Romeo and Juliet GCSE Themes

Perhaps the most obvious subject or theme in Romeo and Juliet is love. However, Shakespeare manipulates this use of love in many different ways. There is Romeo's early love for Rosaline, and this is the type of love which grips Romeo in the opening scenes of the play - he sighs for Rosaline's lack of affection towards him, like his affection is for her; he understands that she is not to be ‘hit with cupid’s arrow’, yet he is not able to forget her, nor is he prepared to try and do so. This is like a puppy love, which the Friar calls 'doting' instead of 'loving' because it was only Romeo who believed he was in love, and this is due to his naive behaviour. 

Paris' love for Juliet is quite similar. He wants to marry her, but approaches her father rather than Juliet (as was the tradition during this thim - fathers were in control of their daughters and often organised the marriage. If the daughter refused, she would have been disowned, which is why Juliet sneaks around in secret with Romeo. This is also prevailent in many of Shakespear's plays). Paris doesn't really show any true feelings for her, and even says he has 'little talked of love". This seems to indicate he wants a good marriage and has chosen her, rather than the two of them falling in love, as repuatation and assuring your wealth in the future was considered more important than falling in lover during this time, yet romeo and juliet seem to defy this throughout.

There is another view of love - as something spiritual and between friends. Relationships within families. This is shown with the love Juliet shares with her Nurse, as the Nurse is more of a mother than Juliet's mother has ever been, as she is there to listen cares for Juliet's happiness and health; "go girl. Seek happy nights to happy days". The Friar and Romeo - he shelters Romeo after his fight with Tybalt and his banishment. These relationships establish something similar to eachother as both relationships seem to build on from the abandonment of parents. Each are substitues for parents and seem to have a stronger relationship with R & J than their parents do. The friendships between Mercutio, Benvolio and Romeo. Each character looks out for the other and seem to work well together-  Benvolio as the calm, organised one, Romeo as the heartfelt lover and Mercutio as the hands-on, provocative fighter. Each of them shows a close understanding; They might make fun of each other but they respect and care for each other. They will also take great risks for one another: Mercutio dies to protect Romeo's honour.

On the other hand, Shakespeare deals with yet another view of love - as something purely sexual. A number of characters, especially Mercutio and the Nurse, make repeated references to sex. This contrasts greatly to the idealistic love shown by Romeo and Juliet; "and then they dream of love", "Lovers can see to do their amorous rites" etc 

The masked ball is supposed to be the opportunity for Paris and Juliet to see whether they are sited to each other, yet into it comes an uninvited guest who ruins that plan. We are aware of the dangers all the time: the opening brawl, the bitterness of Tybalt, the perils of a Montague being discovered in Capulet’s orchard, the street fighting in the heat of the summer.

Because of their forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet are forced into conflict with the social world around them: family, friends, political authority, and even religion. The lovers try to avoid this conflict by hiding, by escaping from it. On the morning after their marriage, they even go so far as to pretend that day is night so they won’t have to part. But no one can stop day from dawning, and in the end Romeo and Juliet can't escape the responsibilities of the public world. Romeo tries to stop being a Montague and avoid fighting Tybalt, but fails. Juliet tries to stop being a Capulet and to stand up to her father when he tries to marry her off to Paris, but is abandoned by her mother and the Nurse. Romeo is banished from Verona by Prince Escalus, who embodies political law. Finally, to preserve their love, Romeo and Juliet are forced to the ultimate act of independence and privacy: suicide.

Against the background, a beautiful love blossoms and becomes a lasting symbol of definance. The strength of their doomed love has given the story of Romeo and Juliet its enduring popularity. Each generation sees Shakespeare differently and society’s attitudes are always changing but the power of love, the finest expression of the human spirit, remains consistent. 

The belief that an individual's life has been decided for them and there is nothing they can do to change it. This is used right from the start, present in the prologue. Romeo and Juliet's ill-fated lives are described as 'death-marked', and they are a 'pair of star-crossed lovers'. The idea of fate works on several levels; Shakespeare sets the two families against each other, and there is nothing Romeo and Juliet can do about this, even though the power of love seems to strengthen them in believing so and doing whatever they can to avoid being separated. 

