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Examples Of Femininity In Romeo And Juliet

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Romeo describes Shakespeare's notions towards gender identity by providing multiple scenarios where Romeo defies the “masculine” norms. Romeo goes through heartbreak and love with cousins Rosaline and Juliet from the opposing Capulet family throughout the play. In the 5 days from Romeo and Juliet meeting and falling in love, to them dying for each other, Shakespeare writes Romeo as a very emotional character and the opposite of what men “should be like” in the 1500s. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s portrayal of femininity is shown through the character Romeo by his “unmanly” actions and his profound love for Juliet. First and foremost, Romeo falls in love with Juliet right off the bat in act 1 scene 5, and when he does, he …show more content…

Romeo on the other hand, doesn't even hesitate to put himself below the woman he loves. One of the ways he does this is by describing Juliet by saying, “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven, Would through the airy region stream so bright, That birds would sing and think it were not night” (II. II. 19-22). When talking about Juliet, he always compares her as the “light to his darkness”, and says that she “saved him” from his heartbreak with Rosaline. This quote further explains Romeo’s femininity, and opposes the gender norms, knowing that “most real men” were the head of the house as well as strong and unemotional people. Romeo’s love for Juliet is enough to risk him getting caught and banished, so when he sees Juliet on her balcony he says to her, “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls, For stony limits cannot hold love out, And what love can do, that dares love attempt” (II. II. 71-73). Meeting her on the balcony instead of waiting until morning to see her, shows how much he does even to see her face. In the quote, he explains how love causes him to do things that will get him caught or killed, but he will do it anyway because he loves Juliet. Altogether, Romeo’s femininity shows the most when he is around Juliet, which causes him to take risks, as well as, openly talk about her

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Emily Fernandez Dr. Rachel Prusko English 387 Lecture B1: Youth Cultures February 4th, 2023 Romeo’s Rebellion: Creation and Refusal of the Masculine Identity in Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet shows how the young men of Verona are obligated to perform a certain type of masculinity associated with violence and sexuality. Romeo, however, provides a counter to this as he displays both feminine and masculine behaviours throughout the play. Ultimately, Romeo’s refusal to adhere to the standards of masculinity and his inclination to create an identity of his own are an enduring example of the young male experience.

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208 Words | 1 Pages

Juliet is the lover of Romeo, but is from the house of Capulet which is a that time in the middle of a feud with the house of Montague( