the love and resentment in “romeo and juliet”

BACKGROUND OF ROMEO AND JULIETRomeo and Juliet was the first farmous play of Shakespear.. This play depend on the true story about resentment montague and capulet family in verona.. The

HA NOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH

ASSIGNMENT ON ENGLISH AND AMERICAN

LITERATURE

HA NOI,DECEMBER 2007

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

In the 15th -16th centuries capitalist relation began to develop in europe The former towspeople became the bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie fought against feudalism because held back the development of capitalism

The decay of feudalism and the development of capitalist relation was followed by and great rise in the cultural life of europe There was an attempt at creating a new culture which would be free from the limitation

of the feuclal ideology of the middle ages The epooh was characterized by the thirst for knowledge and discoveries, by a powerful development of individuality

In the 16th century capitalism began to develop in England as well as

in other European countries However, it had some peculiarities English humamism was both anti-feudal and anti-bourgeois It was directed against the ignorance and oppression of feudal, against the grabbing and self-interest character of the bourgeoisie It was the ideology of the most

2 SOCIAL CONTEXT

At the beginning of the tudor period England was still largely rural, consisting of small villages scattered across the country although the largest city, Lodon, had 60000 inhabitants by 1500 during the sixteenth century the population more than doubled (to over 4 million), and charging agricultural habits (grouth of sheep, farming, deforestationp) led to social and economic problems Wool production became the leacling manufacture in England Landowners drove thousands of peasants off their lards, turning thse lands into pastures or “enclosures” for sheep There was

no work for the peasants and many of them became homeless, beggars rust for riches was typical of the new class of the bourgeoisie The most progressive people of the county could not help seeing the growing power

of money, and the injustice caused by it The government’s solutionto the problem only made things worse By the middle of the century there were probably more than 10000 homeless people in the roods In 1601 the firsr poor lan was passed, and this meant that local people became responsible for the poor in their area The local authorites could raise money to provide food, accommodation and work for the poor from their parish The rise of capitalism was also an important factor, in particular in the cloth tiade which reach its apex in the 16th century There were also a series of

The invention of printing at the beginning of the period to ever- increasing standerdization of the english language There was a boom in literacy by the end of the period, it is estimated that half the population could read and write

3 LITERARY CONTEXT

Renaissance literature in England is in fact full of influences from classical models Even so quintessentially of english an author as shakespear based the structure of his plays on the five ats preralend in anciend ROME, the very terms”comedy” and “tragedy” reflect an influence from the past One may even cite ROMEO and JULIET’s suicicle as an example of classical values rather than those of ELIZABETHAN church

The use of ghosts in renaissance dramma evolved from rather solid figures in early to the sophisticated psychological devices populating shakespoear’s tragedies Tragedy as the fall of a single great person due to fatal flaw developed into webster’s tatolly corrupt and brutal world The major influence on the english listerature of the renaissance was surprisingly not dante but petrarch, who established the language in europe It is difficult for moders perhaps to realise fust what a revolutionary step this wa: romantic love has become part of life in the wertern tradition and it is hard to imagine a time when this language was not yet conceived or formulated In fact, in renaissance comedy to make people laugh, another characteristic of renaissance literature, which may elude the modern reader, it decorum and elegance

Since the romantic period more emphasis has been placed on sincerity and naturalress, but this was alen to renaissance literature which thus may sometime seem artificial to modern eyes

The progressive ideology of the renaissance was humanism Human life, the hapiness of poeople and the belief in man’s abilities became the main bubjects in file arts and literature The works of humanists proclaimed equality of people regardless of their social origin, race and religion Humanism did way with the dark scholastic traching of the middle ages The development of a new social order presented great possibilities for man’s creative power That is why the humanist outlook was with bright optimism, with belief in man’s great abiliteis and his high mission

PART B:DEVELOPMENT

1 BACKGROUND OF SHAKESPEAR

William Shakespear(1564-1616) is the great playwright and poet

of England and humanity in renaissance, the period is considering that

“the greatest advanced turning point from the past to that time which

humanity has never seen before , the poriod needed great people and made a lot of them ” William shakespear is the example He was born

in the small town of strat ford upon-avon in the bussiness family In

1578, when his family has difficulties, hehad to dropout In 1585 he went to London where he joined a theatrical company and worked as an actor and a play wright At that time, England ideology develops In

1613, he left London and return native town after one year, he died and was buried there

He is the author of 2 poems, 37 plays and 154 sonnets His creative work is usually divided into three periods

The first period that lasted from 1590 to 1600 was marked by the optimism so characteristic of all humanist literature It is best reflected

in his brilliant comedies The two gentlemen of verona(1594),a mid

summer night s dream(1595),twelfth night(1600).’ They describe the adventures of young men and women, their friendship and love, their search for happiness In this period, the historical chronicles form another group of plays written by him, such as: King Henry VI (partII)

(1950), King Henry(partII)(1959) however the main subjectsof the

chronicles are not the lives and fates of kings but history itself and the development of the country

The second period (1601-1608) are his four great tragedies:

Hamlet,Prinee of Denmark(1601),Othello, The moor of venice(1604),King lear(1605), and Macbeth (1605) They reflect the

deep unsolvable contradictions of life the falsehood, injustice and tyranny existing in society

The third period (1609-1612) His plays differ from everything written by him before The playwright still touches upon important social and moral problems He introduces romantic and fantastic elements, wich have a decisive role in his plays Due to these