The couple have a feeling that things will go badly for them. Romeo thinks something is 'hanging in the stars', while Juliet says a 'faint cold fear thrills through my veins'. This is far more mysterious for us, yet still embodies the clear-cut hesitation, especially for juliet. In Shakespeare's time, fate was taken very seriously. An audience would have appreciated what he meant by all these references, more so than we do now, and perhaps and audience during this time would have related more to the play than we do now. 

Death is also mentioned a lot, in lots of different ways, such as 'we were born to die' or 'cold death', and 'death-darting eye'. Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Romeo and Juliet all die during the play. Death even becomes a person, one who has married Juliet (with 'Death is my son-in-law'). In Shakespeare's time people generally died much younger than they do now. The subject of death was familiar to everyone. Nowadays, we often shy away from talking about it - but it's a major topic of Romeo and Juliet. 

In Romeo and Juliet, death is everywhere. Even before the play shifts in tone after Mercutio's death, Shakespeare makes several references to death being Juliet's bridegroom. The threat of violence that pervades the first acts manifests itself in the latter half of the play, when key characters die and the titular lovers approach their terrible end. There are several ways in which the characters in Romeo and Juliet consider death. Romeo attempts suicide in Act III as an act of cowardice, but when he seeks out the Apothecary in Act V, it is a sign of strength and solidarity. The Chorus establishes the story's tragic end at the beginning of the play, which colors the audience's experience from the start - we know that this youthful, innocent love will end in tragedy. The structure of the play as a tragedy from the beginning makes Romeo and Juliet's love even more heartbreaking because the audience is aware of their impending deaths. The journey of the play is the cycle from love to death - and that is what makes Romeo and Julie so lasting and powerful.

Shakespeare establishes the ideological divide that often separates youths from adults. The characters in the play can all be categorized as either young, passionate characters or older, more functional characters. The youthful characters are almost exclusively defined by their energy and impulsiveness – like Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, and Tybalt. Meanwhile, the older characters all view the world in terms of politics and expediency. The Capulet and Montague patriarchs are  feisty competitors, ignoring the potential emotional toll of their feud. Friar Laurence, who apparently represents Romeo and Juliet's interests, while the young lovers are only concerned with satisfying their rapidly beating hearts. While Shakespeare does not position a moral to the divide between young and old, it appears throughout the play, suggesting that the cynicism that comes with age is one of the many reasons that humans inevitably breed conflict amongst themselves. It also implicitly provides a reason for young lovers to seek to separate themselves from an 'adult' world of political violence.

The two families have been taught to hate each other, and this hatred impacts on the family members and the citizens of Verona, who are unwillingly a part of the conflict as they witness the ongoing battles between the two families. Shakespeare also presents the themes of conflict through inner familial conflict and individual conflict. Where conflict is presented, the struggle for power and control is also apparent.

The two warring families; Shakespeare opens the play with a prologue and it is here that he first depicts the conflict between the Montagues and the Capulets.

"Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”

Shakespeare opens his play with the first line, illustrating the "ancient" grudge that has been happening in Verona.  He describes it as "ancient"' to illustrate how ingrained the conflict is with the families - it is a part of their daily lives.

CONT.

Juliet's inner conflict; When Juliet discovers the true identity of her true love, she is shocked and cannot believe she loves someone who she is supposed to hate.

"That I must love a loathed enemy."

Juliet uses 'must' which indicates that she has no other choice - she loves Romeo and cannot change the fact. This presents a conflict for Juliet, as she cannot change what she feels - despite knowing that she should.

Conflict between Tybalt and Romeo; Tybalt believes Romeo to have greatly dishonoured his family when he gate-crashes the Capulet party. He decides that Romeo must pay and offers to duel with Romeo.

"Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw."

This shows that Tybalt believes he has been injured with Romeo's actions. He commands Romeo to 'turn and draw', taking part in a fight.