Romeo and Juliet – Joshua Bonello

1.In Act 3, Scene 3 how does Shakespeare highlight both Romeo’s youth and his despair? (3 marks) Shakespeare highlight’s both Romeo’s youth and despair through the way he falls apart after Friar Lawrence informs Romeo that the authority have banished him from Verona. Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to highlight Romeo’s youth and despair when stated, “Hadst thou no poison mixed, no sharp-ground knife.” This highlights that Romeo would rather be poisoned or stabbed with a sharp-ground knife quickly rather than be banished. This foreshadows the death of Romeo and Juliet that comes later in the play, where Romeo dies from a fatal poison and Juliet dies from a sharp-ground knife. Shakespeare also uses personification to highlight Romeo’s youth and despair, when stated, “There is no world without Verona walls, but purgatory, torture, hell itself.” This highlights that Romeo can’t live anywhere else other than Verona and thinks of anywhere else outside of the Verona walls to be hell and torture. Both of these quotes show the youth and despair of Romeo in the play Romeo and Juliet written by Shakespeare.

2.Using Act 3, Scene 5 and prior knowledge of the play, evaluate how Juliet has changed? (3 marks) Juliet in the beginning of the play, Romeo and Juliet was an innocent, obedient and precious. Due to the meeting of Romeo, she has turned into a rebellious, disobedient and foolish teen, risking whatever she can to love Romeo.