Romeo and Juliet- Juliet's Death

In the play Romeo and Juliet, both of the main characters end up dying tragically by committing a double suicide. In a way, the argument can be made that several of the characters were responsible for Juliet's death but in my opinion, nobody other than Juliet herself was responsible for her death. I believe that although Romeo and Friar Lawrence, among many of the other characters, may have indirectly caused her death, she was the only person directly responsible for it. 


I think that Romeo and Friar Lawrence may have indirectly caused her to take her own life but they are not responsible for her doing it. Friar Lawrence is the one that married them which is something he should never have done in the first place because it caused a chain of events that led to both Juliet's, and Romeo's deaths. He is also the one that gave Juliet the sleeping potion and caused the confusion that led to Romeo's death, which consequently, led to Juliet's death. Awakening from her sleep to find her husband dead next to her was too much for Juliet to handle which is why I think Romeo was indirectly involved in her death.

However, the reason that I think she was responsible for her own death is because she could have chosen any other option rather than committing suicide. If she had been stronger when she awoke to find Romeo dead next to her, she would have still been alive. She could have found a different way to deal with his death. Instead, she decided to take the easy way out and end her life. 


Overall, although many of the characters might have had some part in her death, none of them put the dagger in her hand and made her stab herself. She made a conscious decision to end her own life because she couldn't handle it anymore; therefore, she is the only one responsible for her own death.

Romeo and Juliet- "Love VS. Lust", and "Passion and Violence go Hand in Hand"

In the play Romeo and Juliet, we see various different themes and these themes have several quotes throughout the play that relate back to them. Two of the specific themes that I noticed throughout the play were "Love VS. Lust" and "Passion and Violence go Hand in Hand".

One of the themes in the book was "Love Vs. Lust". This theme means that in the play, love is often mistaken for love and, lust is held at the same standard as love. We see quotes that relate to the theme "Love Vs Lust" all through the play. An example of a quote that can fit into this category is in the Chorus of the Prologue for the second act. The quote says:

"Alike bewitched by the charm of looks"

This quote is about Romeo and Juliet and what it is basically saying is that both of them fell for each other's good looks. This is a good example of Love VS. Lust because although this quote is saying they are falling for each other, it does not say that they fell for each other's personality or their intellect; it is saying that the thing they love about each other is their looks which is just a physical attribute. It has nothing to do with what they are really like on the outside. In other words, it is due to lust that they begin to fall in love.



Another example of the theme "Love VS. Lust" in the play is when, in Act 1 Scene 1, Romeo says:

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

This quote falls under the category of "Love VS. Lust" because although Romeo is talking about how his heart has never loved before this moment, he is talking about Juliet's beauty being the reason for him falling in love. He says that there is no way he has loved before now because he has never seen true beauty until he say Juliet. Even though he is talking about love, he is comparing love to her beauty, and really, that is just lust. 



Another theme that we see a lot of is "Passion and Violence go Hand in Hand". We see this theme a lot because in this play, the passion that Romeo and Juliet have for one another is often described in a way that is seen as violent, and in the play, passion is also directly related to violence. An example of passion and violence going hand in hand in this play is when Juliet says:

"My only love sprung from my only hate"

This is an example of passion and violence going hand in hand because she is saying that the only man she loves is the son of the man her family hates; her passion for him is shadowed by the violence of the two family's rivalry.
Another example of the theme "Passion and Violence go Hand in Hand" is when Juliet is thinking to herself in Act 1 Scene 5, and she is thinking:

"If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding-bed"

This is another quote in which we see passion and violence going hand in hand because, although she is saying it because of how passionate he is about him, she is still talking about committing suicide. Her passion for him is so big that she would rather die than marry anyone else.

In conclusion the themes we recognize from the play are seen in the quotes all throughout the entire play. Various quotes show us that love is often mistaken for lust, and that passion and violence and directly related. 

Rhetorical Devices: Definition

While reading Romeo and Juliet, we encounter the use of many different rhetorical devices. One of the devices that I noticed while we were reading the play was the use of definition. "Definition" is when a section, line, or part of any reading gives greater depth on a topic or an aspect in order to give a full picture of its characteristics. In Act 1, Scene 1, Romeo is talking to Benvolio about how sad he is that he is in love with Rosaline and she wants to become a nun. The one thing Romeo cannot stop talking about is Rosaline's beauty. He is incredibly sad because he is in love with her yet she does not want to be with him. We hear him talking about how love hurts and in this scene he talks about his views on what love is. Romeo says: 

Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;

Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;

Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.

What is it else? A madness most discreet,

A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.

