A Moral Criticism of of Shakespeare's Play Romeo and Juliet
Love, the only abstract thing on earth as ambiguous as the plot of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The Romeo and Juliet, for ages, considered by almost all people as the great example of the so-called, true love. The play disports apparent acts of love as shown by the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet. People around the world shows great affection towards this play since the plot and storyline was greatly adore, also it really catches the attention of the spectators on how the story ends with an abrupt tragedy. But like true love, the play Romeo and Juliet also find difficulty since a lot of literary critics discriminate its theme and love-relationship between Romeo and Juliet. So let`s research the theme of love in ""Romeo & Juliet" Moral Criticism Essay Example" paper.
Some critics assert that the Romeo and Juliet is not supposed to be a love story but rather just a bedrock of political issue between the two opposing forces, the Capulets’ and the Montagues’. Other critics verbalize that the play Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story spawned from the infatuation -not love, felt by the two young partakers. However, William Shakespeare -a renowned English poet, playwright, actor, and also an award-winning writer and is known for writing tragic plays and disconsolate sonnets- portrayed Romeo and Juliet as a tragic love story with several themes put in one. Most probably, William Shakespeare wants the spectators to understand Romeo and Juliet in an evenhanded perspective.
William Shakespeare was born in England at Stratford-upon-Avon in early 1564. At the early age, William Shakespeare got married to Anne Hathaway and begat three children. William Shakespeare, around 1585 to 1592, began his writing career which results to 38 plays and 154 sonnets and until now his writings are still widely cherished. This paper will analyze the play, Romeo and Juliet, using a Moralistic Approach to evaluate the different ethical issues being shown and different lessons it could provide.
A Moralistic Approach, according to Stephen Lawrence More (1937) is a literary criticism which will discriminate literature between the false and true, the deformed and normal; preachers of harmony and proportion and order, prophets of the religion taste. Furthermore, More (1937) emphasized that it is the critic's duty to determine the moral tendency of literary works and judge them on that basis. In layman's term, a moralistic approach is concerned with the content and values of the literary piece. In using a moralistic approach to scrutinize the play Romeo and Juliet, the critics will introduce the characters who played the vital role and their attributes that effectively disport the play's themes, and also the critics will divulge some ethical issues present in the play and the author’s implication for showing those issues.
In Romeo and Juliet, the characters are the models that play the vital role in disporting the theme of the play. The two main characters are Romeo and Juliet themselves, which the play's scheme mostly revolved around. Romeo Montague, the son, and heir of the Montague's affluence is introduced as a handsome, intelligent, and sensitive young man. Even in his negative attributes -impulsive and immature, Romeo is still agreeable and widely accepted by many people. In a moralistic analysis, the critics could put into words that Romeo is a heedless young man in terms of his decision.
In the play, Romeo is portrayed as a person who is easily swayed, particularly in having affection towards women. At the beginning of the play, Romeo is devotedly in love with Rosaline, whom always repudiate his confession. Romeo would always feel forlorn after the rejections because he claimed that its only Rosaline whom he wants to marry. But on the latter part of the play after seeing Juliet for the first time, Romeo fell in love at first sight with Juliet, forgetting his love for Rosaline. Romeo was so driven to marry Juliet despite the fact that they came from two opposing families.
On the other hand, Juliet Capulet, the daughter of the aristocrats Capulet and the love interest of Romeo, is introduced as a beautiful young lady but somehow naïve in terms of love and marriage. Juliet came from a family wherein women have no prerogative on whom to marry. In a moralistic analysis, critics could assume that Juliet is an intransigent and ignorant young lady in terms of love-relationship issues. At the beginning of the story, Juliet was bound to marry Paris, a kinsman, whom her parents had set up to marry her. Juliet didn't protest on her parent’s decision for she doesn't know about marriage and love. But after seeing Romeo for the first time, Juliet grew faster in thoughts and fell in love with Romeo. Without thinking it through, Juliet entrusted her life and love to Romeo even she knew him for a short period of time only. In the later part, the two young couple married each other in secret even in young age.
As the play comes to an end, Romeo showed his heedlessness when he killed himself after seeing Juliet lying looking dead in her coffin. Romeo didn’t think twice and took his own life not knowing that the death of Juliet was only a plot to deceive her family. Meanwhile, Juliet, upon waking up in a long sleep he saw Romeo covered with blood beside her coffin. Juliet has the chance to escape with the help of the friar but she chooses to kill herself also believing she couldn't live without Romeo.
Other characters who played important role in the play are the Capulets’ and the Montagues’ and their unending feud. The two families are the rich and well-known aristocrats in Verona, with their feud for a higher ranking, they fought for a long time and didn't budge about their children's need. But the families' feud played an essential role in the progress of the play, it became the force that held Romeo and Juliet relationship in a partition. The feud made the relationship impossible but meaningful, if it weren't't for the feud Juliet would't have to bluff her death that killed Romeo and she would't have to take her own life. The feud is the force that made the relationship of Romeo and Juliet extraordinary.
The Romeo and Juliet may be considered as an epic love story adore till now, but considering today's indispensable needs, the play brought some ethical issues. Marriage is a sacred thing that God bound two hearts to become one. Marriage is not something people would just do without proper thinking, it is something that before entering, people involved should be ready. In the play, Romeo was only sixteen and Juliet was only thirteen when they plot the marriage. Though in Verona, at that time, marriage at a young age is widely accepted and is lawful if the critics will analyze the play in modern times particularly today, their marriage would not be considered as practical.
In a moralistic analysis, the critics could assume that Romeo and Juliet’s marriage would lead them to jeopardy since they are still young and ignorant about marriage life. In marriage, there are a lot of integral things to consider whom young people or kids could still not understand. Romeo and Juliet's decision to get married at that age, for some people, would be considered wrong. Romeo and Juliet's affection towards each other was felt only in a short period of time. And thus in a moralistic analysis, the critics could put into words that their affection is only infatuation and not love.
Love, like marriage, is a long-term process and is not felt only in one glance. In the play, Romeo fell in love at first sight with Juliet but for some critics, what Romeo felt was not love but rather infatuation. Their relationship is not something that society could hinder, yes its true their still young and what they felt is just infatuation, but eventually, if time permits, their feelings could grow towards love. And in some cases, considering their situation at that time, probably critics could say that their affection is rightful because it brought peace between the colliding families.
The Romeo and Juliet play by William Shakespeare, though it gives us an ambiguous theme, is an amazing play. William Shakespeare portrayed his characters in an effective way to disport his different themes and he also gives some ethical issue that could help young people to think first before entering a relationship. The Romeo and Juliet is the play, though could break your heart, that is very entertaining and timely story. Reader's could think that Romeo and Juliet is just a love story but after reading or watching it, spectators would view the Romeo and Juliet in a different way. Romeo and Juliet give the critic an impression that love and marriage is an important thing in life that should be considered thinking through a lot. Love happens in most, not in your expectations.
