Projekt: Inovace oboru Mechatronik pro Zlínský kraj Registrační číslo: CZ.1.07/1.1.08/03.0009
Romeo and Juliet
Introduction: 1Made of pure gold is the statue, which was raised above the grave of Romeo
and Juliet and being as rustless as gold is this Shakespearean tragedy that was wtitten by
about thirty- one year old author. By the time his masterpiece was introduced he had already
written several succesful comedies and historical plays and he had tried very hard to become
the head- writer in the field of arts. There are some typical features of work of the most
famous English writers from the end of the XVI. century as Christopher Marlow, John Lyly
and many others who were not as famous. Each scene of Romeo and Juliet brings us to the
fact that W. Shakespeare is nearly to outdo his unattainable ideals. We also see that he
assumes critical attitude, mainly to Lyly. The matter he was working up had been known a
long time before he started, from Italian, French, Spanish and English poems, short stories
and plays. The tragic fable about Romeo and Juliet has its origin in medieval Italy, but all
personal and social conflicts are not absolutely indeterminable, but it is obvious they have
typical features of Shakespearean England and his fellows. Benvolio, Tybalt and others are
typical people of the late English Renaissance. The two main characters Romeo and Juliet are
sensitive, rational, brave, independent and self- confident. Till their own unavoidable heroic
end, both main characters fight with an old world for the new one, for the women´s right to be
at parity and their worthiness. They want to enforce the right of the young to intend their
destiny and have the right for love and happiness. All other characters are considered to be
threatening and make love of the young lovers ridiculous. Capulette and his wife enforce bare
parental authority and they are outstanding exemplars in a long rank of strict and despotic
parents who were created by W. Shakespeare and other authors to support The New against
The Old. None of the characters anticipates the greatness of Romeo´s love even mordant
Mercucio who threats being witty all above and doesn´t know anything about converting
turnover in Romeo´s heart and tries to make his being in love ironic. Great human contrasts
and conflicts of thoughts and feelings leads Shakespeare along with strong contrasts made
also in the formal structure of the tragedy. We can also notice the vehement and continual
changing of light and dark, day and night, brightness and darkness which results in
magnificient poetic phrases.
1
William Shakespeare. Hry (Praha: Mladá fronta, nakladatelství ČSM, 1963), 82- 84. (translated from)
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Convention
The term convention is out of doubt not possible to separate from any literary genre. 2A
convention is a particular form of literary presentation whereby authors signal to readers
that they, the readers, should understand a character or action in a specific way. Before I
start talking about Romeo and Juliet I want to mention a short subchapter that had made me
the term clear before I read all about it. It is called The conventions of films. It seems
udestandable to expect a shot- out in a cowboy film or hostile tense in thrillers or horror
movies. It is said the more acquaintaned we are with the literal piece of work and also
conventions the more satisfied we are when we finish reading it and our expectation comes
true. Talking about Romeo and Juliet several canventions can be made. This piece is a
tragedy, so dramatic involution between Capulettes and Monteques is not far to seek. The
final scene when Juliet awakes and after getting view of Romeo lying dead she decides to
thrust the dagger into her chest and end her life also seems understandable. The true love of
both sweethearts becomes stronger along the whole story duration. The ending of the tragedy
is the point when the crush to each other turned into the immense love. The next convention
resulting from the story is the transformation of hostility into reconciliation after both
representatives of both descents died. Talking about conventions the fact is that they are
durable. It means that they last for centuries. The Mastering English literature gives us
example of two pieces of literal work. They are Much Ado About Nothing, by W.
Shakespeare and Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. 3In both cases, the convention works by
the reader recognizing that through there is hostility, the characters are suited to each other.
Talking about the varieties of conventions, there are a lot of elements in literature spoken of
as conventions. For example formal conventions are certain rules market as features that are
uses for different literary genres. 4For example there are formal conventions such as sonnets
having fourteen lines, dramatic conventions such as stage stage representing several places.
Talking about Romeo and Juliet as about drama the stage also represents different areas where
the story is enacted. They are Verona, concourses and mainly town streets where the
neverending controversy between Monteques and Capulettes take place. We can also mention
houses, gardens and for the final scene typice graveyard with the Capulettes´ crypt.
