dreams in London where joined Burbage’s company of players. Shakespeare poems marked the beginning of his success.

His poem “Venus and Adonis” became immensely popular in London. After this he wrote a succession of wonderful plays, – Merchant of Venice, As you like it, twelfth night, Julius Ceaser , Hamlet, Mac Beth, Othello, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra etc. “At the time of Shakespeare’s death twenty- one plays existed in manuscripts in various theaters” (William).

There are many controversies as to when exactly Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet . Apart from this, many historians are claiming that the works of Shakespeare are really the work of Edward de Vere. “Many Oxfordians believe that the true author of Shakespeare’s plays was an aristocrat named Edward De Vere” (History of Doubts Surrounding the Authorship of Shakespeare’s Works). Edward de Vere was the 17th Earl of Oxford and was born in 1550. He graduated from Cambridge University at a tender age of 14.

The theories that the work of Shakespeare’s was that of Edward de Vere was based on the upbringing , knowledge , education and many of the similarities of works between the two writer. Many historians believed that the Edward De Vere wrote plays and sonnets under the pseudonym of Shakespeare. Despite all these allegations and theories, there is no concrete proof to that Edward de Vere was the real author of Shakespeare’s plays as many of Shakespeare’s plays were written after the death of Edward De Vere.

In Romeo and Juliet, the development of characters eventually led to the tragedy of the main characters. The characters developed throughout the story. In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to a young girl Juliet. Juliet is the daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet. The development of Juliet in the play is the most dynamic as she undergoes a huge transformation in terms of love, loyalty and maturity. At the beginning of the play Juliet is a carefree and innocent girl who is not ready to settle down in life.

When her nurse jokes about the sexual life of marriage to Juliet, Juliet goes on to tell the nurse that ‘It is an honor that I have not dreamt of’ “(Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5). From this we can see that Juliet is not ready to marry yet and has not taken the responsibility of settling down in life. Juliet in the beginning shows no intention of marrying and has not taken the responsibility of fulfilling her parents wish.

Juliet rapidly evolves into a mature young lady and transforms into a determined, sober-minded woman in the four day span in the play. Her sense of loyalty to her parents is shown in her dutiful determination to try to love Paris, her fiancée, “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move” (Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5). She is an obedient who is respectfully to her mother and sensible towards her parents need, “Madam, I am here, / what is your will?” (Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5).

Juliet rapidly transform from a carefree young girl to a lady after she falls in love with Romeo. She no longer feels the need to comply her parents wish or the need to sacrifice her happiness for her parents. She revolts against her parents by and stands by her decision to die rather than marry a person whom she does not love: “If all else fail, myself have power to die”(Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5 244). Her love for Romeo makes her defy her parents wish.

In her relationship with Romeo, Juliet gives her all and is loving, faithful and strong. She is the one who suggests that they get married even without their parents’ approval. Often times, Romeo is rash in decision, but Juliet always seems to be clear headed. Her maturity is seen in the balcony scene of Act 11, scene 2, when she comments about the rashness of their love “It is too rash, too unadvis’d, too sudden.”

Juliet lives under the control of a patriarch. She has very little freedom and is completely dependent on her father. However, she is prepared to leave everything dear to her life and marry her lover Romeo. She matures throughout the play and abandons her family to be with Romeo.

Juliet bravery is noteworthy as she is a mere child of 14 years old. She makes logical decision and does not rush to anything. Even when Romeo kills Tybalt in his rash decision, Juliet takes time to think about her decision to marry Romeo. She does not blindly follow Romeo when she makes a decision that her guiding priorities should be her true love, Romeo.

After a lot of thinking and reflecting, she finally awakes from her prior social life – the nurse, her parents as well as her social standing in Verona to reunite with her lover. When Juliet wakes from her sleep in the tomb to find her husband dead, she stabs herself with a dagger out of the intensity of her love for Romeo. Juliet development from an innocent, naïve girl to a strong, independent woman is one of Shakespeare triumph in characterization.

The love of Romeo and Juliet is a remarkable love as they have to undergo many obstacles to be united. Many good things come out of their love as their death finally united the family of Capulet and Montague. It is a tragedy that their families have to find out through the death of the young lovers that love always triumphs. The death of Romeo and Juliet finally end the bitter feud between the Capulet and Montague. The Chorus also reminds us that “their death [will] bury their parents’ strife,” (Shakespeare & Pearce 204).

Works Cited

History of Doubts Surrounding the Authorship of Shakespeare’s Works. Oxford Society. 1995. Web.

Pearce, Joseph. Romeo and Juliet: William Shakespeare . Lgnatius Press. San Francisco. 2011. Web.

Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5 . Shakespeare Navigator. n.d. Web.

Shakespeare’s Birth. Amanda Mabillard. 1999. Web.

William, J. Long. English literature: Its History and Significance. BiblioBazaar, 2007. Print.

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