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ENG 360-02 Spring 2002 Welcome to my Manila site! |
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Themes and Dramatic Effect: Romeo & JulietPosted by Charles Rybczynski, 2/7/02 at 10:26:43 AM.
Themes
Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a play with many themes. Like all of Shakespeare’s plays, it has a main plot with many subtexts. It is relatively easy to identify its main theme which is related to love. Likewise, its minor theme related to conflict is easily identified and easily related to the major theme. But there are many other themes found within the action of the scenes which are not so easily identified without a closer reading. Among these are the stars and their metaphorical relation to fate, and how speed affects events. Because of its many themes, “Romeo and Juliet” is a more complex work than it appears to be on the surface. According to Diane Sauder, an editor for Pink Monkey.com, a scholarly website, the major theme of Romeo and Juliet is, “True love can conquer all, as shown through Romeo and Juliet who defy unbelievable problems to be married, to consummate their marriage, and to live united for eternity” (Sauder 1). This statement effectively describes the most obvious theme of the play. Sauder also states that the minor theme is, “Foolish quarrels should be ended, for they are never productive and often lead to tragedy, as in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet” (Sauder 1). For anyone who has read or seen the play, these truths are self evident. As the audience is led through the first few scenes, it is exposed to the depths and severity of the feud between the Capulets and Montagues. The chorus opens with a reference to the “ancient grudge” that breaks “to new mutiny” (Prologue. 3). The prologue proceeds to betray the entire story by making references to the lovers and their parents’ rage. So the audience is predisposed to absorb the imagery related to the lovers and the feud that makes their love impossible. As the scenes unfold, so do some of the most famous words in the English language. Tybalt makes his feelings known in the earliest of scenes: “What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word/ As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee” (1.1.70-71). These are strong words, revealing the strength of the hatred and the seriousness of the feud. Romeo’s famous effusions in the next act are likewise related to a main theme, this time love: “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” (2.2.2-3). Juliet responds, further confirming the theme of love, “My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words/ Of thy tongue’s uttering, yet I know the sound” (2.2.58-59). These famous lines and the scenes which they accompany make the major theme of love and the minor theme of the feud abundantly clear. Phillip Weller of Eastern Washington University writes, “The stars, which shed the light of love, also hold the lovers’ destiny” (Weller 3). The key word in this explication is “destiny.” A more thorough examination of the role of destiny as represented by the stars is offered by Joseph Papp: “The opening chorus plainly warns us that the lovers will die. They are “star crossed,” and speak of themselves as such. Romeo fears “Some consequence yet hanging in the stars” when he reluctantly goes to the Capulet's feast (1.4.107); after he has slain Tybalt, he cries “Oh, I am fortune’s fool” (3.1.135); and at the news of Juliet’s supposed death he proclaims “Then I defy you stars!” Yet in what sense are Romeo and Juliet “star crossed”? The concept is deliberately broad in this play, encompassing many factors such as hatred, bumbling, bad luck, and simple lack of awareness” (Papp xxii). The stars that cross the lovers cross everyone else as well. The implication is that the lovers would not be star crossed if the circumstance of the romance was not so accursed. The circumstance itself is the actual cause of the ill fate that plagues everyone in the play, and so the stars and fate are actually metaphors for the feud. The first instance of ill fate occurs when the lovers realize that, because of their respective heritage, they cannot possibly expect to have a happy romance despite the fact that they have fallen in love at first sight. This is because of the feud. Occurrences of ill fate that follow include Romeo slaying Juliet’s cousin. Had it not been for the feud, there never would have been cause for this to happen. Additionally, Friar John is delayed on his mission to deliver the news of Juliet’s faked death to Romeo because of a sudden quarantine situation. But again, this preposterous circumstance would never occur outside of something so extreme as a deadly feud between the lovers’ families which causes them to construct such odd, potentially disastrous machinations. The stars are a metaphor for fate, and fate is a metaphor for the very mundane reality of the feud. These literary devices serve well for the audience. Stars are one of the most ancient symbols of fate recognized by the human race. Classical civilizations believed the stars (and planets) were gods and that the gods’ will could be read by observing changes in the stellarscape. The nativity of Christ, as written in the Bible, was foretold to the three wise men by a star in the east. To this day, astrology is a popular pseudo science. Shakespeare could not have chosen a better metaphor to represent the very important theme of fate. Speed is another underlying theme in the play that greatly contributes to the tragic developments. Phillip Weller writes, “Almost everything happens very quickly, and the characters often mention the speed of events. The impression of speed is also created by the frequent indications of the times of events” (Weller 4). The element of speed contributes to the resultant ill fate that occurs practically at every turn. The lovers must work around a very difficult set of circumstances caused by the feud. It would be difficult enough for two lovers from rival factions to function in a romantic relationship in and of itself without the added difficulties of racing against time. But their circumstances change with great speed, and for their love to survive they must react to numerous rapidly encroaching situations. With that much going on over the course of a couple of days, things are bound to go wrong. Weddings, ancient rivalries, elopements, faked deaths: these things take time to play out. Shakespeare deliberately makes these things play out in a short number of days, ever reminding the audience of that fact by having scenes occur in the middle of the night, and having characters remark that they have stayed up all night. So the fates curse Romeo and Juliet’s plans, because they are working against a racing clock. The fact remains that none of these deadly circumstances would have occurred had it not been for the senseless feud; nor would a case of bad luck result in death had there been no feud. People do not usually die from having complicated plans go wrong. All probably would have worked out in the end, in a sort of comedy of errors, had it not been for the feud. So the feud is the real antagonist. Everyone else was its victim. As the Prince says at the end, “all are punished.” All of the themes, the major theme of love, the minor theme of conflict, and the subordinate themes of fate and speed, all revolve around the central tragedy of the senseless family feud. The complexity of the play can be observed by analyzing these themes and how they relate to one another.
