Comparison of Romeo and Juliet free essay sample

Juliet is the first of the two to hear of the consequences her new husband will have. Act three, scene two notes her reaction. At first she is enraged; she feels betrayed that her lover has killed her cousin Tybalt. She exclaims: â€Å"Was ever book containing such vile matter / So fairly bound? O, that deceit should dwell / In such gorgeous place! (3. 2. 83-85). In addition to proving her disappointment, this demonstrates how shallow her love of Romeo is. In an attempt to support her, Nurse wishes for shame to come to Romeo for stabbing the beloved Tybalt. Upon this point, Juliet’s youthful irrationality comes back into play, instantly blindsided by sudden siding with Romeo. â€Å"Upon his brow shame is ashamed to sit; / For ‘tis a throne where honor may be crowned / Sole monarch of the universal earth. / O, what a beast was I to chide at him! † (3. 2. 2-95) is Juliet’s response, further demonstrating her as naive, foolish and blind of the dangers of her love. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Romeo and Juliet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Suddenly, her original dismay over Tybalt’s death turns to despair that she may never again be with her husband, as he is to be sent away from Verona. Selfishly, she laments that now she will be a maiden-widowed, and death will be the one instead to take her maidenhead. This is reminiscent of the opening scene of the play where Sampson and Gregory state that a woman either loses her maidenhead or her head. By the end of the scene, she is depressed, accepting that her marriage is ruined. Romeo reacts just as irrationally. When he learns that he has been banished from Verona and will not be slain, he is incredibly upset, claiming that death would be better. He is unthankful, as Friar Lawrence notes, that the Prince has been willing to change the law so that he may continue to live. While Friar calls the punishment mercy, Romeo baptizes it as torture, for he will no longer be able to be with Juliet. Trying to calm the boy, Friar speaks of philosophy. When Romeo refuses to listen, he states the obvious that â€Å"madmen have no ears† (3. 3. 61). He continues, very wisely, on what could be dubbed a rant, for all the reasons Romeo has to live and be happy. Then he proposes the solution of going to Juliet a last time to consummate the marriage that night, leave in the morning for Mantua where in a few months he will be sought out, and then will return to Verona where he will be welcomed as Juliet’s husband. Lady Capulet takes the role of the wife of the era: sympathetic to the weary daughter, yet in compliance and submission to her husband’s wishes. When Juliet first protests she replies in a manner that indicates her inability to help in the situation. Then, as Juliet begs for the wedding to be put off for a while, she acts coldly in compliance to her husband’s command, but still hints at her sorrow for her child’s pain. â€Å"Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word, / Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee. â€Å" (3. 5. 204-205) are her exact words.