Editor：Estella Wang
Writer: Estella Wang
It is not just Romeo and Juliet who are to blame for the tragedy. To what extent do you agree?
In the seemingly romantic play, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare describes the social structure in renaissance time. It is established that not all love story has a happy ending, but despite all the natural barriers, it became clear that it is not completely their fault. The rebellion against the family’s feudal authority points them towards the disaster.
Shakespeare portrays that under societal pressure, the family’s internalisation insulates the love between the two hostile family. Throughout the play, the socio-political setting within the film reflects how families are far more important by one's love. Romeo and Juliet, as the main character, both born in the rare dignity family, unfortunately these two family existence an ancient grudge. they were supposed to be enemies, but love push them seek for their love. They dare to defy family feuds, the command from their family and the values they must obey. But the price of resisting with two family is cruel. After every possible obstruction by both families, Juliet only can depend on faked her death with the help of the priest in order to escape family match. Under the rule of the entrenched old power, Romeo and Juliet can only become the inevitable victims of this struggle. Reference the prologue “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny”, it reflects how Shakespeare expect new arising values to break through feudal thoughts. Hence, it is obvious that the social pressure and the family’s fundal forced the couple to separate which causes the dreadful ending.
Juliet's struggle against the irreconcilable contradictions between the families is mainly reflected in Juliet's rebellion in defense of love. Juliet's father is a feudal and autocratic parent, who thinks he can decide the fate of his children at will Therefore, under the proposal of Paris, regardless of Juliet's resistance, decide to force marry Juliet to Paris. In addition, Romeo for family struggle irreconcilable hatreds between mainly displays in Romeo accidentally killed in an accident Juliet's cousin, was exiled, but after hearing news of Juliet, despite the prohibition：ban exiles can't return, he resolutely returned, this is Romeo’s family hatred of a provocation, but also a struggle. And “Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove” tell us the end of this love story is deplorable, when the lover pay their life to prove their heart. Only children’ death to remove the grudge, destroy the child's love and child's life with their own hand. Therefore, the dominance that Juliet’s father displayed. Drives Juliet to take the last route.
In conclusion, the background of the time conflict between people’s longing for love and the society at that time. It reflects the characteristic of Shakespeare early writing style. The root of the tragedy is the decadent feudal moral concept. Romeo and Juliet, a pair of lovers, are deeply attached to each other, they regardless dedicated their life to protect their love, but what really drives them to death is their parents. For centuries of animosity between families, the feudal ideas are objecting couple’s marriage and often end in death. The loyalty and the oath of Romeo and Juliet shines through to express the humanism's idea of pursuing individual freedom and happiness.
Substituting the scenarios into real life examples, under the ancient social background, political mean will push people to obey the rules and the values that were thought to be correct. death was used as the only way to fight against the old and deep-rooted ideas of feudal society. It is the only why to freedom in these hateful periods.
