RnJ Literary Essay

Romeo & Juliet: Literary Essay

            Gender is a large factor in the world. Different genders are directed on different paths in life.  For example, women may choose to go after a career in singing and dancing more often than men. However, men might go after a career that is slightly more rigorous, like sports, more often than women. Moreover, the elements of gender occur very often in the play Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare. Gender can be a good and bad thing for both, males and females, which is illuminated throughout the story. Romeo and Juliet portray the pros and cons of being either male or female. Not only do they do this, but they also demonstrate the other themes that surround gender. Gender is a very crucial factor in the story, especially because of the surrounding themes like family relationships and marriage.

            To begin, gender plays an essential role in the play. The men and women throughout the story have major differences which mark Shakespeare’s themes. One difference is that the people in Verona that roam around and start quarrels are men. Mercutio says “I am hurt,” as Tybalt stabs him (3.1.93). This shows that males get into fights, while there are no physical quarrels between women in the play. Also there are no priestesses in the play, which shows that men control marriage and religion in Verona. However, women had other privileges like getting nursed and guarded. In the story, Juliet has a nurse who guides her in life. “Women grow by men,” she advised Juliet (1.4. 101). Also, men are superior to women. For instance, Lady Capulet does not have enough power in the family to decide whether Juliet will get married or not. She shows this when she says, “Here comes your father. Tell him yourself. / And see how he will take it at your hands (3.5.129-130).” Capulet was given full authority over Juliet’s husband, which shows that women are inferior to men.

Additionally, the families of Romeo and Juliet function differently throughout the play. For instance, Romeo does not interact with his parents like the way Juliet interacts with her parents. When Romeo was roaming out on the streets of Verona mourning about his love of Rosaline, he asked Benvolio “Was that my father that went hence so fast (1.1.167)?” This scene depicts that Romeo and his parents are not very fond of each other; his parents did not even know of his whereabouts until they saw him strolling around and they zoomed off as soon as Benvolio exited the car. However, Juliet speaks with her mother fairly often. “Madam, I am here. What is your will (1.3.7)?” Juliet responds to her mother respectfully, unlike Romeo’s perspective on his parents. Also, Juliet has less power over her mother than her father. This becomes clear when she shouts “He shall not make me there a joyful bride (3.5.122)!” but when her father enters, her words are more respectful. This is how gender plays a huge role in family relationships.

Furthermore, different genders reveal different ways people get married in Verona. For instance, men search for who they would like to marry by themselves; they decide who they want to marry by judging their attributes. In the play, Lady Capulet says “The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.” Paris was fond of Juliet, which was why he asked Capulet “But now, my lord, what say you to my suit (1.2.6)?” The fact that he asked Capulet instead of Lady Capulet, or even both of them at the same time, illuminates that men are senior to women. Women, on the other hand, do not get to select their husbands. They get arranged with a chosen man by parents. Capulet accepted Paris’s request to marry Juliet and says “O Thursday, tell her, she shall be married (3.5.22-23)…” This portrays the dominance of men in Shakespeare’s play.

In conclusion, gender is an essential component in the play, Romeo & Juliet, because of the themes like family relationships and marriage that enclose around it. These themes are not only critical in the book but also critical in real life. Men tend to show more authority in the real world today, not only in the U.S., but also in other countries. Men can truly be dominant in other countries, like Pakistan, where women were not even allowed outside at one point. Romeo & Juliet perfectly portrays this kind of dominance with the themes like family relationships and marriage which William Shakespeare deliberately involved into the gender theme.