Romeo Type Shi Flashcards
Overview and 3 words
Melancholic
Enamoured
Reckless
What purpose does this character serve?
Shakespeare uses the character of Romeo in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as a vehicle to bring attention to the dangers of love, especially when pursued with such haste. Romeo is initially presented as an extremely melancholic character who is left to navigate the repercussions of his unrequited love for Rosaline. Once he encounters Juliet, Romeo very quickly becomes enamoured with her giving way to his impulsive pursuit of love. Romeo is unwilling to accept the prospect of being separated from Juliet. He ultimately appears completely overcome by emotion and therefore becomes more reckless in his actions thus resulting in his untimely and tragic death.
Themes
Love and pain - Romeo’s character seeks to demonstrate the duality of love and pain as one cannot exist without the other.
Younger generation vs older generation - Romeo is emblematic of the rash younger generation who seek to make decisions or take action without much thought.
Fate and freewill - Romeo believes he is acting out of freewill but fails to acknowledge the power of fate as outlined by the play’s prologue
Quote 1 (opening)
Is the day so young?’ (I.i.154)
• Romeo has become so absorbed in the ill-effects of unrequited love that he is unable to respond to Benvolio’s greeting. He appears to have lost track of time altogether, indicating the transformative power of love and its ability to warp something as fundamental as passing of time.
Quote 2
‘Kept without my food’ (I.ii.55)
• Use of hyperbolic language, Romeo positions himself as a victim of unrequited love.
• Use of the verb “food” is significant as it is vital for a human to live, however he is deprived of this, which indicates that he desires such love in order to function and live. ‘Food’ could also indicate women are used as objects for pleasure - the Renaissance audience may agree with this whereas the contemporary audience may find this highly insulting and degrading.
Quote 3
‘O brawling love, O loving hate’ (I.i.170)
• Repetition of “O” indicates that Romeo embodies the conventions of a Petrarchan lover as he is overwhelmed by the effects of unrequited love. The use of oxymoronic language demonstrates that love has the power to disorientate and warp minds as he cannot express himself clearly.
• Part of an incomplete sonnet -> mirrors his incomplete, unrequited love (source of his melancholy). Alternatively, it could allude to his fractured state of mind, as even the sonnet form has been disrupted
Quote 4
‘Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.’ (II.ii.50-51)
• Romeo is very quick to denounce his name in favour of Juliet. He appears to be willing to sacrifice his own identify in the pursuit of love which further highlights its powerful and transformative effect on characters.
• Use of the term ‘never’ demonstrates Romeo’s certainty and conviction of his promise when speaking to Juliet.
Quote 5
‘I have been feasting with mine enemy where, on a sudden, one hath wounded me that’s by me wounded.’
• Romeo appears forthright when sharing details of his encounter with the Friar. His love for Juliet appears to have altogether eclipsed any caution he may have had previously in that he is not afraid to declare his love for someone from a rival family.
• Use of the phrase ‘on a sudden’ foreshadows the haste of their relationship whilst the repetition to ‘wounded’ is indicative of the conflict which will permeate the play and eventually result in their untimely deaths.
Quote 6
‘Then love devouring death do what he dare’ (II.vi.7)
• Romeo’s infatuation with Juliet creates a misplaced sense of confidence. He personifies death as a means to challenge this force – a statement which would have shocked a Renaissance audience who firmly believed in the power of fate to determine one’s future.
• Clear example of dramatic irony as the prologue to the play indicates that the ‘star-crossed lovers’ will meet their untimely end by the close of the play.
• The phrase “love devouring Death” acts as a clear link to the prologue, which describes the union as a “death-marked love”. This repeated intertwinement of love and death seeks to remind the audience that these two seemingly opposing forces are more closely linked than initially thought.
• Flicker of Romeo’s logical approach has now dissipated as he reverts back to his previous behaviours.
• Use of the noun ‘death’ is an example of dramatic irony as Romeo’s decisions will ultimately lead to his untimely end along with Juliet’s.
• Use of the verb ‘ta’en’ highlights Romeo’s daring nature when it comes to love. He is more willing to be sentenced to death than to be separated from Juliet, placing focus on the transformative effect of love - his love transcends his will to live as it is such a powerful force
‘Let me be ta’en, let me be put to death’ (III.v.17)
• Romeo is in complete disbelief at the revelation of Juliet’s death, as demonstrated by his need to clarify already clear details surrounding her death with a question.
• He rallies against what he believes to be fate. However, this is somewhat ironic given the play’s prologue. Romeo’s reaction was already predetermined albeit he is entirely unaware of this
‘Is it even so? then I defy you, stars!’ (V.i.24)
• Use of phrase ‘do not’ demonstrates Romeo’s determination to end his own life in a bid to be reunited with Juliet in death.
• Use of the full stop adds finality and weight to his words highlighting his conviction in his plans.
‘And do not interrupt me in my course.’ (V.iii.27)
• Use of modal verb “will” and the phrase “shake the yoke of inauspicious stars” highlights Romeo’s determination to defy fate.
• Audience are already made aware of the fate of the two lovers from the outset of the play and so Romeo is ultimately playing into the hands of fate under the guise of what he believes to be freewill.
‘Will I set up my everlasting rest, And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars’ (V.iii.110-111)
