TASK 1- CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ROMEO AND JULIET

The character that I choose for this analysis is Juliet. I chose her since she rolls out

numerous exceptional developments in this play. Juliet changes from a naive girl to a

capable grown-up over the span of the play. Based on Juliet's situation, she has been

compelled to develop too rapidly. The accentuation on Juliet's youth throughout the play,

despite her developing maturity, sets her up as a courageous character.

According to Cliff Notes (2016), Juliet is displayed as calm and submissive; however,

she has an internal quality that empowers her to have maturity beyond her age. In Act I,

Scene 3, at the point when her mom proposes that she weds Paris since he is rich and

attractive, Juliet reacts: "I'll look to like, if looking liking move" (Pg4, Line 98). However, when

she meets Romeo and experiences passionate feelings for him, she becomes ready to go

against her parents and marry Romeo secretly. In Act III, Scene 5, Capulet forces Juliet to

marry Paris, undermining her with impoverishment and public disgrace. Juliet, however, is

adamant in her decision to rather die than entering a false marriage. "If all else fail, myself

have power to die" (Pg 11, Line 243). Now, when Juliet is secluded from her family, even the

Nurse sells out Juliet's trust by encouraging her to overlook Romeo and agree to her dad's

desires. Juliet later loses all her trust on the Nurse whom she used to depend on a great deal

previously. This features how Juliet changes from an innocent young lady to an

insubordinate individual for the sake of securing her love for Romeo.

According to Spark Notes (2017), in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, Juliet is

cherishing, loyal, and solid. In Act 1, Scene 5, when Romeo kisses Juliet at the feast, Juliet

prods Romeo for using the prevalent love imagery to express his emotions and for kissing as

indicated by tradition instead of from the heart: "You kiss by th' book" (Pg 6, Line 111). This

shows that in their relationship, Juliet shows more prominent maturity, especially in moments

of emotional intensity with Romeo. In Act II, Scene 2, when the balcony scene arrives, Juliet

notices the foolish audacity of their love: "It is too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden." This
feeling of rushed love exactly describes their love, yet despite her insecurities, Juliet is the

one who proposes the idea of marriage later in the act. Act III, Scene 2, denotes Juliet's

changes towards sexual and emotional maturity when she expects the consummation of her

marriage from Romeo. These expressive lines that Juliet uses as she waits anxiously for the

night to come reflect the force of her emotions: “Spread thy close curtain, love-performing

night; That runaway eyes may wink, and Romeo leap to these arms untalk'd of and unseen.”

(Pg 9, Line 5-7). This shows how Juliet transforms from being a stable and rational person to

someone who makes a quick decision after being madly in-love with Romeo. At the same

time, young Juliet also grows more matured in her sexual desires as she gets married with

Romeo and waits for the culmination of her marriage night. Juliet's development from a

childish character into a confident, steadfast, and bold lady is one of Shakespeare's initial

triumphs of portrayal. It additionally reflects one of his most unique and outstanding female

character.

From the aspect of language used by Juliet, strong languages, dramatic and literary

devices are present. In Act 3, Scene 2, Juliet's reaction when she hears that Romeo was the

reason for Tybalt's demise was brimming with oxymoron, mirroring the contention in her

heart. She feels hoodwinked and double-crossed by Romeo but battles to conquer the

negative impacts in her heart due to his acts. She cries, “Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical!

Dove-feathered raven!” (Pg 3, Line 76-77). A tyrant is a harsh dictator who pays no regard to

equity. Since tyrants persecute their kin, they cannot be viewed as beautiful. Juliet also

alludes to Romeo as a "fiend angelical”. A fiend is another word for devil or the Satan, also

meaning a cold-blooded, evil individual, while angelical is a descriptor depicting one who

resembles an angel, or godly-figure. A fiend cannot be a heavenly angel, therefore, the

phrase is an oxymoron. In addition, doves are commonly white, meanwhile ravens are black

and they cannot be white, or "dove-feathered. Besides, doves are naturally viewed as

beautiful, while ravens are plain, terrible, or even unnerving, so they are both contradict. This

explains the contrast between the perception of Juliet when she first saw Romeo as a
magnificent soul which now seems as a revolting soul to her. By using interesting oxymoron,

Shakespeare includes a component of multifaceted nature and urges us to ponder upon

Juliet's words.

In Act 2, scene 2, as the famous balcony scene shows up, various metaphors are

present. Upon seeing Juliet by the window, Romeo starts to pour out indulging sweet words

to please her. As Romeo endeavours to swear his love to Juliet, she alerts him by saying, "I

have no joy of this contract to-night; It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden; Too like the

lightning, which doth cease to be; Ere one can say ‘It lightens.’ Sweet, good night! This bud

of love, by summer’s ripening breath; May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet."

(Pg 5, Line 116-122). In this case, there are both examples of metaphors and similes. As

Romeo comes forward to show his adoration to her, she stops him and compares his sweet

words to "contract" and "lightning." She stresses that his words resemble lightning, which

means they will go back and forth quick and not really mean anything worthy. At that point,

she alludes to their love as a "bud." She utilizes this metaphor keeping in mind that she

should slow down their relationship, expressing that the bud will blossom into a flower, which

literally means that their whole relationship does not have to build up on that night itself - it

can grow stronger over time. The use of metaphors and similes are essential because it

shows the intensity of Juliet’s feelings and it also helps to picture the situation clearly in our

heads.

In conclusion, Shakespeare depicted Juliet's development in such an extraordinary

way. From a constructive side, she changes from an immature character to a developed

individual keeping in mind that the end goal is to beat the difficulties to save her love for

Romeo. She changes from being docile to a rebellious individual that remains steadfast for

herself and her love. In the meantime, from an inverted perspective, her solid and strong will

power of being persistent in love changes when she falls for Romeo. Juliet, whom once used

to be exceptionally careful in love, turns out to be extremely hurried in her love life as she

experiences wild feelings for Romeo uncontrollably and chooses to marry him. Shakespeare
portrays the character of Juliet beautifully with the use of solid literary and dramatic devices

with the uses of oxymoron, similes and metaphors. These devices make the grounds of

Juliet's word utterance and expressions more solid and mirrors the profundity of reality in

each inclination appeared.

(1199 words)
REFERENCE

Cliff N. (2016). Character Analysis Juliet. Retrieved from

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/r/romeo-and-juliet/character-analysis/juliet

Crowther, John, (Ed.). (2005). No Fear Romeo and Juliet. Retrieved from

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet

Spark, N. (2017). Characterisation of Juliet. Retrieved from

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/character/juliet/