romeo and juliet’s affair success or failure

Topic: Romeo and Juliet’s affair:
success or failure?

I. INTRODUCTION:
1. Social background:
There was a development of capitalist relation in Europe in the15th -16
th
centuries. The former townspeople became the bourgeoisie who fought against
feudalism because help back the development of capitalism. It was then that great
geographical discoveries of Columbus, Magellan and other travelers as well as
astronomical discoveries of Copernicus, Bruno were made. Universities stopped
being citadels of religious learning and turned into centers of humanist study. The
development of a new class of the bourgeoisie, social order presented possibilities
for man’s creative for man power. The power of church in man’s mind was
defeated
2. Historical background:
There were 6 Kings during the Renaissance (1485- 1625):
 Henry VII : after “the war of Roses”, Henry was able to build a new nation-
state and laid the foundations for one of the most fruitful periods in English
history.
 Henry VIII: he closed these religious institutions and confiscated their riches,
distributing their lands among other landowners and merchants.
 Edward VI: he was too young to reign when Henry died so the country was
governed by a council, composed of members of the new nobility created by the
Tudor.
 Mary Tudor: she was inflexible and imprudent. She died in 1558.
 Elizabeth I: she was a force for peace, for reconciliation, and for prosperity
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 James I: He tried to rule without Parliament as much as possible and was a
firm believer in the Divine Right of Kings. The quarrels about money continued
until his death in 1625.

3. Literary background:
There was a revival of interest in the ancient culture of Greece and Rome
(“Renaissance” is French for “rebirth”). The progressive ideology of Renaissance
was humanism. Human’s life, the happiness of people and the belief in man’s
abilities became the main subjects in fine art and literature. English humanists
dreams of social changes that would do away with the vice of society and establish
the equality of people. English humanism was both anti-feudal and anti-bourgeois.
It falls into three periods:
+ Early Renaissance (15
th
century):
This period witnessed the introduction of humanism as the pivotal
philosophy of the Renaissance into England.
+ Renaissance peak (16
th
century)
People saw the flourishing of the English drama. Theatres become a
favorite amusement of people. One of the most outstanding dramatist of the
period, as well as of all time, was Shakespeare
+ Late Renaissance (beginning of the 17
th
century- middle of the 17
th
century): English Renaissance was on the decline, and the English Bourgeoisie
Revolution broke out.
4. Background of the author: William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in late April 1564 in Stratford-Avon. It is
generally accepted that he attended the King’s New School, the Stratford grammar
school known for its classical curriculum, because of his knowledge of Latin
classics and written scenes recalling grammar school experiences such as exercise

memorized by schoolboys. It is known for certain that at age 18, he marries Anne
Hathaway with whom he had 3 children. Susanna was born May 26, 1583 and the
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twins, Judith and Hamlet, were born February 2, 1585. It is not known for sure
how he supported his family or where they lived but the early 1590’s, he was
established in London as both an actor and playwright.
In 1613, Shakespeare left London and returned to his native town of Stratford-
upon- Avon. Three year later, on April 23, 1616, he died and was buried there.
Shakespeare is the author of 2 poems, 37 plays and 154 sonnets. His works are
divided in to three periods:
*The first period (1590-1660) was marked by optimism so characteristic of all
humanist literature. It is the best reflected in his brilliant comedies and historical
chronicles, in characteristics of all humanist literature.
His typical comedies: The Comedies of Errors (1592), A Midsummer Night’s
Dream (1594) etc. The comedies describe the adventures of young men and
woman, their friendship and love, their search for happiness. They are filled with
humanist love for people and their belief in the nobleness and kindness of human
nature.
Historical chronicles: King Henry VI (part II – 1590), The tragedy of King
Richard II (1592) etc…They was written on subjects from national history. One of
the great achievements of Shakespeare was that in his chronicles he shown not
only the King, feudal, and churchmen, the lower classes too
*The second period( 1601-1608): The main works written by Shakespeare are
Tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet (in the 90s), Hamlet (1601), King
Lear(1605).These works reflect unsolvable contradictions of life, the falsehood
injustice and tyranny existing in society.
*The plays of the third period (1609 – 1612) are different from everything
written by Shakespeare before. The playwright still touches upon important social
and moral problems, but suggests utopian solution to them. His works in this
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period include romantic and fantastic elements: Cymbeline (1609), The Winter’s
Tale (1610)
II. DEVELOPMENT: ROMEO AND JULIET’S
AFFAIR: SUCCESS OR FAILURE?
1. Solution of the dichotomy
1.1 Double suicide.
At the end of act IV, after Romeo and Juliet have taken their farewell and
Juliet’s (second) marriage has been appointed, the situation seems hopeless. Act III
concludes with a soliloquy by Juliet, in which she mentions the possibility of
suicide.
I’ll to the Friar to know his remedy
If all else fail, myself have power to die
There are lots of others passages which point to Romeo and Juliet’s final death.
In the Prologue the Chorus already announces “their death” and “their death-
marked love”. The Friar also anticipates the cruel end of their love when he warns
“These violent things have violent ends”.
Shortly before Romeo and Juliet are married Romeo says
But come what sorrow can,
It cannot countervail the exchange of joy
That one short minute gives me in her sight
Basically, he has reached what he has described as his utmost fulfillment. “It is
enough I may but call her mine”.
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In chapter 3, I explained that the love of Romeo and Juliet appears as an
attempt. But are we to evaluate their love as a success, as a successful attempt? Or
are does their death show that their love was a failure?
Though the circumstances which led to the death at the end of act V were
coincidence to a large extent, both their deaths are suicide, committed through their
own decision. They both prefer death to a living without each other.
Romeo hears about the false message of Juliet’s death in V.i. His reaction is

