Without a doubt, Romeo and Juliet belong to one of the best known written pieces of all times. The role of characters and their charisma is somewhat that left such a significant imprint in history. Even though the piece was written in the early career of William Shakespeare, the tradition of tragic romances with its roots from antiquity made a piece exceptional and well-respected among other literary contributions of all time. Juliet, a 13-year old female protagonist, played the most important role in the play for its given role by the author and the illustrated charisma that drew her actions throughout the whole piece.
Among other characters, Juliet is represented as a character given very particular traits in her personality and character. First of all, let’s look at settings where the place takes place. Juliet appeared at the crossroads from her teenage age in the transition to a full adult who would be challenged by such natural aspects of life as life, romance, love, passion and even death. Particularly, it is well-reflected in quotation: “These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die, like fire and powder Which, as they kiss, consume” During the play she even meets a potential husband, and the way she responds to these social challenges is rather special and incomparable to others. Therefore, her particular attitude to the given surrounding is somewhat attractive and challenging.
Another line that is explicitly reflected in “Romeo and Juliet” refers to the relationship between the main protagonist and her secret love to Romeo. The character was, in fact, unconventional, in the way of setting boundaries in behavior with Romeo. It is particularly interesting to watch how their relationship was developing, given the fact that Romeo was not a suitable lad for her. The fact that she allowed him to kiss illustrated her commitment, even though she was aware of the impossibility to continue the relationship the way it started. Even her final act that was illustrated in what she said, “thus with a kiss I die,” illustrated a long-term commitment to Romeo. Therefore, she was absolutely in love with the main character while not explicitly illustrating it.
Thirdly, the character was a non-conformist of her time. Juliet, who did not want to marry a guy, dictated by the social norms as her husband to be, showed that her dissatisfaction with the fact she would have to obey to what she was told, as her social class required her to do so. Even though the love story was marked as a red line in the piece, in fact, the reality was that social factors and conditions were put above others in the whole relationship story in the piece. “These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder Which, as they kiss, consume.” In the quotation, one can see how sorrow the social norms can turn into someone’s life.
However, it could be contested that Juliet was the only main character in the piece due to an outstanding role given to Romeo as well. It could be noted that he also did similar acts that in a way marked him out of the society of his time. William Shakespeare in a way puts the two characters on an equal footing, so that their acts do resemble.
To sum up, one could tell that the two individuals are placed at the top of the social ladder with the relatively equal responsibilities given to both of them. However, Juliet with her social disobedience is represented as the main contestant to the social norms of her time.
- Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg. Print.
