The question of love in Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

The question of love in Romeo and Juliet Essay The theme of love is evidently explored with Shakespeares play of Romeo and Juliet, using his abilities, the author manages to introduce many obstacles or other influencing elements that has a great impact on the development of love between the two young lovers. There are two basic levels in the play, the behaviour of society within Verona and the private, love orientated interaction between Romeo and Juliet. The social culture of Verona has stood as an uncontrollable influence upon the relationship of Romeo and Juliet, especially concerning the feud between the two families of the Capulets and the Montagues. The existence of this feud is not the immediate reason for the destruction of the lovers, yet it is one of many characteristics within the plot that together is considered an influence that hindered the relationship. Increasing the scale of this elements impact on the relationship, is the fact that it doesnt simply involve the two immediate families as even the servants take part in the feud, clearly proven within the first scene. The conflict appears to be one that is inflicted upon the whole public of Verona as represented by an unnecessary quarrel between the servants of the households within the first scene. This scenes constant references and implications of physical action and the actual deed being undertaken show the unprompted and impetuous behaviour of the people. GREGORY: The quarrel is between our masters and us their men SAMPSON: Tis all one (Act I, Scene I) Their world of hate and inexplicable grudges introduces the high level of intolerance and ignorance of the destructive society of Verona to the audience at the beginning of the play, aiding hindrance to the relationship between the star-crossd lovers. However, once the play has initiated, the speed of the action accelerates further and further, thus the people behaving more unreasonable and with further impulsiveness. It is this factor that increases the impact of the occurrence in the plot, therefore emphasizing their impacts on Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare has also involved a love triangle, between Romeo and Juliet. As he involves a wealthy prince named Paris, whom is arranged, by her parents, to marry Juliet despite her devoted feelings to Romeo. However, Paris appears as a wooer to Juliet and not an emotional and individual lover, and Shakespeare clearly shows this within the initial two lines of Paris, that he is not a lover as true as Romeo of honourable reckoning are you both. Despite these obvious obstacles that Shakespeare has emphasized before introducing the lovers to the audience, love is still found between the two. Within act one, scene five, the language and form of the dialogue shared between the two supposed enemies changes, and becomes poetic and flattering, showing that their private interactions are totally different from the public life. Romeo and Juliets first conversation is composed of a sonnet. Shakespeare has successfully managed to use this poetic approach to explore matters beyond a dramatic performance and involve the audience emotionally, enabling them to imagine themselves as the recipients of the poem. The language used additionally creates an intimate perspective of love between them. When Romeo first sees Juliet, his plans are of a physical nature, Ill watch her place of stand/ And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand (Act I, Scene IV). The acting of touching Juliets hand is a linguistic representation of touch, a tactile sign. Further emphasized within the pilgrim sonnet, using a semantic use of words, attention is brought to reference of touch once again Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is prugd. The use of a formal convention of a sonnet and the emphasis of contact and physical intimacy create a new atmosphere. The next time the lovers meet is on Juliets balcony, where Romeo has trespassed on Capulet ground potentially causing a lot of danger, of which is Juliet is highly aware of If they do see thee, they will murder thee (Act II, Scene II). Romeo attempts to console Juliets fears through declaration of their being stronger than the physical power of Capulets kinsmen there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of there swords. Romeo tries to prove his love to Juliet by using a vow, again a conventional form of speech, yet Juliet immediately interrupt him and explains that no any convention but his gracious self can guarantee his true love. Romeos use of conventional