There are several moments in which Shakespeare reveals real anguish in Romeo and Juliet as opposed to the false "anguish" that Romeo experiences when Rosaline doesn't return his love.
An important point of anguish comes in act 3, scene 1 when Romeo tries to break up the fight between his new wife's beloved cousin, Tybalt, and Romeo's best friend, Mercutio. Instead, Romeo gets in the way and gives Tybalt his chance to kill Mercutio. The dying Mercutio says to Romeo:
Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm.
At Mercutio's death, Romeo shows his anguish by killing Tybalt even though he had vowed to keep peace with the Capulets. He says to Tybalt,
Either thou or I, or both, must go with him.
Another point of anguish comes in act 5, scene 3 when Juliet realizes there has been a mix-up, and Romeo, thinking she was dead, has killed himself. She expresses her pain in the following words, but more particularly, by suicide:
O happy dagger,
This is thy sheath. There rust and let me die.
Genuine anguish in this play is unfortunately expressed through death, be it suicide or murder.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
How does Shakespeare present anguish in Romeo and Juliet?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the theme of the chapter Lead?
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
The statement "Development policy needs to be about poor people, not just poor countries," carries a lot of baggage. Let's dis...
-
James is very unhappy on a number of occasions throughout the story, but he's especially unhappy with his life situation as the story be...
-
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that thrive in diverse environments (such as the ocean, the soil, and the human body). Various bac...
-
Note that these events are not in chronological order. The story is told by the narrator, looking back upon her life. The first notable even...
-
One of the plot lines in Pride and Prejudice is Mrs. Bennet’s plan to marry off her daughters, preferably to rich men. Throughout the novel...
-
Under common law, any hotel, inn, or other hospitality establishment has a duty to exercise "reasonable care" for the safety an...
No comments:
Post a Comment