Death In R&j

Question 1

Death as foreshadowed for tragedy

Answer 1

• literary devise that hints at the tragic fate throughout ridding the viewer of any aspect of hope and reminding them of the incoming and inevitable deaths, heightening the emtoional impact
• the play begins with an act of foreshadowing in the prologue; ridding the viewers of any sense of hopefulness for the tragedy as it claims the “star crossed lovers take their life” here it shows celestial imagery and tells the reader how the two are entwined in tragedy before spoiling the end
• in mercutiosndeath we have an act of foreshadowing as he asks for “a plauge on both your houses” here he is unwillingly preidcting the fate of the two and indeed the turmoil it will give their houses and the destruction of his death which is a consequence again of the vioence withon Verona
• both romeo and Juliet have direct foreshadows to their deaths under the disguise of the divine in their dreams, with Juliet seeing him “in the bottom of a tomb” and Romeos dream begins positive but then takes a darker turn as we realise he does not regain life pnce she kisses him, both of these remind the audience of the inevitability of their fates
• in an era where death was customarary and the deaths of children was normalised, Shakespeare has to make their deaths seem unsavoury and injust in order to break their tale as more tragic than the norm- he does this through the constant banishment of hope

Question 2

Death as fated

Answer 2

• elizabethans we’re popular béliers of the divine presence and how a wheel of fortune and the fate was predecided by the gods above, therefore we see the characters tragic struggles as hopeless against the celestial being of fate and their death presented as inevitable through the divine- death is not an isolated event but an element intrinsically fated in the fabrics of life, heightening the sadness of the inevitable demise
• in the prologue we have an initial glimpse at the inevitable and fated aspect of death as the lovers are described as ‘star crossed’ here it’s clear their destinies and their meeting are predetermined by celestial forces rather than a choices desicion- reminding the audience of our helplessness at the hands of a greater infleunce
• when romeo hears of julliet we can see the recurring motif of the celestial imagery that the characters, like the elizabethans, understood their life was determined by. The great tragedy of his loss of julliet leads romeo to claim to ‘defy you stars’ a direct address to the determining dated powers, and his rage and upset leads him to rebel against the fabrics of time as he is aware that hee fated and indeed his own is predetermined
• Romeo is very aware that life is not his own, indeed at different importwnt parts of the play which steer him towards his tragic death he directly addresses the divine for guidance as he beleivs they are steering him- firstly he calls for “fury be my conduct now” which asks for anger and masculinity to aid him in his friends death, and late at his own suicide he personfies death and asks it to “direct my sail” whcih gives the imagery of him being a sailor at sea whom has no control over the water in which he steers
• death is caused by the tragic fate
• The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love

Question 3

Death and love paragraph

Answer 3

• juxtaposes and yet intertwines the powers of death and love- their love is a transcending power above all societal constructs that is deemed unstoppable due to its youthful passion, and yet the very intensity of their controversial and passionate affair serves as their downfall, there is a complex relationship between live and mortality
• “death marked love” implies that the two are commingled
• “those kissing cherries, tempting grow” is said by romeo when gazing upon his loves dead lips, it shows that true love transcends mortality and is a spiritual and higher adoration that is not limited by life, the juxtaposition of sensuality and tragedy highlights the tragic nature of the lovers untimely fates
• the paradoxal relations between love and death is continued as the friar, trh religious source of morality and wisdom in the play, states that their “vioent delights have vioent ends” and their love “like fire and powder” will die, “whcih as their kiss, consume” here he uses repetition to contradict one another as he warns that the volatility of such a passionate affair may end in tragedy as a reckless and violent delight cannot end well, he uses a simple to liken this to a volatile and yet beautiful object in fire which is equally destructive as it is wonderous- the imagery of fire consuming it’s surroundings encapsulates the paradoxical relations of love and death
• there’s a clear paradox as all expressions of love in the play are tarnished by destruction, showing the proximity and the foolishness in which you are to believe that ahte and destruction does not live nearby love and freedom. Juliet ponders that her “only love sprung from my only hate” their romance is entwined with their circumstances and they cannot be freed, and again when she asks “what’s in a name” due to her unwavering adoration but yet ignores the face that it’s her names and family fued that will lead to her death. Every time the two have a moment of love it is constrastedbbh death and destruction- the meeting/tybalt vs Lord c, the wedding/ mercutio vs tybalt

“My life were better ended by their hate, than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.”

Question 4

Death by masculinity!