language to Juliet arouses skepticism in the audience is this really true love, or just a sign of immaturity? JULIET: O swear not by the moon, thinconstant moon, That monthly changes in her orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable (Act II, Scene II) Romeo and Juliets characters are quite contradictive. Romeo, a more experienced lover, so overwhelmed with supposed love yet shows passivity and immaturity; though Juliet, completely inexperienced with love, behaves more skillfully and cautiously constantly aware of the danger that accompanies their love. This simple contradiction may possibly have stood as a hindrance to the development of love. Additionally within this scene, one must realize that Romeo displays his ignorance of the situation and fails to consider such as part of reality with loves light wings did I oerperach these walls. Romeos inability to distinguish reality from that of a surrealist perspective corresponds to the contrast between night and day. The time of day influences the relationship greatly, as I believe both Romeo and Juliet recognize. During the day while light is still shone upon the grounds, the feelings are running high, but night is possibly considered the time of calmness and ease, where love may take place. After the fateful quarrel occurring in act three, scene one, Juliet longs for the night, possibly relating such a time of day to satisfaction of feelings, especially in terms of Romeo Come night come Romeo come thou day in night (Act III, Scene II). I believe this is further emphasized after realizing that the lovers last meeting was the wedding-night before Romeo was exiled; their parting shows that to them, day is a foe to their love acting as a significant hindrance to the development of their love. JULIET: O now be gone, more light and light it grows ROMEO: More light and light: more dark and dark our woes (Act III, Scene V) Another addition to nights seemingly appearance to uphold peace and love, acting as obstacle of relationships development, is Romeos brief display of skepticism. As previously stated Romeos inability to distinguish reality from that of a surrealist perspective corresponds to the contrast between night and day as explained in the previous paragraph, as he feels that his love to Juliet is isolated away from ordinary life I am afeard, being in night, all this is but a dream. The use of language through the poetical conventions and the action of the first half of the play, clearly show that the plot rides upon two contrary levels. The concept of love is again questioned, if there is a love concept within this play surely it represents a rival idea to the ordinary aristocratic life of Verona, thus making the concept of love plainly a rival to the real world. Yet confusion is introduced when thinking that the intimate interaction and representation of love between Romeo and Juliet, seemingly being the rival of the real world, actually occurs within this real world. The two supposed rivals of love and society regularly alternate and this happens without a change of place. Thus the two rivals of love and society remain incompatible with exception of being unified in the individuals Romeo and Juliet and in time and place of setting but is their really a unification within Romeo and Juliet? I dont believe these two rivalling themes of love and society can neither coexist or be unified as they are incompatible, nonetheless can not be separated as they take place in one physical world. Therefore, if both levels are absolutely incompatible, a solution must be inevitable hence the tragic death of the star crossd lovers. Yet their deaths may have been this seemingly inevitable solution, as Romeo realizes after hearing of Juliets apparent death that the real world does not provide any room for the realization of their love. Therefore death is regarded the only place of reconciliation and it was in all ways. I dont think Shakespeare wished to provide a didactic message to the audience, yet wished to show how the conflict between love and society lead to Romeo and Juliets death. I believe the point of the play was not how love arose out of hatred and then triumph over it in death, but that it does. The plot shows that society and death are powers or forces that influenced the lives of Romeo and Juliet. Love was the basis upon the significant decisions made within the play; therefore power of love additionally belongs to these forces. In terms of the two rivalling themes, society regarded their love as a failure; yet the lovers defiance of society proved to be a great success in terms of the power of love.

