Thursday, July 9, 2015

How can you illustrate the contrast between love and hate in the final scene of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

In Romeo and Juliet, by William
Shakespeare, we have followed the theme of love vs hate starting in the play's first
scene as the servants of the Montague and Capulet households begin to
fight.


By the time the play's final scene arrives, it
appears that Juliet is dead; Romeo, under this impression, has
returned to her grave to take his life; and, Paris also
believing Juliet is dead, has come to mourn her
death.


Paris is in the tomb when Romeo arrives; he believes
that Romeo's murder of Tybalt caused Juliet to kill herself in grief over her cousin's
death, and he tells Romeo he must die. Romeo agrees, but asks Paris to leave as he
doesn't want to harm him. Paris refuses, they fight, and Paris is killed. Paris loved
Juliet and hated Romeo. Romeo loved Juliet and hates life, wishing to end it. Paris'
death is a result of his desire for revenge, much the way the Montagues and Capulets
have acted since the play began. Out of respect for Paris' love of Juliet, he places
Paris' body into Juliet's tomb. He apologizes to Tybalt, whose body is lying in the
family tomb as well.


Romeo is fearful that Juliet's body
must lie in such a dark place alone, so he promises to stay with
her.



For fear
of that I still will stay with thee
And never from this palace of dim night

Depart again.
(V.iii.106-108)



Romeo then
swallows the poison he got from the apothecary in Mantua, and he dies. When Juliet
wakes, she sees Romeo dead. Out of her love for him, and inability to live without him,
she kills herself.


When the story of the love Romeo and
Juliet had for each other is shared by Friar Lawrence, the Montagues and Capulets are
finally able to see what their hate for each other has done: it has not only ended the
love each man's child had for the other's child, but caused their deaths as well. Losing
their children—because of Romeo and Juliet's love for one another, and the parents'
hatred for each other—the Capulets and Lord Montague bury their hatred and choose to
honor their children instead.


The love of Romeo and Juliet,
as well as the love of parents for their children, allows the fighting parents to see
the error of pursuing hate over love. Capulet offers his hand to Montague in peace,
Montague offers to erect a statue to honor Juliet's memory, and Capulet says he will do
the same, with Romeo and Juliet lying next to each
other.


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CAP:


O
brother Montague, give me thy hand.


This is my daughter's
jointure, for no more


Can I
demand.


MON:


But
I can give thee more;


For I will raise her statue in pure
gold,


That whiles Verona by that name is
known,


There shall no figure at such rate be
set


As that of true and faithful
Juliet.


CAP:


As
rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie—


Poor sacrifices of
our enmity! (V.iii.307-316)


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