Romeo and Juliet

• Under loves heavy burden do i sink (romeo A1S4)


  Unrequited love - rejected by Rosaline

  Establishes R as Petrarchan lover

  Metaphor - struggle of love

  Love personified as overpowering force/battle parallels tension between caps and monts

  Sink- drowning-overwhelmed- foreshadowing death

  R's hamartia is being to emotional/rash
• Did my heart love till now? I have never seen true beauty till this night (Romeo A1S5)


  Synecdoche of heart- key feature of Romeo is his heart- contextually unusual- makes the audience question sincerity of feelings

  'True beauty'- J always described with light imagery like an angel- superficial view of love

  Superlatives -'never'- immature tone

  Romantic imagery -'night'- hes in darkness and she lights up everything
• O sweet Juliet, thy beauty hath made me effeminate (Romeo A3S5)


  Shakespeare has already showed us Romeo is effeminate-not typiclly masculine

  'O'- expression of woe- condescending- as if relationship is not equal- blames her for his current position- Refusing to defend his honour against Tybalt- lack of understanding

  Superficial- focuses on looks

  After this M gets killed trying to defend effeminate R and R kills T (rash/ impetuous hamartia)
• I have bought the mansion of love but not possessed it (Juliet A3S2)


  Metaphor of love- has a wedding but not consummated it- this is the point where the wedding could have been annulled- could be because she felt close and loyal to her husband or could be lust

  'Mansion'- Reminds us of wealth/ status audience puzzled why there is a feud as R and J would be a perfect match

  'possessed'- connotations of ownership- seems as consumed by love/lust as R
• Too rash too unadvised too sudden too like... lightening (Juliet A2S2)


  J considers weather marrying in secret would be a good decision

  Repetition of too - shows she is feeling overwhelmed

  Mature enough to spot that R is 'too rash' and seems more logical than him

  Recognises that she should gain advice from parents- parental permission- fathers property

  'lightening' is fast- questioning speed of everything- connotation of danger for the audience- foreshadowing death
• O bid me leap rather than marry Paris...or bid me into a new-made grave (Juliet A4S1)


  Hyperbolic language- Parents see an immature disobedient child because she will not marry P

  Threatening to commit suicide and the parents don't take it seriously because they see her as a child that's sulking

  Active verbs 'leap'- commitment to her feelings/overwhelmed by feelings of love - her hamartia?

  She and R are alike- foreshadowing of a new made grave - constant reminders that love and death are linked
• Compare her face with some that i shall show and i will make thee think thy swan a crow (Benvolio A1S4)


  Bird imagery to describe women- link to prey/vulnerable/easily caged/graceful-superficial view of women

  Metaphor- Rosaline a crow in R's eyes

  Claim comes true when R sees J - she is the new 'swan' - swans notorious for mating for life - idea that women can be swapped/ upgraded

  B is more pragmatic when it comes to relationships

  Derogatory
• She is the hopeful lady of my earth (Lord Capulet A1S2)


  Only child and only hope for heirs

  Suggests closeness/appreciation of daughter

  'Earth' - connotations of fertility - pressure on J to marry and produce heirs

  Lord C sees it as his duty to find a good son in law

  Becomes more practical than affectionate when he wants to rush the marriage and J refuses

  As soon as she is no longer the perfect sub servant daughter things change
• I would the fool be married to her grave (Lady Capulet A3S5)


  Cold character - emotionally distant from daughter due to way upper class raised their children

  'The fool' - lack of understanding/ support/ mothering

  'Married to grave' constant reminder of being married to death (personified as taking over)

  Dramatic irony - doesn't know J is upset about R

  Equivocation - Lies and says she is upset about T

  Foreshadowing death - fate
• Art thou a man? Thy tears are womanish (Friar Lawrence A3S3)


  Links to emotions making R effeminate - men at that time weren't meant to show emotions

  Questions his masculinity - way to motivate him into acting how he wants him to

  Slightly manipulative
• You are a lover borrow cupids wings (Mercutio A1S4)


  M has a very sexualised view of love and believes woman should be used physically

  No respect of women or romantics

  'Borrow' the idea that love should be temporary

  M and R have such different views R keeps his love / marriage a secret from his friends
• Younger than she are happy mothers made (Paris A1S2)


  P's hamartia is his logic / lack of emotion

  Practical view of women and their social role

  Suggests women only get married to provide heirs

  Dismissive of age and potential vulnerability of the women
• Fire eyed fury be my conduct now (Romeo A3S1)


  Hamartia of rashness

  No longer thinking straight guided by anger

  Controlled by fate

  Fate is controlling his actions

  Links of anger love and death