HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGLISH AND MODERN LANGUAGES
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ASSIGNMENT ON English and American Literature
Title: The tragedy of love in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Hanoi, 2009
Part a: Introduction
Literature of the Renaissance in the 15th_17th century’s capitalist relation began to develop in Europe. The former townspeople became the bourgeoisie. There was a revival of interest in the ancient culture of Greece and Rome. The study of the works of ancient ph
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ilosophers, written, and artists help the people to widen their outlook, to know the world and man’s nature. The progressive ideology of the Renaissance was Humanism .Human life, the happiness of people and the belief in man’s abilities became the main subjects in file art and literature. In the 16th century, capitalism began to develop in England as well as in other European countries. There was no work for the peasants and many of them became homeless beggars lust of rich was typical of the new class of the bourgeoisie. The most progressive people of the country could not help seeing the growing power of money, and the injustice caused by it. The second period which last from the middle of the 16th century up to the beginning of the 17th century saw the flourishing of the English drama. Among the playwrights of the period were John Lily, Robert Greene, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson and others .The most outstanding dramatist of the period, as well as of all time, was William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. It is generally accepted that he attended the King’s new school known for its classical curriculum because of his knowledge of Latin classics and written scenes recalling grammar school experiences such as exercises memories by schoolchildren. He lived in Stratford -upon-Avon until he was twenty-one. By the time, he was married and had three children. At twenty-one he left Stratford –upon-Avon for London where he joined a theatrical company and worked as an actor and a playwright. The public acting of women was prohibited in the England of Shakespeare‘s time and so writers would often emphasize the femininity of their female characters so as to remove the necessity of an actual female in the role. Shakespeare was greatly responsible for roles in which female characters spent much of their time disguised as boys. This helped to deflect attention from the fact that the part was actual played by a young boy. A play in that time was often commission by an acting company, which could then sell it to a publisher at its own discretion without further compensating the author. Shakespeare did not take part in the process of publishing his own plays. On April 23, 1616, he died and buried. He is the author of 2 poems, 37plays and 154 sonnets. His creative work is usually divides into three periods. The drama The Merchant of Venice and the two early tragedies Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar also written in the 90s.
The American Heritage dictionary defines tragedy as “a dramatic or literary work depicting protagonist engaged in a morally indicant struggle ending in ruin or profound disappointment”. Tragedy engages our heart and minds and helps us to understand our world. Tragedies make you thing about the things that you have and cherish them. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is on of his many respected tragedies, play is a youth romantic novel, where love is defeated by hated, misunderstand, and time. There are on a death run from the moment they meet reach other. There are also some elements that foreshadow the fatality of the play final out come, Romeo and Juliet is a love story. As many people in this world know, true love knows no limits, and when two lovers become entirely entrapped with their love, they become oblivions as to what in going on in the rest of their lives. When Romeo and Juliet first meet, it seems that their falling in love happens with the blink of an eye. Through out Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses timing and the idea of revenge again two families to show how two star-crossed lovers have a destiny with death. The social tragedy, the family tragedy and their love_ all of them become love tragedy and they made them victims of their own fate.
Part b: Development
Romeo and Juliet, the tragic by William Shakespeare, center on the love story between Romeo and Juliet the daughter of Capulet. Because of an on going find between the two families, Romeo and Juliet are force to keep their love a secret and marry in secret, due to ill fates consequences, they die together in the tomb of the Capulet.
Fate plays an important role in making Romeo and Juliet a good tragedy. It was destiny that the Capulet servant was not able to invite to a party and had to ask a Montague for help. Romeo and Juliet fill in love by chance, they could not help that their families were feuding. Friar John was quarantined leaving him no control over the circumstances that make trim incapable of delivering friar Laurence’s letter, which told Romeo and Juliet was waiting for him in a grave. Cruel twists of fate helped to determine the conclusion of Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo traffic flaw of impulsiveness is key part of the story. If he had not been so hasty in falling out of love with Rosaline and into love with Juliet, the story worlds not have happened at all. When he decides to marry Juliet after know her for less than a day. Romeo acted foolishly. He killed Tyrant when he did not think through and control his feelings. At the conclusion of the story, Romeo took his own life because he through that his beloved was dead; most of the disasters that took place in the story would not have happened if it were not for Romeo reckless decisions. Death is another final faction of a well-written tragedy. Tybalt got into a brawl with Mercutio and killed him, which infuriated Romeo to the point that he revenged his friend’s fatality by murdering Tybalt. After Romeo discovered that his precious Juliet had been killed, he rushed to her tomb and slows Paris when he found him there. Romeo went into Juliet’s grave and drank a deadly poison he saw his love and believed her to be dead. Once Juliet awoke and found her beloved deceased, she proceeded to commit suicide. Lady Montague was so grief-stricken that she died when she heard of the passing of her son. A requirement for a good tragedy for it to end with the demise of the protagonist, and Romeo and Juliet follows that rule well.
