1. At the end of the play the lovers become 'Juliet and her Romeo'. What might be Shakespeare's reasons
for this?
Consider the portrayal of Romeo and Juliet as the play progresses. Romeo is rash and impetuous
at the beginning; Juliet is quiet and more serious. This is clearly shown in the language of the lovers.
Romeo uses elaborate expressions, inspired by Petrarch; Juliet speaks plainly. Juliet is suggested as
being emotionally more mature than Romeo.
Consider Elizabethan society as a patriarchy and therefore
the implications of this imbalanced portrayal of the lovers. Is Shakespeare critical of the restrictive treatment
of women? And does the ending elevate Juliet above Romeo? Remember that she is very much alone
throughout the play - the Nurse cannot sympathize with her love and her parents are authoritarian and
controlling. From seeing Romeo as her escape she comes to rely solely on her wits. Her deliberation
contrasts with Romeo's impatience, and while the latter endears him to us, and stresses his love, Juliet's
reason is what gives the play its awful poignancy. Her cool reaction to fate slows down the tempo of the
play, giving the terrible implications more impact.
2. 'Is it e'en so? Then I defy you, stars!' Could Romeo
and Juliet have avoided their fate?
Romeo and Juliet are surrounded by people who cannot understand
their love. These characters offer reasonable arguments and common sense and suggest that the passion
of the lovers led to their death - if it was tempered, would they have lived? This depth of emotion leads
them to act rashly, without consideration, and an Elizabethan audience would view their disobedience in
marrying secretly as culpable. So is Shakespeare showing the lovers to be justly punished for this?
Consider
Shakespeare's conception of tragedy in the play, of the lovers as victims of circumstances. Were they
responsible for their death or was it due to misfortune? Romeo's impetuosity could be seen as compounding
the chain of circumstances, but the lovers are not to blame for their families' feud. Furthermore what
is so powerful about their love is the sense of its inevitability, that it is something they cannot govern
or explain.
Explore the Elizabethan notion of fate and fortune in relation to the play - the reference to
Romeo and Juliet as 'star-crossed lovers', Romeo and Juliet's foreboding and the curse laid by Mercutio
on the Capulets and Montagues. Shakespeare shows through these devices that the lovers could do
nothing to avoid their death and the audience views them as innocent victims.