“Shakespeare´s tragischem Liebespaar Romeo und Juliet gelingt es […] in einer durch Instabilität und Gewalt geprägten Gesellschaft, sich eine von hingebungsvoller Leidenschaft erfüllte private Welt zu schaffen” (Baumann 1998: 94). Uwe Baumann here distinguishes between two worlds in Shakespeare´s tragedy "Romeo and Juliet": on the one hand the lovers´ world, characterised by passion and intimacy; on the other hand the real world, full of violence, chaos and hatred. However, these two opposing worlds cannot be regarded separately. The preposition “in” already implies that Romeo and Juliet are dependent from their surrounding society and during the short period of their love affair it is inevitable for them to act within its rules and regulations.
This academic assignment deals with the question how the lovers create their own world and how this private world relates to the real world of Verona. Scholars have often pointed out that Romeo and Juliet differ from their environment concerning their special
use of language. It can be described as “magical, passionate, transformative language” (Greenblatt e.a. 1997: 868) enriched with similes, symbols and metaphors. One dominating image, frequently used by the lovers to describe each other and the phenomenon of their passionate love, is light. The first chapter therefore mainly deals with the linguistic presentation of light images in Romeo and Juliet. In addition, the special function of night and darkness for the lovers shall be examined. The light theme is heavily connected to the aspect of time. Thus, chapter two will examine how the lovers deal with the problem of (limited) time during their secret meetings. An interesting key scene for the examination of both, light/darkness and time, provides the final farewell of the lovers (3.5), which therefore will be discussed in detail. Finally, the lovers´ world shall be examined in terms of its connections to the real world of Verona. The problem of Romeo´s and Juliet´s increasing isolation and loss of their counsellors will be of special interest here.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Light and Dark
3. Time
4. Connections to the outside world
5. Conclusion
6. Works Cited
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic assignment investigates how the protagonists of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, construct their own intimate reality in opposition to the hostile environment of Verona. By analyzing the interplay of light and darkness, the subjective experience of time, and the changing connections to the outside world, the study examines the mechanisms of isolation and the eventual tragic inevitability facing the lovers.
- The linguistic presentation and symbolic function of light and dark imagery.
- The conflict between linear "public time" and the subjective "love time" experienced by the couple.
- The role of isolation and the shifting influence of the lovers' counselors.
- The impact of the surrounding social environment on the lovers' private world.
Excerpt from the Book
2. Light and Dark
In Romeo and Juliet the beauty and ardour of young love are seen by Shakespeare as the irradiating glory of sunlight and starlight in a dark world. The dominating image is light […]: the sun, moon, stars, fire, lightning, the flash of gunpowder, and the reflected light of beauty and of love; while by contrast we have night, darkness, clouds, rain, mist and smoke.3
Caroline Spurgeon describes light in its various shapes as a recurring image in Shakespeare´s tragedy. Not only is love itself frequently described through the use of metaphors of light but also both Romeo and Juliet compare each other in their soliloquies and colloquies with the sun, stars and other manifestations of light.
The two main characters are overwhelmed by their sudden intense love and reflect on it, using images of fire or lightning; e.g. Juliet explains her love to Romeo in the balcony scene: “ It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,/ Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be/ Ere one can say ´It lightens.` ”4. The comparison with lightning implies the intensity and glory of love but it also emphasises its terrible brevity.5 Another similar metaphor is used by Friar Lawrence, who warns the couple at their wedding ceremony that their love will end like “fire and powder” that explode when being mixed (2.6. 9-11). The delight of their short love goes hand in hand with danger and destruction, which is inevitable when there is a sudden surge of energy or emotion.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the theoretical framework regarding the two worlds in Shakespeare’s tragedy and outlines the central research questions concerning light, time, and isolation.
2. Light and Dark: This section explores how Shakespeare uses light imagery to characterize the lovers' intense passion and how night acts as a protective, yet dangerous, accomplice to their secret meetings.
3. Time: This chapter analyzes the dichotomy between objective public time and the subjective, accelerated or expanded perception of time experienced by the lovers.
4. Connections to the outside world: This chapter examines the growing isolation of the lovers and the limited, eventually failing support provided by their counselors, the Nurse and Friar Lawrence.
5. Conclusion: This section synthesizes the findings, confirming that the lovers' private world, defined by light, personal time, and withdrawal, is ultimately unsustainable against the hostile reality of Verona.
6. Works Cited: This section lists the primary and secondary sources used in the research.
Keywords
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, light imagery, darkness, linear time, subjective time, isolation, Verona, tragic love, counselors, Friar Lawrence, social environment, metaphors, drama, internal conflict.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines how Romeo and Juliet create a private, intimate world within the hostile, rigid society of Verona and how this personal reality eventually collapses.
What are the primary thematic pillars analyzed?
The study centers on three specific thematic areas: the use of light and dark imagery, the perception of time, and the lovers' isolation from the outside world.
What is the central research question?
The work investigates how the protagonists establish their own world and how this private sphere interacts and eventually clashes with the external social reality.
Which scientific method is employed?
The author uses a literary analysis approach, drawing upon text-based evidence, scholarly interpretations, and close readings of key scenes in Shakespeare's play.
What does the main body address?
The body analyzes linguistic patterns (light/dark), the conflict between public and personal time, and the role of intermediaries like the Nurse and Friar Lawrence in the lovers' isolation.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key concepts include Shakespearean tragedy, symbolic imagery, subjective experience of time, and the tension between public and private identities.
How does the author interpret the role of night in the play?
The author argues that Shakespeare reverses traditional associations, making night a protective, necessary sanctuary for the lovers, while day represents a threat to their secrecy.
Why do the lovers ultimately fail in their attempt to create a separate world?
The paper concludes that while the lovers attempt to achieve timelessness through love, the inevitable pressure of public time and the eventual withdrawal of their counselors makes their isolation unsustainable.
- Quote paper
- Ines Hermeling (Author), 2008, The opposing worlds of "Romeo and Juliet", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/148853
