The Forbade Love

Part 1:

What did you already know about Romeo and Juliet? 

My prior knowledge of Romeo and Juliet was fairly limited. I have never read the play about it and I know the general plot of the play. Juliet was 13 and Romeo was about 16-17.  I know that Romeo and Juliet had a forbidden love, because their parents and their ancestors are enemies. Romeo and Juliet were unable to see each other and they had to sneak around to see each other. The two groups were broken between the Capulets and the Montagues. They forbade this relationship, so Romeo and Juliet had no other choose but to kill themselves in the end. Romeo committed suicide by drinking poison. Juliet came to see him, which he was at the tomb, when she found him dead she tried to kiss him. However, the poison on his lips didn’t kill her so she took Romeos sword and killed herself too. 

Part 2:

In the beginning of Act 1 of the play, what were your first impressions of it? What are the characters of Romeo and Juliet like? Describe them and use at least one specific quote from the play for each character? 

My first of impression of Act 1 was interesting and confusing. At first, the language was difficultto understand but the more I read the play, the more the language made since. The play depicted through words, the feud between the two families. Romeo and Juliet were very different in how they behave. For example, Romeo is sad and lonely. The viewer can tell that Romeo thinks very highly of himself and talks in poetry about the love he desires. “A sick man in sadness makes his will, a word ill urged to one that is so ill. In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.” (Shakespeare, 195) By this the viewer can see that Romeo is a hopeless romantic who will do what he wants. Not only that, but Romeo is a risk taker and he doesn’t care so long as he can see, “the women [he] loves.” Which, is Rosaline, she is a Capulet. (Shakespeare, 104) This is opposite compared to Juliet, who is willing to overlook what she wants in order to help her parents. For example, her parents wanted her to marry Paris. Juliet said “it was an honor that I dream not of.” (Shakespeare, 68) However, Juliet would over look this for her parents and replied to her mother, “I’ll look to like if looking liking move.” (Shakespeare, 99) She is much different then Romeo, in the fact that she is more humble and willing to give things up for her parents. However, they are both loving and they both are very thoughtful and observative. My observation is that later in the story different is what might attract the two to each other, because they haven’t met anyone like each other. This is why they were so in love, this was not explained in Act 1, however it can be inferred based on the details given in the first act of the okay.