Survey 2/3 Blog Post: Shakespeare created Romeo + Juliet – 1595
We all know the tragic tale of the two lovers from fair Verona but not many people know how much an impact the melancholic love story made. William Shakespeare wrote “Romeo and Juliet” around 1595-96 and was inspired by the narrative poem “Romeus and Juliet” (1562) by Arthur Brooke while, as well as other authors such as Petrarch. Brooke’s poem is much more religious and didactic were as “Romeo and Juliet” focuses more on emotion and the romantic relationship between the protagonists. As a writer, Petrarch was more romantic than Brooke and also believed in love at first sight cliches in his poems similar to Shakespeare. This is ultimately what makes Shakespeare’s play so timeless, the themes of young unconditional forbidden love and rebelling against hate for love are universally relatable experiences.
Even though Romeo in Juliet is famously a love story this shouldn’t be a reason to ignore the political sustenance that it has. In several of his plays Shakespeare smuggles subtle political commentaries in popular works for the masses and Romeo and Juliet is no exception. Throughout the play, the Capulet and Montagues are constantly feuding, violating the wishes of the prince of Verona, and continuously breaking the law by dueling, etc. This retaliation is a clear metaphor for going against the government and standing up for what you believe in. Aside from the revolutionary undertones, in the play, Shakespeare also subliminally encourages the audience to follow the status quo because even though Romeo and Juliet had good intentions whilst disregarding their parent’s wishes and breaking the law they still ended up dying, and after their deaths peace once again is restored not only in Verona but also between the two families. Reflecting the karma that going against authority at the time had because in the end whoever was in power always wins. This is also probably why the play appealed to aristocratic audiences.
Being openly political was still dangerous in the 1500s particularly since in the Elizabethian era Shakespeare’s plays were seen by very powerful figures such as high aristocrats and monarchs. So to make his work less controversial he would set his plays in distant cities (typically in Italy) and “far away lands” so the messages wouldn’t get tied in with what was happening closer to home as noticeably. In Romeo and Juliet, this was not only shown by the cultural differences of England and Verona but also in the differing religious practices of the two locations since England at the time was mainly protestant and Italy was Catholic. This allowed Shakespeare to comment on religion in the play as well. For example in Romeo and Juliet, the Friar Laurence fails to help guide the couple multiple times and gives them irresponsible advice that ultimately ends up killing them when he’s supposed to be helping them as their spiritual leader, much like how the church wasn’t properly guiding the people of England at the time.
In conclusion, Shakespeare’s plays appealed to all audiences while still providing scope incorporating social and political observations of his time. Thus making Romeo and Juliet (as well as many of his other works) timeless.
Bibliography:
- Bevingtion, David. “Romeo and Juliet.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/Romeo-and-Juliet. Accessed 13 Oct. 2021.
- “Pious Princes and Red‐Hot Lovers: The Politics of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.” Wiley Online Library, 27 Mar. 2003, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1468-2508.t01-2-00004. Accessed 13 Oct. 2021.
- “Romeo and Juliet: What Did Shakespeare’s Audience Know About Italy?” SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/context/historical/what-did-shakespeares-audience-know-about-italy/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2021.
- “Romeo and Juliet.” The British Library – The British Library, www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/romeo.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2021.
- “Romeo and Juliet.” Karen’s Whimsy, karenswhimsy.com/romeo-and-juliet.shtm. Accessed 14 Oct. 2021.
October 19, 2021 at 3:02 am
Writing comment from Patrick
Good read. Strong content. Informative. A little re-reading and proofing would have caught some sentences that got away (William Shakespeare wrote “Romeo and Juliet” around 1595-96 and was inspired by the narrative poem “Romeus and Juliet” (1562) by Arthur Brooke while, as well as other authors such as Petrarch. Brooke’s poem is much more religious and didactic were as “Romeo and Juliet” focuses more on emotion and the romantic relationship between the protagonists.) Reading out loud helps spot sentences that don’t work, or are too long to deliver. Breaking into paragraphs also helps the reader follow along with appropriate breaks. Overall, good stuff.