Essay Sample on Romeo & Juliet: Love Amidst a Corrupt & Chaotic Society

The play Romeo and Juliet, written during the period of Elizabethan, by William Shakespeare follows the tale of two young lovers. The story sets in Italy in a city called Verona. The town is corrupted by grudge between two families, which are of similar societal structure. The city's society has turned out to be violent. The reason behind this being everybody has been caught up between the Capulets and Montagues feud. The result, a fallout of order creating a corrupt and chaotic society.

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This particular play features two young people who act as the main characters who fall in love. It is unfortunate as their unconditioned love is not attainable in accordance to their society. The reason being their families share some sort of rivalry. The play enrolls us in the love of all different manners. It also shows how the couple attempt to heal the rivalry between the two families (Hollingsworth & Isecke, 2010)

In the play, William Shakespeare shows that it is only pure love existing between the two is enough to cleanse the rivalry between the Montagues and Capulets. It can be stated that only the two that are Juliet and Romeo were of pure love despite their family's feud. Their attempt to fall in love, therefore, symbolizes some sort of divine devotion. As believed during the era, such a form of divine love was only for the clean hearted souls (Shakespeare, 1871).

The prologue of the play is a sonnet. The sonnet gives the audience an overview of events that happen in the play. Because of this reason, the audience is not surprised when Romeo and Juliet take their lives. William, so does this by keeping us in a loop as to what occurs next. Tension in the play piles up. The employment of dramatic irony reinforces tension in the play. Because of this particular rift existent between the two families, the love shared between the two, Romeo and Juliet, will not be given room to blossom.

This hate has resulted in a civil war in Verona. And has now grown over the years and embroiled all corners of the city. The rift is backed up by the quote, "Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean...a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. From the quote above, William highlights that the young couple ends up dying for love.

For this reason, the audience is not surprised (Shakespeare, 1871). Another critical factor that the prologue reveals is that the two houses are of equal social standings, and it is only the deaths of the Capulets and Montagues children can heal the rift between them. In the play, William exposes accordingly the inadequacy of other forms of love and their inability to help overcome the never-ending feud. "From ancient grudge break new mutiny," it should be noted that even despite the increasing dispute between the two cases of violence, have increasingly subsided. It was unfortunate that such a scene was brought up in the first act of stage one. It can be said that it is during this time of emerging violence that the couple chooses to take their lives (Kite et al., 2014).

As shown by the Franco Zeffirelli film version, the first act immediately thrusts the audience into a steamy argument between the Montagues and Capulets families. Two workers from the Gregory, Sampson, and Montague families instigate a debate by inflaming one of their fellow servants, Abram of the Capulet family. The two servants, Gregory and Sampson, employ explicit languages to describe what actions they would take suppose any Capulet woman dares stray into one of their territories (Hollingsworth & Isecke, 2010). Their conversation mainly revolves around sex. In the play, William Shakespeare makes use of crude puns to illustrate the level of hate that exists between the two households. The play begins with lust and sexual violence, which, according to society, is viewed as one of the lowest existent forms of love. The servants also communicate in prose. This way, they aim at expressing their different views on love. In the first scene, Gregory and Sampson employ stichomythia to speak (Shakespeare, 1996).

The third scene of the play introduces the audience to Juliet. Using Paul Crowls' methods of comparison, it can be evidenced that Juliet's relationship with her parents is as fluent as compared to Romeo's relationship with his parents. Juliet plays the role of a typical daughter who strives to become that perfect daughter. Her character is existent to please her parents, particularly. A good illustration of such is how Juliet replied to her mother when she asked her if whether she would love Paris. Juliet in the phrase can back this statement, "I'll look to like if looking liking move, but no deeper will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly" by this the girls means that she would not love Paris anymore in the same manner that Juliet's parents tell her to love him. This quote illustrates just how Juliet strives in all ways possible to please her parents. This marriage set up between Juliet and Paris by her parents, does not seem to interest her. This girl does did not seem to care. "No deeper will I endart mine eye" as believed by the Elizabethans that love enters through the eye

Her statement reveals that she will not stare too profoundly into Paris eyes. On the other hand, when Juliet and Romeo meet for the very first time, they stared into each other's eyes. This is how he two falls in love (Kite et al., 2014).

In Luhrmann's film version, Romeo and Juliet's eyes meet while staring into a fish tank. The fish tank acts as a representation of tranquility present amid the chaos they call life. This particular fish tank is also used as a sanctuary by the two couples. The play shows that it is through this fish tank that Juliet falls in love. The camera techniques employed by Lhurmans are instrumental when it comes to delivering to the audience. This can be compared to the preceding scene, whose camera technique had been chaotic and nevertheless violent. The camera technique employed also serves as a representation of the rift. It also highlights how the feud has impacted almost everything that has to do with both families. In this scene, at the immediate moment, the tank comes into focus, the camera technique steadily becomes soft and gentle (Shakespeare, 1996).

The meeting of the two couples is set aside from all feud and madness that has infected the city. It is like the oasis inside the society of Verona that is distant from all polluting forms of love depicted so far. The love between Romeo and Juliet is like an accumulation of two different sets of love that is the spiritual and physical ideal form of love. William highlights that the sonnet the two shares is binding. The pair can be said to be attuned to each other. This is because each of them completes each other sentences. As shown in the play, Juliet's form of unity can be argued to be self-evident. This can even be evidenced from the first line of the sonnet, different from the other types of love. This particular saying of the sonnet can be said to verbally seal the relationship between the two (Hollingsworth & Isecke, 2010).

Infused together with religion, this sonnet type of language acts as a representation of the spiritual love existing between Juliet and Romeo. "For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers kiss." This religious statement has melodic lines. As we go deeper into the sonnet, we acknowledge the fact that the sonnet language is not only sacred but also contains expressions that describe interactions and real love. William Shakespeare also shows this through Juliet as the other main character. In this Elizabethan era, sonnets were used as the poetry of love. In fact, during Shakespeare's time, sonnets were considered the highest form of poetry (Hollingsworth & Isecke, 2010).

Juliet communicates in sonnets showing the complexity of their relationship. This sonnet thing totals up the love they feel for each other. At their first meeting, their worlds infringe on their oasis and are violently wrenched apart. This shows just how much love for each other is unacceptable. Despite all obstacles and other forms of discrimination in their path, the yearning existing between the two survives. Due to the societal failures, Romeo and Juliet's type of love seems to triumph over the ongoing feud. Juliet, along with Romeo, plays an essential role that eventually heals the rift between the Montagues and Capulets families. The love they share illuminates everything. Towards the end of the play, the couple's tomb is lit with candles. This action symbolizes love, hope, peace, and hope. Their form of love is of an ideal kind of love. Even though this love quenches the rivalry between the two families, it does not bring back the two dead lovers (Kite et al., 2014).

Works Cited

Hollingsworth and Isecke (2010). The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Teacher Created Materials.

Kite, Aaron, et al. Shakespeare for Slackers; Romeo and Juliet. Five Rivers Chapmanry, 2014.

Shakespeare William. (1871). A New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. 1871.

Shakespeare William. A New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. 1871. N.p., 1871. Print.

Shakespeare William. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Ware: Wordsworth Editions, 1996. Print.