2 BACKGROUND OF ROMEO AND JULIET

Romeo and Juliet was the first farmous play of Shakespear It was written in 1549, include 5 scences with poet and prose This play depend on the true story about resentment montague and capulet family

in verona The play talked about love story between Romeo and Juliet

in feuding of two families every became worse when Romeo killed poeople in capulet family and Romeo was hard labour Juliet had to married another so she drink sleeping pill to pretend to be die in 42 hours to wait Romeo returning Romeo came back seeing Juliet died and he drank poison soon Juliet wake up seeing Romeo died so she suicided by sword of Romeo Capulet and montague family went

The play was romantic butdeeply It was not only praised the love, but reflect Social face at that time

3 THE LOVE AND RESENTMENT IN ROMEO AND JULIET.

Romeo is a montague who is in love with Juliet Juliet is a capulet, the only problem with this is that the two families have a ongoing fuge between them romeo at this point in the story is standing quietlly undet Juliet‘s bacony, Juliet was standing on her balcony, and not realising Romeo was there because it was dark Juliet was expressing her love to Romeo and Juliet at the first sight he felt in love with Juliet In his eyes, Juliet is the most beautiful girld He campared het with the best things Such as”it is the east and Juliet is the sun” compared her eyes with stars, even she was more beautiful than all

Two of the fairest stars in all the heave Having some business, do intreat her eyes

To twinkle in their spheres till they return What if her eyes were there, they in her head The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars

As daylight doth a lampo, her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright

At the start of act 2 , Romeo is very immature in saying a few things , like

“Cast it off”,meaning that Juliet shoudn’t worry any more because Romeo is there to save her and protect her

Romeo can also be impracticable in the way he acts and the way

he expresses his love to Juliet For example”I’ll be new baptized” meaning that Romeo will change his surname and not communicate with his family

Juliet wondering that why does she love Romeo who is her enemy Why Romeo is a montague If she is not a capulet, he is not a montague that is good She wishes she can wipe out her surname

O Romeo are therefore thou Romeo

Deny they father and refuse thf name

Or, if thou will not, be but sworn my love

And I ll no longer be a capulet’

Romeo and Juliet , the star crossed lover, the perfect sadly losing there lives for their great love of each other The tragic death had many characters to blame, but it is impossible to pinpoint the full responsibility on one individual character Many of the characters in

“Romeo and Juliet me each other for example, the prince blames the two families and feud their deaths he believes that if certain thing were different than this whole mess wold not have accuried If this terrible feud were not accurring than there would have been no objection to Romeo and Juliet getting married

Tis but thy name that is my enemy

Thou art thyself,thought not a montague

What s montague?it is not hand,not foot’

Not arm, not face, not any othe poart

Belonging to a man o, be some other name

What s in a name? that which we call a rose’

By any other name would smell as sw

Juliet wants Romeo to cast off his name because it is her enemy and only surname If he doesn’t bring this name he still Romeo with heart and love

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that tille Romeo, doff thy name

And for thy name, which is no part of thee.

And then, shakespear initial introduces Romeo to be a romantic sentimentalist, who is over obsessed with his own emotions Romeo, however, loses thse personality traiths towards the end of the play and becomes more mature offer falling deeply in love with Juliet His love for her strorg and over- whelming

How cam st thou hither, tell me, and where fore?’

For srony limits cannot hold love out

And what love can do, that dart love attempt

Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me.

Although their love is beautiful, deeply and strongly,thay cannot overcome lawsof seciety and their love had bad effect The reference to Romeo and Juliet’s star crossed lovers’ hints that Romeo and Juliet were meant to die because it was their desting There fore this is what fate had planned for their lives It suggests Romeo and Juliet were just

a small part if a bigger poicture and their love and death’s spiralled on chain reaction within verona These chain reaction caused bigger events

to occur, such as the new proclaimed brothership and friendship between montague and capulet” oh brother montague, give me thy hard” The cease of hatred between montague and capulet would have made a huge difference to the city of verona There would be less fighting and unnecessary hurt and pain due to the family’s feud The city of verona would have been more united

Thy drugs are quick thus with a kiss I die –

Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end

O clurl, drink all and left no friendlly drp

To help me ofter? I will kiss thy lips

Haply some poison yet deth hang on them

To make me die with a restorative

In one of Shakespear’s most masterful pieces, he depicts a tragic love story in which love conquers all but at what cost? The truth is in this play, love is the victor, but with horrible consequences Loves lives

on survices, but only at the loss of live Shakespear constantly velates love with tragedy, stating that love is in fact fleeting and impermanent The only way for love to live forever is if it dies young

PART C: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PLAY

The significance of the play “Romeo and Juliet” is the art of character setting of the author Shakespear By his fine- true – writing, Shakespear had brought to reader the portrait of a person, who came over themselves, won man’s heart

Through the play, William Shakespear not only spraised the beautiful love of Romeo and Juliet, he also reflected face of society in England at that time When the freedom, equality, humamity are not existance so Romeo and Juliet’s love may be had a good perfect

In the play “Romeo and Juliet” the man was described by simple and modest words of shakespear which brought reader chlser to the character, feeling sad when the character sad, feeling pain when the character was poain So the play closer to the reader Beside that, the play left for mam valuable lessons Although, the play is tragedy play, it have humanist about man and their abilities

1 outline of american literature

2 L cortes nikiforova O soudlenkova(1987),”english American literature”