im only 15 so be nice! lol... its not finished either.
Romeo and Juliet lives on!
Two locked spirits from warring families share in a dramatic fight for their natural born right to love as one, in the famous play, known as Romeo and Juliet. The play was written in 1597 by William Shakespeare and depicts the tragedy of two young hearts destined to be ripped apart. Shakespeare is alive and well in the modern world – the feelings his characters express are as relevant today as they were more than 400 years ago. The powerful themes he employed – violence, forbidden love and tragedy – are similar to stories behind the latest headlines and a range of contemporary texts. This essay will demonstrate that in modern society the themes of violence, forbidden love, tragedy and the character of young Juliet are relevant and recognisable to a broad modern audience.
Violence is an apparent theme in Romeo and Juliet that is established and familiar to a modern society. Romeo and Juliet exhibits this theme of violence severely. Two feuding families, the Montague’s and the Capulets, fill the streets of Verona with violent brawls and recklessness. Unsought murders occur by the hands of both Montague’s and Capulets, causing pain and destruction within Verona walls. "Two households, both alike in dignity/ (In fair Verona, where lay our scene)/ From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny/Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean." (Romeo and Juliet, Prologue, line 1-4). This violence is evident in modern day society. In September 2006, the death of a 15 year old boy, Matthew Stanley rocked the community. His death, caused by a violent, drunken brawl outside a Alex Hills party left two families and hundreds of others torn apart. "It's the most horrifying thing you could ever imagine happening to you: the senselessness, the feeling of loss, of just total nothingness" said Paul Stanley, the father of Matthew in a recent interview. Matthews destructive death was caused by impetuous behaviour – a teenager acting before they thought. The death of Mercutio and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet are obviously apparent in modern society still to this day, with over 3500 violent incidents involving teenagers occurring in Queensland in 2006. Like violence, the theme of forbidden love is strongly present to modern audiences.
Forbidden love is a theme still recognisable in modern society. In Romeo and Juliet, the theme of forbidden love is clear. Romeo and Juliet, who are two youths from feuding families, are forbidden to love each other openly. Society pressured these two lovers to keep their true feelings and emotions hidden. Romeo and Juliet believed that their love was stronger than any family rivalry. They believed that they should never be kept apart, no matter what name they bared. Juliet: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet." (Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II, line 45-46). The theme of forbidden love can still be linked to present and contemporary texts. Bend it like Beckham, a modern movie produced by Gurinder Chadha, explores the theme of forbidden love between cultures. The story follows a young Indian girl named Jesminder ‘Jess’ on her quest to find love and freedom, while discovering who she is on the way. Jess finds herself feeling hopeless when her parents find out she is dating an English boy and refuse to let her continue her relationship. She is forced to succumb to the pressures that her family and culture put before her in order to stay apart of the family she has known and loved her whole life. Jess and her best friend Jules discuss her culture and her families’ rules:
Jules: So, could you choose a white boy?
Jess : White, no, black, definitely not, a Muslim, eh-eh!
Jules: You'll have to marry an Indian then?
Jess : Probably.
Jules: How can you stand it?
Jess : It's just culture. (Bend it like Beckham, 2002)
This example shows that forbidden love is evident in modern society and reflects the themes that Romeo and Juliet portray. Like forbidden love, tragedy is a theme of Romeo and Juliet which is familiar to modern audiences.
Tragedy is an enduring theme apparent in modern day texts and present headlines. (it goes on from here...)
P.S - I know the Jess:, Jules:, thing is completely out of whack im going to ask my teacher about it today. But what about the rest?
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