Conventions being made shouldn´t be ´just something´ cause readers won´t definitely agree to
just anything. Conventions need to be related to our sense what life is like. Having read
Romeo and Juliet and also seen the stage play and film the kind of conventions I as a reader
accepted was the way different characters talked. Eg. Romeo was found to be a very clever
bright young nobleman and way he talked, took me away from the idea his plans can be
impure.
2
Richard Gill. Mastering English Literature (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), 217.
3
Richard Gill. Mastering English Literature (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), 218.
4
Richard Gill. Mastering English Literature (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), 218.
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Tragedy
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Tragedy has s place of honour in literature. Although it is discussed frequently, it is a rare
thing. It is a term with a broad usage.
Thinking about the roots of tragedy we have to go back to ancient times. Plato states that gods
send evil as well as good. Talking about analysis of Romeo and Juliet I´d like to focus on two
terms- Anagnorisis/ Peripeteia.
Anagnorisis is the crisis of a plot. It´s the situation when the central figure (the main
character) sees what before has been hidden. Using the term and applying it on the tragedy
brings me to the character of Romeo. He is the main character of the Shakespearean piece. It
is doubtless that he is not the only one, but comparing his personality with the character of
Juliet, he seems to be the leading element. Anagnorisis can be used for Romeos falling in
love. He is described as a good soft man, the person of good manners. As the turning point
can be seen the situation when Romeo Monteque kills Tybalt who was Mrs. Capulett´s
nephew and Juliet´s cousin. Whilst being sent to exile a deep emotion and love for Juliet are
in existence. Romeo is resolved to prune away his mind all causes including the never-ending
struggle between Monteques and Capulettes and devotes himself only to Juliet.
Peripetia,that is usually translated as change or reversal. It is said to be the consequence of
anagnorisis. Coming back to the tragedy we see that Romeo and Juliet decided to get married.
Friar Laurence was very helpful with his advice. Juliet drinks a special medicine and after that
looks like being dead. Bad luck is that Romeo, who didn´t get the letter informing about that
fact, didn´t know anything about it and when he saw Juliet lying dead he took his life.
The tragic sense of life- Most tragedies end with death of the main character as so does
Romeo and Juliet. The two main characters have to overcome a number of obstacles to be
together, but finally they both die. Their dying (death) results in reconciliation of both hostile
clans. The human struggle of the two lovers can be seen as noble and it might be according to
Shakespearean tragedy the only way how to conciliate the two sides.
Hero- Both Romeo and Juliet are the main characters of the tragedy. Their greatness and
importance is seen in effort to fulfill their love out of spite the struggle between Monteques
and Capulettes.
Will- The hero is to fulfill his/ her destiny facing up inevitable. This is a matter of will. This is
also the matter of tragic destiny of Romeo and Juliet. They both overcame machinations and
spats of the difficile casts of Monteques and Capulettes however none of them could be fully
sure that everything will come right
Authority- Romeo as the main character of the story has a natural authority. Some typical
features show evidence of it. He is said to be a dread swordsman. During one of the
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Richard Gill. Mastering English Literature (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), 221.
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streetfights he kills Tybalt to revenge the death of his friend Mercucio. According to Romeo´s
personality and sword skills the result of the fight was evident.
Seriousness- If I should judge the seriousness of the story Romeo and Juliet it´s hard to say,
who is the main representative of seriousness. Gill in his Mastering English Literature
features Hamlet who is characteristically tragic in his degree of seriousness. Romeo and
Juliet sounds serious because of the way the characters speak. Language which is used could
be the mark of seriousness.
Courage- Tragic figures need the courage to pursue their own ends. This is the characteristic
word for both main characters. Nobody wished them to be together. They managed to
overcome the intolerance of both fighting casts. Romeo who seemed to have his mankind
honor all above was courage enough to leave all things away and abandon him to Juliet.
Used literature: 1) GILL, Richard. Mastering English Literature. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2006. ISBN 9781403944887.
2) SHAKESPEARE, William. Hry. Mladá fronta, nakladatelství ČSM, Praha
1963.
3) SHAKESPEARE, William. Romeo and Juliet. Romeo. 2000. ISBN- 8086573- 14- 1
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