Identity In Romeo And Juliet

Words: 885
Pages: 4
Open Document
How much control do family, friends, acquaintances, or mentors actually have on the evolution of identity? The answer is as much power as they are allowed. The influence of outsiders can only infiltrate a person’s identity if access is permitted. For the protagonists in Ernest Hemingway’s parable, The Old Man and the Sea, and the tragic drama Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, there is a clear disparity between their internal identity and the identities others have created for them. Set in the 1590s, Romeo and Juliet follows two lovestruck teenagers living in Verona, Italy whose families create identities for them that ultimately result in their death. In The Old Man and the Sea, an old man Santiago, seemingly past his prime, leaves his …show more content…
The Capulet and Montague families had been part of an everlasting feud, resulting in obvious bad blood between all their members. The relationship of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet is a direct, and shocking, defiance of every plan created for them. Based solely on name, the two teenagers should hate each other, but instead, they fell in love. This is only possible because they both disagree with the idea that identity should be based on names. Alternately, the two believe in individuality and inner beauty. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet” (II.ii.46-47). Juliet clearly states that name has no true influence on identity and changing a name does not change a person or thing. This idea contradicts the aforementioned idea of family identity in a strong, undeniable way. In almost every situation, Tybalt finds a way to incorporate his instinctive hatred for the Montagues. Even when Benvolio is asking for help in stopping a fight, Tybalt states that he “...hate the word As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee” (I.i.72). Because their families remain stuck in their own ways, the love story of Romeo and Juliet is bound to go awry. It was impossible because no one was able to accept their new identities, constructed on an idea so foreign to both families. Had the …show more content…
The characters in The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare all learn the importance of establishing a true ipseity, as the identity someone else creates will never be as accurate. There is no set time or date one must have an identity formed. Identity is constantly changing; slight alterations are made with every interaction, conflict, or event faced by a person. Identity behaves in a way very similar to a river or the weather. It is always flowing and adjustable, never looking exactly the
Show More

Related Documents: Identity In Romeo And Juliet

Romeo And Juliet Identity Quotes

In Act 4 scene 1 between lines 55-70 Juliet says, “And with this knife I’ll help it presently. (shows him a knife) God joined my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands … ’Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife … I long to die”. She says this because she doesn’t want to marry Paris and loves Romeo. I find this insanely imprudent. She is a rich and allegedly gorgeous 13-year-old girl, yet she wishes to die because she has to marry an extremely wealthy and allegedly handsome man. This situation screams…

Words 637 - Pages 3

Romeo and Juliet and Juliet Public Essay

lovesick friend Romeo, (son of Montague), to abandon his unrequited love for Rosaline and seek another. That night, Capulet holds a masked ball to encourage a courtship between his daughter, Juliet, and Paris, a relative of the Prince. Concealing their identities behind masks, Romeo and Benvolio go to the ball, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight, but at the end of the evening discover their identities as members of the opposed families. On his way home from the feast, Romeo climbs into…

Words 654 - Pages 3

Fate In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, he examines the idea of destiny as it pertains to the title characters. As early as the prologue of the play, Romeo and Juliet are cast as “star crossed lovers”(1.1.6). This results from their families’ feud, their hasty, secret marriage, and Romeo’s banishment. The Montague’s and Capulet's age old feud dooms the love of their children. At the party, Romeo and Juliet find love at first sight. Juliet’s response upon leaving Romeo in identity is “my only love,…

Words 325 - Pages 2

Romeo And Juliet Impulsive Quotes

Juliet Capulet, the romantic heroine in William Shakespeare's classic work, Romeo and Juliet, is not just the love interest of Romeo Montague, but is also able to be characterized as impulsive, naive, and clingy. Throughout Romeo and Juliet, Juliet herself says lines that make her seem impulsive, naive and even what some would call clingy. In Act 2, Juliet says, "Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn by my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet" (2.2.36). This line, said by Juliet herself, validates…

Words 580 - Pages 3

Fate Notes In Romeo and Juliet Essay

Verona of Romeo and Juliet can obscure its deeper, more important function. The Prologue does not merely set the scene of Romeo and Juliet, it tells the audience exactly what is going to happen in the play. The Prologue refers to an ill-fated couple with its use of the word “star-crossed,” which means, literally, against the stars. Stars were thought to control people’s destinies. But the Prologue itself creates this sense of fate by providing the audience with the knowledge that Romeo and Juliet will…

Words 1828 - Pages 8

Romeo & Juliet Act I Reading Questions Essay

____________________________________ Date: ______________________________ Romeo and Juliet Reading Questions – Act I, Scenes 1-5 Scene 1 1. What are Sampson and Gregory doing at the beginning of Scene 1? 2. Whom do these two men serve? 3. Who do these men run into on the street? What happens during this encounter? 4. When the Prince appears, what does he say to the Capulets and the Montagues? – Paraphrase. 5. What is wrong with Romeo when he enters the scene? Scene 2 1.…

Words 357 - Pages 2

Fate In Romeo And Juliet

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. A person cannot choose their fate. The two “star-cross lovers” have no control over their destinies. There are many examples of fate throughout the play, whether it is when Peter runs into Romeo and Benvolio making them aware of the Capulets ball; or the houses that Romeo and Juliet were born into; or even Juliet wakening up right after Romeo’s…

Words 952 - Pages 4

Melted by Love Essay

world, however, true love still surrounds us, as seen in Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. The very first kind of love one can see in the play is the love of friendship, which supports the people in the play to face the hardship in life. As the play goes on, the love of family is introduced, for it aims at the goodness of the loved. Ultimately, the love of lovers is shown by the sad and romantic story of Romeo and Juliet, which is the source of one's braveness and fearlessness. While many people…

Words 891 - Pages 4

bob the builder Essay

night.t that her mother wants to speak with her. Romeo asks the Nurse who Juliet’s mother is. The Nurse replies that Lady Capulet is her mother. Romeo is devastated. As the crowd begins to disperse, Benvolio shows up and leads Romeo from the feast. Juliet is just as struck with the mysterious man she has kissed as Romeo is with her. She comments to herself that if he is already married, she feels she will die (1.5.131). In order to find out Romeo’s identity without raising any suspicions, she asks the…

Words 406 - Pages 2

Relevant Ideas In William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare has a number of ideas which are relevant to a contemporary audience. Shakespeare was arguably one of the best playwrights of all time. Between the years of 1589 and 1613 he had written his most known plays, and in 1596 he wrote one of his most renowned, Romeo and Juliet. This tragic story of two star-crossed lovers was believed to be inspired by Arthur Brooke’s narrative poem ‘the Tragicall historye of Romeus and Juliet.’ in 1562. Many of the…

Words 727 - Pages 3