An insight into Romeo and Juliet

THE return of Romeo and Juliet to the O-level Literature syllabus brings excitement to those who have read, studied, or watched various versions of films on the play before.

Do not be put off by some kind of old fashioned English used but try and understand the basics of the story and you will enjoy studying the play. Remember there are various methods used by different teachers to introduce the play.

What I have done here is highlight some ideas you will come across when you read and analyse the play. Most of them lack supporting evidence which makes them a good study technique as it forces learners to go back to the text and find evidence of what has been highlighted. What is the play Romeo and Juliet about? In other words this question asks about themes. A theme is a significant topic that is developed in a text. It is recommended that as you study the play, you should look beyond the basic plot and try to discover the recurring ideas that the playwright is exploring.

Talking about the plot — plot is the sequence of events in a story, novel or play. The plot begins with exposition, which introduces the story’s characters, setting and situation. The rising action adds complications to the story’s conflicts, or problems, leading to the climax, or point of greatest interest or suspense. The falling action is the logical result of the climax, and the resolution presents the final outcome.

Consider whether the language used to describe the theme is positive or negative and what role the main characters play in the development of the theme. Romeo and Juliet contains a number of themes, such as revenge, violence, family and friendship, but the most prominent theme is love. Throughout the play many types of love are explored such as: unrequited (unreturned) love (Romeo’s infatuation with Rosaline), love of family (the love of parents for their children) first love (Romeo and Juliet’s love at first sight), romantic love (the deepening love between Romeo and Juliet) and fatal love (obsessive love that leads to death).

These types of love can be supported with quotations. A brief explanation about the different types of love shown here: the love between parents and children is explored through showing a great deal of the Capulet family, such that the seemingly pleasanter Montagues must play a lesser part in the action. The love of the Capulets for their daughter is so possessive and tyrannical such that when they are crossed by her it turns into a cruelty that questions the very nature of their affection.

“An you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend; An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets.”

True love between Romeo and Juliet is contrasted with the love of Paris for Juliet which sees nothing wrong in an arranged marriage forced on a young girl against her will. Implicit in the cruelty of Capulet and in Paris’: That may be’ must be, love, on Thursday next”, is Shakespeare’s condemnation of this kind of insensitivity to others.

Juliet did not love Paris but the insensitive Paris was will to force himself on her with the assistance of her parents the Capulets. In even starker contrast is the ideal love of Romeo and Juliet is the attitude of the servants, Sampson and Gregory, of Mercutio and the Nurse. For them love is something wholly sexually and physical, and between them they provide the play with bawdry. Bawdry is there to provide humour in the play.

For some this provides a laugh, while others will admire it for its wit (fun), while yet others, will find it ironic that an audience can laugh at rapist jokes of Sampson and Gregory who look upon women as mere objects to serve their pleasure. Their violent attitude towards love links them with the violence of the feud and research tells us that it could be argued that for people like Sampson and Gregory, love has become hate.

The Nurse constantly makes references to the physical side of marriage proving beyond doubt that she also has a very limited view of love. If love is no more than falling backwards and having babies, then obviously Paris will do as well for a husband as Romeo. Examine the relationship between the Nurse and Juliet — the contrast between them emphasises the other’s qualities. Note the Nurse is not just a source of comedy.

She lets her mistress Juliet down at the hour of need when she needed a shoulder to lean on. Juliet did not love Paris and being forced to marry him was the last straw. But as already indicated the Nurse not understanding the depth of love thinks Juliet can just marry Paris.

Mercutio is another source of comedy in the play Romeo and Juliet. Examiner the way his appearances are structured in the play — at first his ribald (coarse) jokes are in sharp contrast with Romeo’s word-play about Rosaline, and then a contrast with the romantic scenes in which the lovers meet and fall in love.

Here we are made aware of the clash between a dirty-joke attitude to love and love at its finest. This can only make sense when flesh is added from the text. “The love of Romeo and Juliet is not something merely ethereal (ghostly). It is a rounded, balanced love on which the physical relationship is eagerly looked forward to but is transformed by the power of their love into something of which Mercutio and the Nurse and the servants know nothing.

Note that another recurring theme in Shakespeare’s plays is the necessity for law and order in society. You find Escalus, Prince of Verona, coming in a number of times to warn his quarrelling subjects, the Capulets and Montagues. This is a challenge to the peace and smoothrunning of the State, and it is the Prince’s duty to keep the rebellious subjects in order.

There is more to highlight in this play so that learners get the zeal to read before the lessons and actively participate in class discussions.

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