Scarica Riassunto inglese Romeo and Juliet e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! ROMEO AND JULIET
In the city of Verona, the longstanding quarrel between the Montague and Capulets
families brakes into violence. Romeo Montague reveals to his cousin Benvolio that
he is in love with Roseline, but that his love is not returned. After learning that
Rosaline will be at a party at Capulet’s house, Romeo's friends persuade him to
attend in disguise. Romeo meets Juliet there, and they fall in love at the first sight.
During the party they discover that their families are professed enemies. From the
Capulet’s garden Romeo over hears Juliet express her love for him. When he
answers her, they declare their love and they desire to be married. Then they did a
secret wedding with the help of a friendly priest, Friar Laurence. Mercutio, Romeo’s
friend, is killed by Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, during a street fight. In revenge Romeo kills
Tybalt and he is bunnished from Verona to Mantua. To avoid the marriage with
Count Paris arranged by her father, Juliet takes a drug given to her by Friar
Laurence. This poison makes her appear to be dead on the morning of wedding. The
friar sends a messenger to Mantua, but, before he arrives, Romeo hears that Juliet is
dead and he decides to return to Verona. Romeo arrives at Juliet's tomb and takes
some poison, dying as he kisses her lips. At the moment Juliet wakes from the trance
and seeing Romeo dead beside her, she staps herself with his dagger.
SETTING: Shakespeare chose the Italian city of Verona as the setting of this plays
because Italians were popularly considered violent and passionate.
CHARACTERS: Romeo Montague is presented as a man belonging to the ‘ courtly
love convention’, because of his intense adoration and respect for a lady who is
chaste and ‘Impossible’. He uses the image of light typical of this kind of love. When
he first sees Juliet, he compares her to the brilliant light of the torches that
illuminate the Capulet’s great hall. So Romeo links Juliet to the sunlight, daylight and
the light emanating from the angels. It is his love for Juliet which makes him
dynamic and courageous. Juliet Capulet is beautiful, rebellious, kind and loving. At
the beginning she appears as an obedient child, but her first meeting with Romeo
causes her to move towards maturity. She immediately shows determination and
strength in her open confession of love and desire for Romeo. Just like Romeo she
compares her love to light.
THEMES: The main themes are: the power of love, passion and violence, individual
against society and the power of fate.
STYLE: Rhythms are regular; rhymes are common, imagery is all about oxymora: life
and death, love and hate and dark and light.