Dramatic Effect
As for dramatic effect, Romeo and Juliet is a play that makes its themes abundantly clear to the audience through what occurs on the stage and how it occurs. The casting of visually appealing actors in the roles of Romeo and Juliet causes the audience to relate to the love theme. The heavy use of swordplay communicates the theme of conflict. It is hard to imagine a director casting overweight, homely actors in the roles of Romeo and Juliet, unless it was meant to be a parody. A reading of the play offers the reader an idea of what the two must look like. They are infatuated after seeing one another at the ball. In the scene, Romeo refers to Juliet as he spies her from across the room, “What lady’s that which doth enrich the hand/ Of yonder knight?” (1:5:42-43). He continues to refer to her visual beauty, “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it sight!/ For I ne’re saw true beauty till this night” (1:5:53-54). As with Romeo, Juliet is smitten upon first sight. She says to her nurse, “What is yond gentleman . . . ? If he be married,/ My grave is like to be my wedding bed” (1:5:129, 135-136). Without having spoken to him, and without knowing anything about him, other than what he looks like, Juliet commends herself to the grave if she cannot be his lover. The audience is to understand that there is very compelling visual quality involved in both visages. It is doubtful that a director would cast the same actor for the role of Romeo as for Shylock (in “The Merchant of Venice”). Physical appearance is very important for dramatic effect. To communicate the character of Shylock, the actor must be wretched in appearance, often with a red beard and a large, hooked, false nose. Romeo, on the other hand, must be epicene and handsome. In the latest film version of the play, director Baz Luhrmann cast Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo. DiCaprio achieved heart throb status with his appearance in films such as “Basketball Diaries,” and “The Man in the Iron Mask.” After “Romeo and Juliet” he broke the hearts of millions of would-be-Juliets as Jack Dawson in James Cameron’s “Titanic.” DiCaprio is basically a very good looking, somewhat androgynous, young man whose appearance is perfect for Romeo. The audience has no difficulty believing that the immature Juliet would be taken with him. Without such an actor, the role simply would not work. Luhrmann cast Clair Danes as Juliet in the film. Danes achieved cult star status as the very down to earth, affectionate, pretty protagonist of a television series called “My So Called Life.” The intended audience for Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet” would be familiar with her. She had been type cast as a young woman yearning for love. In “My So Called Life” she acted opposite the extremely handsome, elusive Jared Leto as her love interest. And so the audience would automatically associate her with a character like Juliet. For the small stage these same rules apply. Whether by make-up, or careful casting, the characters of Romeo and Juliet must stand out among the other actors as visually appealing. The audience must fall in love (or lust) with the actors, in order for the story to work. Otherwise the required suspended disbelief will not be possible, and the audience will endure a show in which unconvincing actors pretend to be smitten with one another. The theme of conflict is affected by copious use of swordplay throughout the play. This dramatic effect ever reminds the audience of the theme. In the very first scene swords are drawn in order to bring the audience into the plot. Gregory tells Sampson, “Draw thy tool. Here comes of/ the house of Montagues” (1:1: 31-32). The feud thus rekindled, Capulet joins in the sword play in the same scene, saying “Give me my long sword, ho!” (1:1:75). Though the prince mitigates this particular battle, fighting and death ensue in later scenes. In the third act, the stage directions, which are usually scant for Shakespeare, require Tybalt to draw, “He draws,” and then “They fight” (3:1:82, 84). The flash of their swords on stage and the resultant deaths associated with the swordplay communicate the theme of conflict to the audience. There are other examples in the play where swordplay is used for dramatic effect. In the same act yet another swordfight occurs between Tybalt and Romeo in which the stage directions require, “They fight. Tybalt falls” (3:1:131). In the fifth act, Romeo and Paris have a swordfight, and Romeo kills Paris. Again the stage directions state, “They fight” (5:3:70). In modern film versions of the play, guns replace swords. But however the violence is perpetrated, deadly fighting is a dramatic effect that lets the audience know that conflict is a theme.
-Charles Rybczynski
Works Cited
Sauder, Diane. William Shakespeare. 1997<http://www.pinkmonkey.com>
Papp, Joseph. Introduction. Romeo and Juliet. By William Shakespeare. New York: Bantam, 1988. xix-xxv.
Weller, Phillip. Themes and Motifs of Romeo and Juliet. 2001
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