He describes the way he sees love and it is an example of definition because giving us a greater depth as to what he thinks love is and he is painting us a picture as to what to expect from love. I think this rhetorical device was used here because it gives us more insight as to what Romeo is going through here and we get a deeper understanding as to how he sees things and why he feels this way. It's purpose here was for us to see into Romeo's mind; the way he feels about love and Rosaline, and the way he really thinks. The importance of this device in this scene is to give us a better understanding of what love is in Romeo's mind. A big part of this scene is how much Romeo loves Rosaline and how sad it is making him and so it is good for people to see why he's sad and how it relates to the fact that he thinks he is in love.

Gender Stereotyping

Although Romeo and Juliet is a timeless classic, we still have to consider the fact that it was written ages ago, in a time when women were viewed in a very different way than men. Nowadays, women are mainly seen as equals but back then they were seen as the weaker sex. The play perpetuates the stereotype that women are weaker than men. We see it in the comments certain male characters make and in the way they treat the women in the play.  In Act 1, Scene 1, Sampson and Gregory, two servants of the house of Capulet, are bantering back and forth about conquering the Montague men and women, and the way they are speaking about the women is very degrading. They stereotype all the women as being weak. Sampson says to Gregory, " Women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall." 

He is saying that the women are lesser beings than the men and although it is wrong, that's the way women were seen as. Back then, women and men were supposed to act completely different. Men were supposed to be masculine and powerful; this is something we see in the first scene when the men from the two houses decide to have a sword fight for no apparent reason other than them wanting to show who was tougher. Women, on the other hand, are expected to be there as sexual objects for the men and completely under the men's control; this is something we see when Benvolio is trying to convince Romeo that he should just get over Rosaline by using any of the other girls that are around. 

Women aren't seen as individuals. They are just objects to be passed around by the men; hence why Sampson says they are "weaker vessels". In my opinion, this is significant to the remainder of the text because I believe that this is the way women will be seen as and treated all throughout the rest of the play. They will be treated as objects and seen as weak because this is how women were looked upon during these times.We will see the men continue to act like they are more powerful while the women are there for and to do whatever the men want.

In a way, this stereotype is still very much present in society today. Women are still seen as the inferior sex and men are still seen as more powerful. Although it may not be a stereotype that is perpetuated as often as it was in the past, it still exists in society today. Women are still treated differently than men are. They are stereotyped based on gender although it isn't and shouldn't be true.

Star-Crossed Lovers

Star-crossed lovers is a phrase used to describe a pair of lovers whose relationship is constantly being spoiled, or interrupted, by outside forces. Although it is not always true, more often than not, these relationships are considered to be doomed from the start. 


However, to make it even more interesting, most movies and books nowadays make it so that fate plays a role in helping the star-crossed lovers have their happily ever after. We see how impossible it is for the characters to be together, yet somehow, in the end, they overcome all of the obstacles and end up together. 


We see this happen in most romantic movies and books. It happens in Twilight (Edward and Bella), The Hunger Games (Katniss and Peeta), The Notebook (Ally and Noah), The Vow (Paige and Leo), Evernight (Bianca and Lucas), and When In Rome (Beth and Nick), to list a few. In each and every one of these books and movies, the main couple (the star-crossed lovers) have to deal with many obstacles; from being completely different from one another, to dealing with impossible circumstances (separation, accidents, etc.)

In both Twilight and Evernight, the main couples, Edward and Bella, and Bianca and Lucas, are from completely different worlds. In Twilight, Edward is a vampire while Bella is a human, and in Evernight, Bianca is a vampire while Lucas is a vampire hunter. In each case, the situation seems to be completely impossible but nevertheless, they overcome everything the world throws at them. It shouldn't happen; vampires and humans being together, and in both series it almost doesn't, but in the end, a powerful force that is considered to be fate intervenes, and the couples end up together.

In the movie When In Rome, a large part of the movie is based on a legend about love. During the movie, a lot of crazy things happen to the couple and it seems impossible for things to go good for them, but in the end, the couples en up together mainly because of the legend and the fact that they believe it is the reason they fell in love. If that isn't an example of fate playing a part with these star-crossed lovers, I don't know what is.



In The Notebook, the couple is together at the start, but they get separated and eventually get over each other and begin to lead separate lives, but just when you think they won't be together anymore, they are given a lucky break and they reunite and end up together. This would not be something you would expect to happen in real life but in movies, anything is possible.


In real life, this kind of thing most likely wouldn't happen, but in books and in movies, they give us what they think we want, and have the star-crossed lovers overcome everything and end up together. The role of fate in romantic relationships is ultimately to give breaks and second chances to couples, even when their situation seems impossible.