GL+2013+P2+Romeo+and+Juliet

//Romeo and Juliet //

Aim By: Blaire Krakowitz

William Shakespeare’s //Romeo and Juliet// was written to show the purity and unearthly power of love as well as the pain and suffering brought about by hatred. Romeo and Juliet tells that story of the titular young nobles who fall in love despite a feud between their families (the Montagues and the Capulets) that has raged for years. Because of this feud, a series of events take place that lead to the lovers killing themselves- the only way, it seemed, for them to be together. In his play, Shakespeare simultaneously denounces the evil of the feud while praising Romeo, Juliet, and their virtue. The fact that the feud is to blame for the deaths of the pure lovers is stated explicitly by Shakespeare: “As rich shall Romeo’s by his lady lie-/ Poor sacrifices of our enmity!” (Shakespeare 126). Within the play, every character expresses woe for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths and blames the feud between the families for the deaths of the young people. As stated by one analyst, “While the rash actions of Romeo and Juliet are partially responsible [for the lovers’ deaths], Shakespeare places the onus on the feuding families showing the audience the consequences of such hatred” (Bouchard). Shakespeare portrays the love of Romeo and Juliet as true and pure; though they make many irresponsible decisions as to how to develop their relationship, it is because they cannot control their love for one another. The trials and difficulties that they suffer that cause these irresponsible actions are because of the hatred between the Montagues and the Capulets. If the feud had not existed, the relationship between Romeo and Juliet would not have been so dangerous or have needed to be kept a secret. However, because of the loathing that surrounded their love, Romeo and Juliet had very little guidance in how to structure their relationship and could not have others know. It was the hatred that caused their deaths, as the feud between the two families set in motion the chain of tragic events that led to Romeo’s banishment from their city and the deaths of both him and Juliet. Shakespeare uses the example of a feud destroying a beautiful love to demonstrate the evil that hatred causes in the world, a theme heavily stated in the text and that is one of the main ideas taken from the play by readers and analysts alike. It is the realization of the evil that their hatred had brought that brings the two families together, showing that peace and love, such as that possessed by Romeo and Juliet, is an end to the evil caused by spite. The purity of Romeo and Juliet’s love and the evil that is the hatred between their families, which destroys it, demonstrates Shakespeare’s purpose of praising love and faithfulness while denouncing ill will and loathing.

Works Cited: Bouchard, Jennifer. "Literary Contexts I n Drama: William Shakespeare's "Romeo And Juliet."Literary Contexts In Plays: William Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet' (2008): N. pag. Literary Reference Center. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. John Erskine Hankins. New York, NY: Scholastic, 1969. 126. Print.

Audience By: Natalie Marcantonio

 The main audiences of the work //Romeo and Juliet// are teenagers (primary audience) and the parents of these teens (secondary audience). Young people and their parents are the primary audiences of this work because //Romeo and Juliet// is a commonly used literature in the classroom, and it teaches teenagers about how “sometimes love is doomed to fail” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Many teenagers, mostly girls, think that as soon as they see another person they feel attracted to that they will be together in "la la land" and be happy together forever. Romeo and Juliet teaches that ‘love’ is something that needs to be developed over time, through the ‘lows’ and ‘highs’ of life. Parents of these teens also learn from this story that they need to not completely control their kids and allow them to have some freedom so the teens won’t make hasty, careless, impulsive decisions, like Romeo and Juliet did in the play. Because //Romeo and Julie//t is commonly used in classrooms the work is discussed constantly and studied a good deal in high school. The school uses the work to teach teenagers about not only the moral of the story, “love is doomed to fail” no matter where they are and how old they are, but also the literary value of Shakespeare’s writing. Teachers teach all the poetic usage that is found within the play as well to teach about certain types of poetry, like monologues and soliloquies. Shakespeare makes an assumption about his audience, that is a form of over generalization, that all young people will be foolish enough to give up all their moral values, their family, their lives, just for an infatuation of what they see as ‘love’. This can be seen as a strength because Shakespeare paints a vivid picture that should be a model of what young people should NOT do with their lives. Along with that he shows how foolish love can be and how that well known phrase, “love at first sight” is not a phrase to live by because the world can be harsh and judgmental, like the Montagues and the Capulets. But it also can be seen in Shakespeare’s assumption about teens can be a weakness towards him because teens have struck a “Romeo and Juliet”, and that has put their lives in danger. Take the two Michigan teens, Braxton Wood (14) and Jayden Thomas (13). They ran off together and “The so-called 'Romeo and Juliet' teenagers who ran away from home together last month, now can't have any type of contact with each other” (USA Today). In conclusion, the work //Romeo and Juliet// is a great piece of literature, though it should not be the model of teens, but more of a learning experience to not allow “love to blind” them.

Work Cited: Shmoop Editorial Team. "Romeo and Juliet"Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

"Mich. Runaways Can't Have Contact, Must Wear GPS." USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

Historical By: Kyra Stek

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">//Romeo and Juliet// is one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, if not the most well-known. A critic states, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">“//The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet// (c. 1595) is now considered to be the greatest love story of all time” (Shmoop Editorial Team). The influence of Romeo and Juliet has spread since its date of creation in the 1500s. However, this play was not entirely just Shakespeare’s work. Originally, its author was a man named Arthur Brooke, and the story’s original name was //The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet//, written in 1562. While Shakespeare took this idea, he expanded on the story and created characters such as Mercutio to make the story his own and to thicken the plot. He also changed the timeframe of the story from nine months to four days, likely to keep the audience engaged. //Romeo and Juliet// has been seen in many formats, such as movie and book adaptations and musicals. The influence of this play has grown throughout the hundreds of years, and it has made such a mark on history that it has become, in the opinion of some, a timeless classic.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">"Romeo and Juliet." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Shmoop Editorial Team. "Romeo and Juliet." Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Cultural <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">By: Bethany Stewart

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Shakespeare’s //Romeo and Juliet// has influenced many English works since the sixteenth century. Many movies; //Songs of Romeo and Julie//t, composed by Sergei Prokofiev; //Romeo + Juliet//, an 1996 American-Australian, and stories have been impacted by //Romeo and Juliet//. “In entertainment, there are many Romeo and Juliet adaptations, such as the Disney Movie, //Gnomeo and Juliet//; the Russian ballet version-Australian film and more” ("The Best and Worst 'Romeo and Juliet' Adaptations."). Essentially, English authors and poets in the 1500s and 1600s modified many Italian stories to create a variety of foreign-influenced stories. These stories, both loosely and widely based on //Romeo and Juliet// and other early tales, have been and will continue to be used as a foundation for many tales. As a child, many early-developing experiences include family activities; watching movies is an example of a family activity. Growing up on fictional stories has influenced the way modern society functions. //Romeo and Juliet// has impacted today’s civilization because it has inspired innumerable adaptations that have influenced the lives of many.

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Works Cited:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">"The Best and Worst 'Romeo and Juliet' Adaptations."'Romeo and Juliet' Movie Adaptations. Comcast, 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.