Essay -- Papers

Contrasts in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a famous quixotic drama written by William Shakespeare containing many contrasts within it, portraying the eponymic farers everlasting love for one another. The conflict between the two families the Montagues and the Capulets makes it just about impossible for them to be together. The play consists of romance and humour building up to the climax of Romeo and Juliets death. In the play we are first introduced to the servants Sampson and Gregory, from the Montague household, who harbour a similar lifestyle to the servants in the Capulet household, who are trying to stay on up the reputation of the families. The Capulet household are holding a caller where the servants are busy getting food, drinks and decoration ready, whereas Lord and Lady Capulet get going the life of luxury where they simply think about marriage, money and parties. In the film we see that the servants are dres sed down in ignominious tatty clothing while the upper class people the know are wearing bright elaborate clothing. In Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmanns interpretations of the play, they describe this because they wanted to emphasise the status between higher and lower amicable people. The dark clothes also represent the darker days and shows that the servants are emotionally sad, but the masters are expressively happy. The language of the servants compared to the masters is very different. The servants are illiterate and not educated however, the masters are passing educated and very posh, they can afford schooling, whereas the servants could not. Shakespeare shows this when the servant spea... ...her innocence, beauty and purity. Tybalt is a devil because he is likes to fight, he is evil, seeking trouble and devious. Paris is an astronaut who is rich, successful and out of this planet representing why he is the right psyche for Juliet to get married to. Lord and Lady Capulet are king and faerie of Verona Beach and dress up as Marc Anthony/Julius Caesar and Cleopatra who also die in a similar way to Romeo and Juliet. This play is full of many opposites and contrasts love and hate, peace and conflict, young and old. It is all mainly to do with historical, cultural and neighborly context. The play sadly expiryed with the two star-crossed lovers having to give their life for their families to end their fighting. Romeo and Juliet end with these words For never was a story of more distress than this of Juliet and her Romeo.