A Tragedy of Love—Romeo and Juliet

【Abstract】Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous dramas of William Shakespeare. I like the novel very much and will give some ideas and comments from the three points： first， the difference between Romeo and Juliet & Butterfly Lovers； Second， the analysis of Romeo and Juliets characters； Third， the great significance of the novel.

【Key words】tragedy； love； fate； criticism

Introduction

Although he died almost 400 years ago， William Shakespeare is still one of the most popular English writers in the world. His 38 plays have been translated into every major language. One of his most famous is “Romeo and Juliet”， a love story and a tragedy.

1. The Difference between Romeo and Juliet & Butterfly Lovers.

Unfailing love has always been the eternal theme of literature creation. Romeo and Juliet， Shakespeares novel， is the perfect interpretation of the true meaning of love. This is why I choose to read this novel. In China， there is also a similar legend of the true love—Butterfly lovers. I will compare these two stories， and come up with some ideas of mind.

These two novels have one thing in common： they both describe a pair of beloved couple. Under the pressure of their family and social oppression， they all chose to die for love to express their loyalty of love. However， they also have a lot of differences. Firstly， for personal character， Romeo and Juliet are active， outgoing and enthusiastic； while the two protagonists of Butterfly Lovers are passive， introverted and implicit.

2. Analysis of Major Characters

2.1 Analysis of Romeo

Romeos deep capacity for love is merely a part of his larger capacity for intense feeling of all kinds. Put another way， it is possible to describe Romeo as lacking the capacity for moderation. Love compels him to sneak into the garden of his enemys daughter， risking death simply to catch a glimpse of her. Anger compels him to kill his wifes cousin in a reckless duel to avenge the death of his friend. Despair compels him to suicide upon hearing of Juliets death. Such extreme behavior dominates Romeos character throughout the play and contributes to the ultimate tragedy that befalls the lovers.

2.2 Analysis of Juliet

Juliet gives glimpses of her determination， strength， and sober-mindedness， in her earliest scenes， and offers a preview of the woman she will become during the four-day span of Romeo and Juliet. While Lady Capulet proves unable to quiet the Nurse， Juliet succeeds with one word. In addition， even in Juliets dutiful acquiescence to try to love Paris， there is some seed of steely determination. Juliet promises to consider Paris as a possible husband to the precise degree her mother desires. While an outward show of obedience， such a statement can also be read as a refusal through passivity. Juliet will accede to her mothers wishes， but she will not go out of her way to fall in love with Paris.

3. The Great Significance of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's famous dramas. The conflict of it is the love between Romeo and Juliet and the opposition between the two families. It displayed the sharp contradiction between free love and feudal influence， where the story took place is the city of Verona. It was actually an artistic reappearance of the social reality in British in the end of 16th century， a period of great prosperity ruled by Queen Elizabeth. On one hand， the prince stood for the monarchical power which was widely popular with civilians. On the other hand， the feud between Montague and Capulet stood for the feudal influence extending from middle ages which competed with each other. But times are going forward， offspring of the two powers fell in love with each other at the first time in a party unexpectedly， and families' hatred and personal love formed the huge contradiction of drama. Romeo and Juliet all overlooked families' hatred and despised that it just was the meaningless surname that interfered with their combination.

Conclusion

The death of Romeo and Juliet brought reconciliation to the two opposing families and the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet indeed moved the audience a great deal： “For never was a story of more than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” Why was this tragedy the most woeful？ Because it told a story of mans futile fight against fate， which reminded the audience of their own struggle in life.

References：

[1]Shakespeare，William.The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.G.Blakemore Evans and Joseph Jay Tobin eds.The Riverside Shakespeare.Boston，Mass.：Houghton Mifflin，1973.

[2]Shapiro，A.Stephen.“Romeo and Juliet：reversals，Contraries，Transformations，and Ambivalence”.College English Vol.25 No.7（April 1964）.

[3]残雪.爱情与死亡——读《罗密欧与朱丽叶》[J].书屋，2001.

作者介绍：朱燕（1981-），女，中共党员，江苏南通人，现担任南通理工学院基础课教学部英语教师，讲师。最高学位：文学学士。