immediate and resolute: “Then I defy you, star”. His man Balthazar unwittingly
has the correct suggestion: “I do beseech you sir, have patience”. But Romeo’s
decision has been made; through he has not got any affirmation of Juliet’s death.
“Hast thou no letters to me from the Friar? […] No matter.”.
After that, he concludes to kill himself in Juliet’s tomb. When Juliet awakes
from her pretended “death”, she finds Romeo dead and also kills herself.
1.2. Reconciliation
To Romeo, this double suicide is a kind of everlasting reconciliation.
Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight
[…]
O here will I set up my everlasting rest.
As we have seen in chapter 2.3. and 3.1.1., the real world does not provide any
room for the realization of their love. Romeo regards death as the only place for it.
In Juliet’s speeches we do not find any explicit hint that she regards death as
reconciliation, as a fulfillment
Scholar have discussed the question whether the end of Romeo and Juliet
belongs to the motif of “Liebestod”, like the conclusion of Antony and Cleopatra,
for example. Hillgärtner stresses the bad influence of society on Romeo and
Juliet’s love. "Vordergründig werden Romeo Und Juliet das Opfer der besonderen
Bedingungen. Tatsächlich gehen sie an den allgemeinen Verhältnissen zugrunde”.
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To him, death is the place where mischievous society has no influence. Der Tod
“ist das Ort- und Zeitlose Nirgendwo der immerwährenden Vereinigung, in der die
absolute Liebe ihre utopische Zuflucht hat".
However the death of Romeo and Juliet brings about reconciliation of the
families, as the Prologue has announced.
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove
They have been “tempering extremities with extreme sweet".
2. Love: The intersection of responsibility and doom

We have now investigated how the play presents the development of Romeo
and Juliet's love and the situation in which it happens.
To retune to the question of chapter one, I will now collect the main aspects
given by this interpretation.
2.1. Responsibility and doom
We have seen that Romeo and Juliet's decisions and actions play an important
role in the play. It is them who manage to start a relationship, it is Romeo who kills
Tybalt and therefore is banished, it is them who commit suicide and so on.
Romeo's lack of experience to cope with the situations in which he finds himself is
repeatedly shown in the play (cf. 3.1.2., 3.2.3.).
But they are also always haunted by coincidence and the social conditions:
Their families have been quarrelling for decades, Mercutio is killed because
Romeo interferes in the wrong moment, the message of Friar Laurence does not
reach Romeo, Juliet awakes only a minute too late and so on.
2.2. The force of Fortune, Love and Death
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One could regard these influences as malevolent forces counteracting the ideal
of love. But in contrast to Greek tragedy, in Romeo and Juliet there are no
personified allegorical characters like "Fortune" or "Death". "Liebe, Fortuna und
Tod sind nicht mehr personifizierte Abstrakta, allegorische Rahmenfiguren,
sondern dämonische Mächte, die den Ablauf von Entwicklungen beherrschen und
sich in menschlichem Handeln verwirklichen". So it is not a question of either
determination or responsibility, but their love is constituted by both. "This play is
not simply a moving tale of Liebestod; it is based on more than a romantic death-
wish: to love is to be responsible".
The sequence of events shows that in their love responsibility and doom concur.
"Das bedeutet, daß Determination und Verantwortung viel enger verknüpft sind, ja
in den menschlichen Entscheidungen zusammenfallen"
2.3. The love of Romeo and Juliet
As Romeo and Juliet do not only appear as victims of doom, but also as acting

and responsible subjects, the play is not a mere show of "Liebesstimmung" and
"romantischem Zauber".
Romeo and Juliet are a couple driven by ordinary desires, though their love is
not "essentially domestic and sexual", because they undertake a dangerous great
attempt to make love conquer hate. "At the centre of their experience is the
paradoxes that only through the body can the limits of the body and the self be
transcended.
Now it becomes clear that not an ideal of love, a "love concept" in that sense is
the centre of Shakespeare's play, but the individual progress of Romeo and Juliet's
love. The play does not primarily provide a didactic message but only shows how
Love and Fortune lead Romeo and Juliet to death. "The point of the play [ ] is not
how such a love can arise out of hatred and then triumph over it in death, but that it
does". Therefore, though Romeo and Juliet are responsible for their deeds, their
love is not a question of guilt. "An die Stelle eines möglichen Schuldmoments tritt
die Würde des großen Versuchs". "Nowhere in this play is it suggested that
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damnation lies in wait for the lovers. The audience is likely to feel that Romeo and
Juliet had dared greatly
The plot shows that Fortune and Death are powers who take place in the
individual deeds of Romeo and Juliet. As love is the motif for their important
decisions in the play, the power of love also belongs to these forces, it is even the
central power. least try to defy their fortune, it was a great success for the power of
love
III. CONCLUSION:
As Romeo and Juliet do not only appear as victims of doom, but also as acting
and responsible subjects, the play is not a mere show of "Liebesstimmung" and
"romantischem Zauber".
Romeo and Juliet are a couple driven by ordinary desires, though their love is
not "essentially domestic and sexual", because they undertake a dangerous great
attempt to make love conquer hate. "At the centre of their experience is the

paradoxes that only through the body can the limits of the body and the self be
transcended.
The plot shows that Fortune and Death are powers who take place in the
individual deeds of Romeo and Juliet. As love is the motif for their important
decisions in the play, the power of love also belongs to these forces, it is even the
central power.
From the world's point of view their love failed, but as Romeo and Juliet at least
try to defy their fortune, it was a great success for the power of love.
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