Social tragedy is first problem recall. It’s consider reason due to “Romeo and Juliet” tragedy Shakespeare wrote this play during the Renaissance, when the ancient cut forms, particularly of Greece, experience a resurgence in western culture. The term “tragedy” has expands in contemporary usage to include “bad” events where almost anything undesirable that happens to anybody can be labeled a “tragedy”. The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is not in the death of two young lovers, but the failure of society to overcome the social obstacle that world has prevented the loss of so many unsophisticated lived lord Capulet followed his social role of the father, and felt it was his mission as the man of the house to protect his family and their fame. Lord Capulet’s idea if his own role in society leads him to be parts the cause of Juliet’s death. He looked part the pain of his own daughter to complete this mission the believed that Paris would be the right, and suitable bride for Juliet, and would bring riches and dignify to his family. Lord Capulet did not even let her tell why she did not want to marry Paris, but believed it was his social mission to either have her marry him, or marry nobody. In addition, his social order was brought upon him as he fought with the Montages, and promoted the fined between the two families to the kinds. Lord Capulet was social pressured to continue this age-old find because it had been going on for so long. Although lady Capulet many have objected to the marring of Juliet with Paris, it was not her role to disobey her husband. The injustice of there social obstacle would have not let her even object to the find of the two families, in fear she many be banished or repudiate. Lawrence’s roles as a peacemaker lead him to see Romeo and Juliet relationship and marriage as a opportunity to stop the family feuding than as two people. He also plays a big part in this play, and his actions of what he sense as his mission and role turn out to muddle things up in the end. He believes that his mission is to make peace between the two families because he is though of as being the one that makes thing right, he brings it upon himself to go against his values as a friar and to marry these two without his best judgment.
However, head of the family have a power structure inherent in Renaissance families where in the father controls the action of all other family members particularly women, places Juliet in an extremely vulnerable position the law and the emphasis on social civility demands term of conduct with which the bind passion of love can not comply. Religion similarly demands priorities that Romeo and Juliet cannot abide by because of the intensity of their love. If Romeo and Juliet have allowed to choice their own consort, they might have lived long and happy live. In the days of Romeo and Juliet, many families arranged the marriages of their children. The social obstacle and roles play a big part in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The reason why many things happen those are not good for any body is because the obstacle and expectances of adults to meet their social standards.
Secondly, the feud between the two families was one of the many factors, which contributed to the love tragedy. “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny” the two families Montague and Capulet, had many grudges for generations there was so much hate between the two families that even the servants hated each other. The Montague and Capulet are two competitive families. They are involved in family facts that go back years before any of the members were born. The find continues because neither family is ready to forgive and forget the past. The people are involved because the families do not keep the find in secrecy of their own home but have been see fighting in the public streets and displaying violence. They break through the peace of Verona and even Frince Escalus personally had to break up a fight, where the family members were heavily fine. Lord and Lady Capulet and lord and Lady Montague the two families could easily have stopped they fend but continue to be rivalry. They had been warned that. “If ever you disturb our streets again .You lives shall pay the forge it of the peace.” Romeo and Juliet would not have continued to do everything in secrecy. The two families play the biggest role in deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
At last, besides many factors like social and family Romeo and Juliet are help victims of the own fate. They were also agents of fate. Romeo and Juliet’s personal chose are, in the end, what makes theirs deaths so tragic know very good what can happen to them if anyone finds out that they are wedding. The disaster of Romeo and Juliet interdict love. This is the basis of the whole story. For two people to love each other and can not show their true feeling for each other is eventually very disappointed. At the beginning, Romeo love Rosalind, she too was a Capulet but when the Capulet have a patty and Romeo decided attending the parting. In there, they fall in love when they first met. He later finds out that she is a Capulet the rival family of the Montague. He decides that he loves her anyway. They met other in “balcony scene” in which they agree with secretly marry the next time. At the same time, the Capulet are planning Juliet marriage to Paris, Juliet does not want to marry this man. Friar Lawrence organized wedding ceremony to them in an effort to end the fending between the families. Regrettably, the fighting get worse and Mercutio, a good friend of Romeo’s, end us in a fight with Tybalt. Juliet’s cousin Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kill Tybalt. For this Romeo was banishing from Verona. He and Juliet both are little for fate. However, they never give up their love. Juliet does not want to marry with Paris so she arranges with Friar Lawrence to fake her own death with a sleeping potion that will make everyone thing that she is dead. He promises to send a letter to Romeo with purpose is they will meet other in Juliet’s tomb. Unfortunately, Romeo does not receive this latter on time. He hears Juliet died. He come Juliet’s tomb where he drinks poison and dies. When Juliet potion wears of she awakes to find Romeo dead body. Then she takes Rome’s danger and stabs herself. At the end, the love of them was destining to be destroying. This is tragic that both these people had to die.
Part C: Conclusion
Social, family and love tragedy contribute very much to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, but their personal choice take their lives in the end. But most of all Romeo and Juliet choose their own fate when they take the action of killing themselves. Romeo and Juliet will be a time less classic for years to come as entertainment, a love story and even a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet were hopeful that their families would be united by their love. However, they maintained this blind idealism even when it was hopeless. Romeo believed he could bellicose Tybalt, bus was forced to kill him in cold blood. Juliet believed she would be able to live a life with Romeo even after he had murdered a member of her family. Both Romeo and Juliet were idealistic about their love as well. They thought that their love was so unbelievable that there would never be contributed to their untimely death. It is possible to see Romeo and Juliet as a battle between the responsibilities and actions required by social institutions and those required by the private desires of the individual. Romeo and Juliet’s appreciation of night, with its darkness and privacy, and their renunciation of their names, with its attendant loss of obligation, make sense in the context of individuals who wish to escape the public world. But the lovers can not stop the night from becoming day. And Romeo can not cease being a Mongtague simply because he wants to the rest of the world will not let him. The lovers’ suicides can be understood as the ultimate nigh, the ultimate privacy.
References
Books:
* An introduction to English and American literature.Hanoi_2008
Internet sites:
bin/query?mss=planetpapers&q=+romeo+and+juliet&submit=Search
and Juliet
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