{"id":60,"date":"2021-10-14T10:22:44","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T10:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/laurenhoward\/?p=60"},"modified":"2021-10-14T10:22:48","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T10:22:48","slug":"star-crossed-lovers-making-political-waves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/laurenhoward\/2021\/10\/14\/star-crossed-lovers-making-political-waves\/","title":{"rendered":"Star-Crossed Lovers Making Political Waves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Survey 2\/3 Blog Post: Shakespeare created Romeo + Juliet – 1595<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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William Shakespeare<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d around 1595-96 and was inspired by the narrative poem \u201cRomeus and Juliet\u201d (1562) by Arthur Brooke while, as well as other authors such as Petrarch. Brooke\u2019s poem is much more religious and didactic were as \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d 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\u2019s play so timeless, the themes of young unconditional forbidden love and rebelling against hate for love are universally relatable experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iconic balcony scene when Romeo goes to visit Juliet. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Even though Romeo in Juliet is famously a love story this shouldn\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Romeo and Juliet embracing in the presence of Friar Laurence after their forbidden wedding. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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.\u00a0 So to make his work less controversial he would set his plays in distant cities (typically in Italy)\u00a0 and \u201cfar away lands\u201d so the messages wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019s supposed to be helping them as their spiritual leader, much like how the church wasn\u2019t properly guiding the people of England at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A tragic ending to the epic love story. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, Shakespeare\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography: <\/p>\n\n\n\n