Jackson 1
Tuoyo Jackson
Mrs. Prebble
ENG1D1
November 24, 2016
Romeo and Juliet Essay Assignment
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet are doomed as they had no way of preventing the inevitable due to the outside forces such as the secrecy, parental influence and the lack of responsibility of Friar Laurence and feuding. To support my thesis, Shakespeare states, “Bid her devise some means to come to shrift/And there she shall at Friar’s Laurence’s cell. /Be shrived and married.” (2.4.172-175) Shakespeare also says, “Hie you to church; I must another way/To fetch a ladder by the which your love/Must climb a bird’s nest soon.” These quotes are evidence of secrecy in Romeo and Juliet. “Two households, both alike in dignity/From ancient grudge break to new mutiny. / Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” (Prologue, 1-4) “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name/ Or if thou wilt not, / be but sworn my love / And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” (2.2.33-36) These quotes are evidence of feuding in Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet show signs of secrecy. Their signs of secrecy leads to destruction of trust. This is seen primarily when Romeo and Juliet consider their marriage a secret from their parents. Romeo declares that he wishes to marry Juliet secretly in Friar Laurence’s cell. “Bid her devise some means to come to shrift/ And there she shall at Friar Laurence’s cell. / Be shrived and married.” (2.4.172-175) Since Juliet is devising to come to see Friar Laurence, it is clear that the marriage is secret. It leads to destruction of trust because their families are enemies which means they should not intervene with each other. Further more, keeping their marriage a secret force them to meet secretly. Moreover, the Nurse is revealing Juliet that her lover Romeo will be arriving to her bedroom using a ladder. “Hie you to church; I must another way/ To fetch a ladder by the which your love/ Must climb a bird’s nest soon when it is dark. (2.5.57-58). Due to Romeo having to use a ladder to sneak into Juliet’s room, it is presented well that clearly their families do not know about the marriage.
Romeo and Juliet represent signs of feud which in addition leads to destruction of trust. This is mainly because Romeo and Juliet come from two different families that have conflict whom are Montagues and Capulets. Shakespeare introduces to us in the Prologue that two families of Verona that are b...
