Romeo and Juliet

A prevalent device in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the oxymoron. Remember, an oxymoron is two words with contradictory meanings. For example: Jumbo Shrimp or bitter sweet. Authors often use...

I would say that Mercutio's main character traits (or the things that best represent his personality) are his gift for talking and his happy demeanor. Mercutio seems like he would be a really fun...

I think that the Prologue is probably the best starting point in examining the role of fate in the two lovers' deaths. Consider that Shakespeare himself opens with fate's hand being present in the...

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From the opening speech of the bard, we know that Romeo and Juliet will "take their lives." It is difficult to keep this dark, looming destruction on our minds as we see a youthful passion...

Juliet is the central heroine and one of the protagonists in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Juliet lives in fair Verona, Italy, a city divided by a feud between two powerful...

Near the end of Act I, scene i, Benvolio asks Romeo what's bothering him and Romeo comes out with it. He tells Benvolio how bummed he is that the girl he likes has sworn to live chaste. Benvolio...

Innocent people are dying in both stories. Because of prejudices between two families, Romeo and Juliet both die. Sadly, two beautiful young people lose their lives because two families cannot get...

The new occurence that Mercutio and Benvolio discuss is that, after the Montagues crashed the Capulet party, Tybalt sent a letter to Romeo's father challenging him to a brawl: In Act II, Scene iv,...

While Romeo and Juliet is a wonderful play, whether it would be a good model for a present day relationship depends on the nature of the people involved. If the girl you wish to invite to...

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, it is important to uncover the several ways in which this tragedy comes about. In the Prologue we are informed that Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers. Fate...

I am going to presume that you are speaking of the moment that Romeo sees Juliet and launches into how she looks. If not, you might need to repost the question. I could only find this as the...

The subject of love is not a simple one in real life or Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet. In the play, love is often fickle and may be seen more as infatuation than true love. In my...

One of the interesting themes in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is that of fate versus free will. This theme is encountered in the Prologue, which describes the story of the play as...

Romeo and Juliet seems intended to demonstrate it is only in youth that people are willing to give their hearts so completely to another. No doubt they are destined to be disillusioned, but perhaps...

I think that one would have to direct their attention to the Prologue to start. The idea of a "star- crossed lovers" is something that brings to light that Romeo and Juliet are going to be...

Dire Straits has a song called "Romeo and Juliet," which is (you guessed it!) about two lovers and their relationship. Also, The Reflections came out with a song in 1964 called "(Just Like) Romeo...

That is a really interesting discussion question because there isn't a single perfect answer. The prologue to the play stresses the role of fate in the story. The lovers are "star-crossed" and come...

Personally, I can't imagine the play without this scene. It is an important scene because it continues to give us insight into the character and actions of all of these characters - Romeo,...

A example of a quotation about the theme of revenge from Act II is found in this exchange between Benvolio and Mercutio, as they discuss the challengeTybalt has sent to Romeo concerning a duel....

There is a quotation from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" that says, "parting is such sweet sorrow." Juliet says this to Romeo Act 2, scene 2, 176–185. The line is proceeded by "Good night, good...

The friar is counsel to Romeo first, when young Montague informs the older man that he wants to take Juliet for his wife. Lawrence becomes inextricably entwined in the lovers' affair, so much so...

The Friar says this when he gives Juliet the potion. It means that she'll seem dead—her body will be cold, she won't breath, and her lips and cheeks will be very pale. In context, there are...

I think that much about the Capulets can be seen in Act III, sc. 5. Part of the reason why Juliet changes so much throughout the course of the drama is based on how her parents discard her. When...

I think you will find it very helpful to read the in-depth character anaylsis here at eNotes, which also contains many  quotations from the play to support the analysis.  A link is...

We do have the Romeo and Juliet eText on our website at the link below. The text includes the modern translation and complete line numbers.

Given that Romeo has been whining and crying non-stop about the fact that Rosalyn will not return his love, everyone would assume that he would have been with her. He even went to the party hoping...

Mercutio, Romeo's best friend, is a witty wordsmith and bright conversationalist. He has a sparkling personality and always comes up with something entertaining to say. These traits make him a good...

The families are most to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Without their longstanding feud, the events of the play would very likely never have happened. From the first brawl at the...

Since we are limited to space, and since students are limited to asking only one question per post, below are some ideas to help get you started, as well as to get you on the right track so that...

There are about four or five bedchamber scenes. Can you be more specific?

To summarize a piece of literature, one must first zero in on the key events found in the work. One thing that makes literature easy to summarize is knowing that almost every work of literature...

This society was highly influenced by the Catholic church, so when he refers to heaven he is referring to God's divine intervention in human life. Essentially he is saying that God has been trying...

In the prologue, the lines "a pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life", "do with their death", and "the fearful passage of their death-mark'd love" all refer to...

The wedding scene in West Side Story takes place inside the bridal shop where Maria works. In this scene, Maria and Tony imagine their wedding, and they arrange mannequins to play the parts of...

Romeo and Juliet was written in the mid-1590s.

In pretty much every occurrence in the play, Shakespeare overlaps both choice and chance. In other words, perhaps a few things happen by chance, but the choices of the characters either lead to the...

When talking to Balthasar, Romeo is forceful and confident. He tells Balthasar his errand is simply to see Juliet and take a ring from her finger. He orders Balthasar not to follow and insists he...

Wordplays are on "coals"--"carry coals": to bear insults,, "colliers": coal workers," "in choler": angry, "collar"; a hangman's noose. ll.1-4) Wordplay with "wall" occurs when Sampson says, "A...

I'm not sure that I understand your question. Are you confusing actor and character? Actors play characters created by a playwright, in this case William Shakespeare. The job of the actor is to...

This is a very interesting choice for a comparison. There are two main intersections between the song and the play that would make for a strong essay (in my opinion). First, the quick escalation...

Romeo Montague utters these words in Act 1, scene 4, on lines 113–114. He is still quite depressed about his inability to successfully woo the fair Rosaline, and his friends are trying to get him...

I would also recommend using an existing sonnet as a template. With my students, I have them write a sonnet in the style of Sonnet 130. Because it starts off so seemingly insulting, my students...

Juliet is their only living child at the time of the play. Lord Capulet tells Paris, "She is the hopeful lady of my earth" (I, ii), meaning that Juliet is his "heir and hope for...

Juliet's refusal to obey her elders while knowing that the consequences would be great shows how headstrong she is. It also shows how deeply in love she is, as well. Both Juliet's and Romeo's...

You could also discuss how they are both naive and how this ultimately leads to their deaths. They both don't really think things through, are quick to make decisions, fall in love at first sight,...

As the daughter of an weatlhy and influential family scion, Juliet's prescribed role in life would have been to have entered into a marriage that would have brought additional riches and influence...

When you say "historical background" I am thinking you are asking about the sources which inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet.  There are several.  In 1562, the British poet...

The Capulets are not unhappy in Act IV, Scene 4. They are happily preparing for what they think will be Juliet's wedding (to Paris). So I wonder if you are really asking about how they feel in the...