Shakespeare's Portrayal of Themes in Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

Romeo and Juliet, the tragic play by William Shakespeare, centres around the love story between Romeo, the young heir of the Montague's, and Juliet, the daughter of the house of Capulet. Because of an on-going feud between the two families, Romeo and Juliet are forced to keep their love a secret, marry in secret and, due to ill-fated consequences, they die together in the tomb of the Capulet's. William Shakespeare, the writer, the creator, of the play, uses characterisation to convey a number of themes, that one would say are still relevant today. The themes of love, passion, death, the themes of struggle, family and violence are seen throughout each and every character. However, it is the way Shakespeare portrayed that themes through the characters that makes them blatantly clear. The theme of love is seen through the eyes of Juliet as a beautiful, passionate thing. Love to the naïve Juliet is presented in many ways. She has the sensual, physical love shown to her by Nurse; the proper, some would say contractual, love represented by Paris; and passionate, romantic love, the tensional, sexual love advocated by her Romeo. The only thing Shakespeare conveyed to the reader that was for sure; Juliet knew that the power of the love between her and Romeo could overcome the power of the hatred between the Capulet's and the Montague's, seen through the art of the suicide. The suicide showed the tragedy and formation of love between her and Romeo, it showed the families that there is more to life than the feud. How many times does one hear that teenagers have made a pact to commit suicide together? Is it common? The answers to these questions are yes. Yes, this masterpiece many say is out-dated it certainly is relevant to our society. Many say the suicide came out of rebellion, another common theme of the play. Shakespeare's grasp of rebellion shows knowledge beyond the years. Teenagers today, the rebel-they do exactly what their parents don’t want them to do.