The theatrical works of 5C Athens represent a very significant advance on Homers Iliad :: Ancient Greece Greek History

The theatrical works of 5C Athens represent a very significant advance on Homer's Iliad It is difficult to compare the works of Aristophanes and Homer, and make a decision as to whether or not Aristophanes' plays are more advanced than Homer's writing, as they serve a different purpose and are told conpletely differently. Aristophanes's stories are meant to be performed in the form of a play. Homer's Iliad is an epic, and through his language the reader can only picture the scene. They cannot be compared as such, but we may pass judgment on whether the works of Aristophanes has advanced in quality, in relation to Homer's Iliad. Literature reflects the circumstances of the times by providing a social and political commentary. This commentary is represented by Aristophanes, one of the best known tragic and comic poets of the fifth and fourth century B.C. As Greek society became more sophisticated a new type of poetry arose among the Greeks. Unlike Homer, authors of this lyric poetry sang not of legendary events but of present delights and sorrows. This new note, personal and passionate, can be seen in the works of Aristophanes, in which the contrast between the new values and those of Homer's heroic age is sharply clear. By the fifth century B.C. in Athens, two distinct forms, tragedy and comedy, had evolved. Borrowing from the old familiar legends of gods and heroes for their plots, the tragedians reinterpreted them in the light of the values and problems of their own times. Comedies were vulgar and lively. There were no laws against libel or obscenity in Athens, so political satire became a favorite subject of the comedians. Aristophanes, the most famous comic-dramatist, brilliantly satirized Athenian democracy as a mob led by demagogues. A favorite target of his was the political leader Cleon - he based several of his plays around him. Yet he also put intelligent messages between his jokes. For example, in his play Lysistrata, the women of Greece stop the Peloponnesian War with a sex boycott, refusing to sleep with their husbands until they agree to end the fighting; thus, he could advocate peace and women's rights in the same story. By allowing such coarse humor even in difficult times, the Athenians may have shown us why Athens remained a cultural center after its best years ended; they were never afraid of the truth, and could always laugh at themselves. The theatrical works of 5C Athens represent a very significant advance on Homer's Iliad :: Ancient Greece Greek History The theatrical works of 5C Athens represent a very significant advance on Homer's Iliad It is difficult to compare the works of Aristophanes and Homer, and make a decision as to whether or not Aristophanes' plays are more advanced than Homer's writing, as they serve a different purpose and are told conpletely differently. Aristophanes's stories are meant to be performed in the form of a play. Homer's Iliad is an epic, and through his language the reader can only picture the scene. They cannot be compared as such, but we may pass judgment on whether the works of Aristophanes has advanced in quality, in relation to Homer's Iliad. Literature reflects the circumstances of the times by providing a social and political commentary. This commentary is represented by Aristophanes, one of the best known tragic and comic poets of the fifth and fourth century B.C. As Greek society became more sophisticated a new type of poetry arose among the Greeks. Unlike Homer, authors of this lyric poetry sang not of legendary events but of present delights and sorrows. This new note, personal and passionate, can be seen in the works of Aristophanes, in which the contrast between the new values and those of Homer's heroic age is sharply clear. By the fifth century B.C. in Athens, two distinct forms, tragedy and comedy, had evolved. Borrowing from the old familiar legends of gods and heroes for their plots, the tragedians reinterpreted them in the light of the values and problems of their own times. Comedies were vulgar and lively. There were no laws against libel or obscenity in Athens, so political satire became a favorite subject of the comedians. Aristophanes, the most famous comic-dramatist, brilliantly satirized Athenian democracy as a mob led by demagogues. A favorite target of his was the political leader Cleon - he based several of his plays around him. Yet he also put intelligent messages between his jokes. For example, in his play Lysistrata, the women of Greece stop the Peloponnesian War with a sex boycott, refusing to sleep with their husbands until they agree to end the fighting; thus, he could advocate peace and women's rights in the same story. By allowing such coarse humor even in difficult times, the Athenians may have shown us why Athens remained a cultural center after its best years ended; they were never afraid of the truth, and could always laugh at themselves.

