The Whys

Question 1

What does Shakespeare warn about fate?

Answer 1

Shakespeare argues that fate is often self inflicted, brought about by a failure to recognise our own flaws or moderate our behaviour

Question 2

What do Romeo and Juliet serve as a warning to?

Answer 2

R+J serve as a warning to the audience against dreaming and behaving impulsively without properly considering actions and their potential consequences

Question 3

How does Shakespeare give the audience a heightened awareness of the repercussions of their actions?

Answer 3

Through the use of dramatic irony, Shakespeare provides the audience a platform to interrogate the actions of each character and identify how particular actions lead to tragic outcomes, perhaps in the hope of growing the awareness of the correlation between actions and their repercussions

Question 4

What does Shakespeare say about advice?

Answer 4

Shakespeare criticises those in society who fail the vulnerable by providing poorly considered advice, even those with ostensibly good intentions

Question 5

What does Shakespeare warn about passionate behaviour?

Answer 5

Shakespeare criticises excessively passionate behaviour, highlighting how acting recklessly out of love can have equally negative consequences as acting recklessly out of hate

Question 6

What does Shakespeare think of the feud?

Answer 6

Shakespeare emphasises the futility of conflict, stressing how the feud continues out of a stubborn refusal to forgive or seek forgiveness, rather than for genuine irreconcilable differences

Question 7

What does Shakespeare warn about violence?

Answer 7

Throughout the play, Shakespeare warns how quickly violence spreads, ultimately infiltrating all aspects of society

Question 8

What does Shakespeare say about toxic masculinity?

Answer 8

Shakespeare criticises the toxic masculinity within Varona whereby all men are drawn into libidinal competitiveness for the sake of male bravado

Question 9

What does Shakespeare say about women?

Answer 9

Shakespeare exposes the limitations placed on women within a patriarchal society, whereby women have very little autonomy over their own lives

Question 10

What does Shakespeare say about the link between love and violence?

Answer 10

Shakespeare highlights that love and violence are inextricably connected, suggesting that while love can be exhilarating and transformative, it can also be destructive and chaotic