Shakespeare presents commitment in two distinct ways. Through Juliet, Shakespeare shows unwavering commitment. Through Romeo, Shakespeare shows commitment as nothing more than a passing fancy.
Juliet is utterly committed and devoted to Romeo. She's willing to die for him. She is willing to defy her parents for him. That's a big deal, because her parents are a major part of her life right from the beginning of the play. And they are not overbearing...
Shakespeare presents commitment in two distinct ways. Through Juliet, Shakespeare shows unwavering commitment. Through Romeo, Shakespeare shows commitment as nothing more than a passing fancy.
Juliet is utterly committed and devoted to Romeo. She's willing to die for him. She is willing to defy her parents for him. That's a big deal, because her parents are a major part of her life right from the beginning of the play. And they are not overbearing parents either. Lord Capulet even defends Juliet against Paris's advances.
She hath not seen the change of fourteen years,
Let two more summers wither in their pride,
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.
On the flip side is Romeo. That guy doesn't know how to commit to anything. When the reader is first introduced to Romeo, he is crying about how Rosaline doesn't share his commitment to her. Then he is committed to Juliet. Later, he tells Tybalt that he doesn't want to fight (because they are now family). Minutes later, Romeo is killing Tybalt. I don't think that Romeo actually knows what real, true commitment looks like.
No comments:
Post a Comment