How does Shakespeare use Romeo to explore fate? 1,4
In “Romeo and Juliet”, Romeo undergoes a transformation from youthful
impulsion to a doomed tragic hero of romantic fatalism. Through his initial
submission to fate, …. And futile attempts to defy fate, Shakespeare
interrogates the extent of which the characters’ lives are predestined or if
it is a societal construct that attempts to detach the wealthy from their
consequences. Perhaps the play serves to critique the Elizabethan
society’s reliance on the belief that a transcendental force dictated their
lives.
In Act 1, Romeo embodies the typical Petrarchan lover archetype, as he is
infatuated with Rosaline who does not love him back. Romeo exclaims “O
brawling love! O loving hate!, which uses an imperfect sonnet possibly to
mirror his immaturity and lack of experience in love. This is further
reflected by the hyperbolic language that displays excessive emotion –
although typical of Petrarchan lovers, it is overused by Romeo which
Shakespeare could use to question his sincerity in love. Upon meeting
Juliet, Romeo immediately forgets about Rosaline with the rhetorical
question “Did my heart love till now?” that dramatically contradicts his
earlier attitude to establishe him as an unreliable, immature character
who is inexperienced in love. By highlighting the vulnerability of Romeo’s
character, Shakespeare is able to use Romeo to subtly critique Elizabethan
society as to the audience he is already unreliable. In the extract, he
reveals his fears as there is “Some consequence, yet hanging in the
stars”, where the celestial imagery aligns to the Prologue’s “star-cross’d
lovers”. Romeo’s language directly mirrors the Prologue, perhaps as a
reminder of his predetermined fate, or to reveal that subconsciously he is
already aware he is doomed. Either way, this phrase is significant to
demonstrate his submission to fate, as he identifies his belief that his fate
is determined by the ‘stars’ alignment. The first Act reveals Romeo to be a
submissive character, as he reflects wider societal beliefs that their life is
not defined by choices, but a wider, omnipotent force. Shakespeare also
reveals Romeo to be a symbol of youthful impulsion and romantic
idealism, which could serve to highlight the futility of the belief in fate that
Romeo aligns himself to.
Although, later in Act 3, Romeo undergoes a stark transformation, initially
a melancholic lover Romeo subverts to masculine expectations in a
patriarchal society. Tybalt kills Mercutio under Romeo’s arm, arguably due
to Romeo’s inability to confront the truth of his secret marriage. Romeo
In “Romeo and Juliet”, Romeo undergoes a transformation from youthful
impulsion to a doomed tragic hero of romantic fatalism. Through his initial
submission to fate, …. And futile attempts to defy fate, Shakespeare
interrogates the extent of which the characters’ lives are predestined or if
it is a societal construct that attempts to detach the wealthy from their
consequences. Perhaps the play serves to critique the Elizabethan
society’s reliance on the belief that a transcendental force dictated their
lives.
In Act 1, Romeo embodies the typical Petrarchan lover archetype, as he is
infatuated with Rosaline who does not love him back. Romeo exclaims “O
brawling love! O loving hate!, which uses an imperfect sonnet possibly to
mirror his immaturity and lack of experience in love. This is further
reflected by the hyperbolic language that displays excessive emotion –
although typical of Petrarchan lovers, it is overused by Romeo which
Shakespeare could use to question his sincerity in love. Upon meeting
Juliet, Romeo immediately forgets about Rosaline with the rhetorical
question “Did my heart love till now?” that dramatically contradicts his
earlier attitude to establishe him as an unreliable, immature character
who is inexperienced in love. By highlighting the vulnerability of Romeo’s
character, Shakespeare is able to use Romeo to subtly critique Elizabethan
society as to the audience he is already unreliable. In the extract, he
reveals his fears as there is “Some consequence, yet hanging in the
stars”, where the celestial imagery aligns to the Prologue’s “star-cross’d
lovers”. Romeo’s language directly mirrors the Prologue, perhaps as a
reminder of his predetermined fate, or to reveal that subconsciously he is
already aware he is doomed. Either way, this phrase is significant to
demonstrate his submission to fate, as he identifies his belief that his fate
is determined by the ‘stars’ alignment. The first Act reveals Romeo to be a
submissive character, as he reflects wider societal beliefs that their life is
not defined by choices, but a wider, omnipotent force. Shakespeare also
reveals Romeo to be a symbol of youthful impulsion and romantic
idealism, which could serve to highlight the futility of the belief in fate that
Romeo aligns himself to.
Although, later in Act 3, Romeo undergoes a stark transformation, initially
a melancholic lover Romeo subverts to masculine expectations in a
patriarchal society. Tybalt kills Mercutio under Romeo’s arm, arguably due
to Romeo’s inability to confront the truth of his secret marriage. Romeo