William Wordsworth’s poem Upon Westminster Bridge is a sonnet

William Wordsworth's poem Upon Westminster Bridge is a sonnet, it creates a pleasurable passage that is easily read and understood while still accessing a great deal of emotion and image form. It gives different readers, many different interpretations of what the poem is about, the images and emotions felt, yet still maintaining the secret of what Wordsworth himself would have had in mind about the meaning of the poem. Upon Westminster Bridge creates for the reader that sense of awe that was felt by William Wordsworth whilst gazing upon the view of London and this awe can also be felt by the readers themselves. This sense of awe can be seen from the very beginning of the passage, â€Å"Earth has not anything to show more fair:† just the language used is like a spell cast upon the reader giving off a sense of calmness and tranquillity. This feeling in the language is reflected in the atmosphere of the time in which the poem is set, early morning, just as the sun is starting to show above the horizon. Where the citizens of London are still in bed, the busy city still asleep and motionless. The impression of religious symbology can also be felt in this poem. â€Å"Dull would he be the soul who could pass by†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the word â€Å"soul† in this line gives the reader the impression of a reverential tone. Soul is a word that is used mostly in a religious context and having it in the poem lets off the feeling of the peace, and heavenliness. â€Å"Dear God! the very houses seem asleep†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this can be taken as an emphasis on the reverential tone of the poem. â€Å"Dear God!† this reference to God fits in and confirms the â€Å"soul† and heightens the religious atmosphere. The first stanza in this poem is like an opening to the rest, an appetiser. â€Å"A sight so touching in its majesty:† The use of sight, so, its, majesty, is to put emphases on the soft sound of the â€Å"s†. This softness is linked to â€Å"touching†. This magnificent view is only softly touching him, the poet, with all this to take in he hasn't yet absorbed the full beauty. This can be seen as one of the most important and meaningful lines in this passage, it uses stillness and serenity, creating the mood, and linking the setting to the poet's feelings at the time. William Wordsworth uses similes in this poem to connect a lifeless thing like the city of London, to humanity, and the natural world to create a unity of all three. â€Å"This City now doth like a garment wear The beauty of the morning†, humans wear clothing, gowns to make us look more beautiful. What this line is saying is that the city wears the morning like a beautiful gown, and the morning is making the city look more splendid, giving it the connection to humans and making it come to life. The use of words with short syllables can make the reader feel informed. It helps capture a huge amount of detail in very little words. â€Å"†¦Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie open unto the fields, and to the sky†¦Ã¢â‚¬  looking at this the reader would start slow and read faster and faster as the list progresses, this is the influence of short syllable words. This paints a mental image in the reader's head as if watching a movie, an elaborate scene with beautiful scenery, and the camera pans across slowly at a constant rate capturing every flower, every tree, hill and a small bee flying across the screen. â€Å"†¦Open unto the fields, and to the sky.† â€Å"In his first splendour valley, rock or hill† and amongst all this artificial beauty of towers and ship the beauty of nature still manages to show through and enhance the whole image. The last stanza raps up the whole of the poem; it recreates the mood of awe and also puts in a little shock. â€Å"Dear God! the very houses seem asleep†; this time the â€Å"Dear God!† is used in a different way. It serves the purpose of heightening the religious feeling, but also heightens the awe and pushes it into shock. It is used almost in a blasphemous way; using God's name in vain. William Wordsworth's appreciation of beauty is revealed not only in the images and similes he chose to use, but also in the gracefully modulated sentences. The rhyming of the last word in the first and last stanza reinforces the reverence Wordsworth felt all his life to the God he understood to be in all nature. Wordsworth's personality and poetry were deeply influenced by his love of nature, romanticising what he saw in the natural world.

The Paradox of Nothing within Flannery O’Connor’s Short...

Within Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"Good Country People†, one would find many paradigms of imitations and foolishness and none of the â€Å"good country† personalities the title so tries to imply and uphold. This short story encompasses the lives of these false characters, each tried and fated within the hardship named life, but no retribution so necessary than Hulga’s. Her flamboyant distress of distinction and judgment alters her state of belief and turns it into an ironic form of Nihilism, or faith in nothing, bringing with it her ultimate calamity. First impression includes much of Hulga’s character, with her repugnant and discriminating air, so starts the most interesting nihilistic paradox. So indignant and frustrated, seemingly with others but truly with herself. Her shallow ways contradicting with the nature of her knowledge, failing to live up to easily the oldest philosophical admonitions in the history of time: â€Å"Know Thyself†. She exclaims constantly to Mrs. Freeman, â€Å"If you want me, here I am – LIKE I AM† but she is not simply who she is, she is an empty shell of false sophistication and ego. Her name change also explains much of her complex as â€Å"She saw it as the name of her highest creative act†. She may have changed it, yet allowed no one else to use it she didn’t very much know how to identify herself, â€Å"Hulga† is merely the idea of her highest ideal character, and in the end Hulga is the one that gets fooled. The irony embedded in her spirit is quit e high, since sheShow MoreRelatedANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 PagesThe Elements of Plot When we refer to the plot of a work of fiction, then, we are referring to the deliberately arranged sequence of interrelated events that constitute the basic narrative structure of a novel or a short story. Events of any kind, of course, inevitably involve people, and for this reason it is virtually impossible to discuss plot in isolation from character. Character and plot are, in fact, intimately and reciprocally related, especially in modern fiction. A major function of plot