Romeo and Juliet context
•Shakespeare
•Love
•Astronomy
•Religion (Catholicism and Protestantism)
•Monarchy (Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I)
•Gender
•Plays
•Genre
•Freytag’s Pyramid
romeo and juliet
shakespeare
1564 – 1616 (16th century – 17th century)
wrote during the renaissance where there was an expansion of artistic creation. This expression
freed itself the restrictions of previous centuries
context
love
Petrarchan lover: a man who falls in love with a woman but is either resisted or rejected
(unrequited). This rejection inevitably leads the man to internal turmoil and self-imposed solitude
(like Romeo in the beginning of the play)
Courtly love: in Incorporates ideas such as love at first sight and dying for one’s true love.
an ideal which was imposed on during the Renaissance
in Romeo and Juliet courtly love is glorified and romanticised. However the presence of sex
in Romeo and Juliet relationship somewhat undermines this idealisation of selfless and
romantic love
Courtly love rules:
1. The man cannot eat or sleep when he is in love and isolates himself
while it can be argued that Romeo was not in love with rosaline but instead
infatuated with her, he displays characteristics of a courtly lover. For example (in act
one scene 1) benvolio says “So early walking did I see your son”. Montague states
“Away from light steals home my heavy son”. These two quotes convey how they
are noticing that Romeo is staying up late and not sleeping which are signs of a man
whose love has rejected him
2. The man forgets his old love when a new lover comes along - the audience knows that
Romeo must forget rosaline as Juliet is his “star-crossed lover”
when Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time romeo asks the servant “what lady is
that” and continues to say “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er
saw true beauty till this night.” Romeo asks this rhetorical question about loving a
new woman when only maybe a few hours prior he was “Adding to clouds more
clouds with his deep sighs”
the metaphorical use of natural imagery not only reveals a lot about Rome’s
capricious, it also tells the audience a lot about the character of a courtly lover and
the influence and power that a new woman can have
3. The man sends love letters or speaks in poetry when he is in love
in act one scene 5, in Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time the language
becomes elevated both through imagery and the syntax (the way a writer chooses to
order their words) used
when the lovers meet for the first time, they use the sonnet structure which is
usually associated with romantic love. The educated audience -Romeo and Juliet
was a cross-class play- who would identify the sonnet structure, would believe their
love is something special
, Romeo includes images which are out of this world. On the balcony scene, Romeo
calls Juliet “a bright angel!” The heavenly metaphor suggests that he sees her as a
pure and peaceful woman. Furthermore, her purity would also have been significant
as a woman’s virginity was very important
The use of “bright” indicates that shes illuminating him, juxtaposing the dark night.
The exclamation mark indicates the excitement which Romeo feels seeing Juliet for
the second time
astronomy
In the Renaissance era, the emergence of new ideas and a deep curiosity in anything
mystical appeared. The subjects of Elizabethan astrology fascinated many prominent
Elizabethans
William Shakespeare makes over 100 references to astronomy in his plays. It is mentioned in
every one of his plays.
Shakespeare uses examples of astronomy in Romeo and Juliet to show love and compassion
One’s fate is determined by the position of stars at birth
In the prologue, Romeo and Juliet were said to be “star-crossed lovers” which means they
were fated from birth to fall in love and die. The “crossed” in “star-crossed” connotes
hindered, frustrated, thwarted and defeated. Such will be the love of Romeo and Juliet
because of their stars
In act 1 scene 4, Romeo has a premonition (a strong feeling something bad is about to
happen, especially something unpleasant) that the event of that night will lead to his death.
He mentions “the stars” in an astrological sense: “for my mind misgives, some consequence
yet hanging in the stars, shall bitterly begin his fearful date, with this nights revels and
expire the term, of a despised life closed in my breast, By some vile forfeit of untimely
death.”
Juliet is the only character given a birthdate “Lammas Eve at night” (according to the nurse)
which means that she was born on July 31 st (Lammastide is august 1st). That makes Juliet a
Leo and Leo is ruled by the sun. Juliet was fated to be Romeo’s “fair sun”
In act 2 scene 1, Romeo says “it is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the
envious moon Who is already sick and pale with grief…The brightness of her cheek would
shame those stars. As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven, Would through the airy
region stream so bright, That birds would sing and think it were not night.” Though it is late
at night, Juliet’s surpassing beauty makes Romeo imagine that she is the sun, transforming
the darkness into daylight. Romeo likewise personifies the moon, calling it “sick and pale
with grief” at the fact that Juliet, the sun, is far brighter and more beautiful. Romeo then
compares Juliet to the stars, claiming that she eclipses the stars as daylight overpowers a
lamp—her eyes alone shine so bright that they will convince the birds to sing at night as if it
were day.
Even Juliet’s own father compares Juliet to the sun. When inviting paris to his feast, capulet
says that paris will see “earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light” He means that
Juliet will be so beautiful that they will shine like stars coming down to earth
Standing in the shadows below Juliet's window, Romeo sees her and is about to step
forward and speak, but then says to himself, "I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks / Two
of the fairest stars in all the heaven, / Having some business, do entreat her eyes / To
twinkle in their spheres till they return" This is a beautiful way of saying that Juliet's eyes are
like stars. He had thought that her eyes spoke, and he is now saying that they are speaking
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