Themes, Symbols and Motifs A theme is a main idea, or the moral or lesson of the story…themes in Romeo and Juliet include love, conflict, family, fate vs free will, individuals versus society, duality (see writing journal slides for intro)Their love is this powerful, overwhelming, transformative force, “star-crossed” and all the foreshadowing, near misses= is it fate? “I defy you stars, shake the yoke of inauspicious stars” What do you owe your family, what can they require of you? “an you are mine”, tragic results of conflict, duality= light vs dark, Montagues vs Capulets, “o loving hate”- idea of hate and love being two sides of same coin of powerful emotion, ex passion leads to Juliet’s wedding and Tybalts’ death, lovers’ suicide and family peace

A symbol is something that stands for more than itself…symbols in Romeo and Juliet include fire, stars, poison, roses, and masks Fire= overwhelming passion, either love or hate Stars= fate, doomed love Poison= death, greed, falseness Rose= love and death, Juliet Mask= secrecy, putting up a false front (see writing journal slide for intro)“like fire and power, which as they kiss consume”, apothecary and friar’s poisons “worse poison to men’s souls”, 2 things at once, mention duality-Juliet= dead and alive, plants are benefical or dangerous, flowers are ephemeral, like youth

Fire Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; “These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triump die, like fire and powder Which, as they kiss, consume” And fire-ey’d fury be my conduct now… Now Tybalt, take the “villain” back again! PRINCE What, ho! you men, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage, With purple fountains issuing from your veins, On pain of torture, from those bloody hands Throw your mistemper'd weapons to the ground.

Stars I defy you stars! And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars , From this world-wearied flesh Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night …my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars… Two of the fairest stars in all of heaven A pair of star-crossed lovers…. Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light

Poison What if it be a poison which the friar subtilly hath ministr’d This distilled liquor drink thou off: through all thy veins shall run a cold and drowsy humour; for no pulse shall keep his native progress Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end A dram of poison What if it be a poison which the friar subtilly hath ministr’d to have me dead? Such mortal drugs I have, but Mantua’s law is death to any he that utters them There is thy gold- worse poison to men’s souls, doing more murder in this loathsome world than these poor Compounds that thou mayest not sell. I sell thee poison, Thou hast sold me none With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers… Poison hath residence

Rose Our bridal flowers serve for a buried corpse This bud of love…may prove a beauteous flower “Flower that she was” Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." Our bridal flowers serve for a buried corpse Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew The roses in thy cheeks and lips shall fade

Masks JULIET: Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face; Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek Give me a case to put my visage in: A visor for a visor! what care I What curious eye doth quote deformities? Here are the beetle brows shall blush for me. Mercutio What, dares the slave come hither, cover’d with an antic face? - Tybalt My fan Peter! Good Peter, to hide her face, for her fan’s the fairer face of the two -Mercutio

A motif is an idea or subject that occurs over and over …motifs in Romeo and Juliet include opposites: light vs dark, youth vs age, high vs low, Capulet vs Montague, peace vs conflict, love vs. hate Light vs. Darkness- full of imagery and references, balcony scene with Juliet in light, Romeo in darkness “more light and light it grows” “come gentle night” “keeps thee here in the dark”

Youth vs Age- Romeo and Juliet’s overwhelming young love, inability to love moderately, adults are concerned, but their agendas contribute to situation “Shakespeare made Juliet’s age even lower, “old folks feign as they were dead”, Juliet’s parents want to married to “safe” guy, friar right about “violent ends” but feud, political ambition, friar’s plan contribute to ending, so set in their ways they can’t change until tragedy