Discussion Topic
Illustrating paradoxes in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Summary:
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is filled with paradoxes that highlight the complexities of love and conflict. For instance, Romeo describes his feelings as "brawling love" and "loving hate," showcasing the contradictory nature of his emotions. Juliet also speaks of love as both a "beautiful tyrant" and a "fiend angelical," emphasizing the duality and tension inherent in their relationship.
What are some paradox examples in Romeo and Juliet acts 4 or 5?
That's quite a hard question. For my money, most of the paradoxes that spring up in the strange, disturbing final acts of this play revolve around Juliet's supposed death, and around a key Elizabethan pun on the word "death". "To die", to the Elizabethans, didn't just mean "to stop living", but also "to have an orgasm".
One paradox comes, I think, when Romeo hears of Juliet's death from Balthasar. Here's what he says:
Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee to-night.
What Romeo means is that he will lie dead with her tonight, committing suicide next to her dead body. Of course, Romeo will lie with her - in that, she will be alive when he physically lies next to her. And in an odd sort of way, he will "lie with her" (which can also mean "sleep with her") - as the two of them will "die" (orgasm) next to each other. Paradox after paradox there.
And, as the two of them die, look at what they say:
O true apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.
(ROMEO)
O happy dagger!
This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.
(JULIET)
Both of them, lying next to each other, "die" on the word "death". And both of their deaths have a sort of sexual context - Romeo dies with a kiss, and Juliet by putting a dagger (phallic symbol) into her own body, a "sheath" (an Elizabethan word for the female genitals). So Romeo and Juliet die (die) and die (orgasm) at the same time. To have the beginning of life and the end of it at the same time can only be a paradox.
How can I illustrate a paradox in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?
A paradox is an apparent contradiction that is nonetheless true. A situation can be paradoxical, as can a statement. Further, an oxymoron is basically a compact paradox, the combination of incongruous or opposing words. In the first scene, Romeo gives voice to a great many paradoxes and oxymorons in an attempt to capture his warring feelings about love. He says, in part,
Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate,
O anything of nothing first created!
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! (1.1.166-171)
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.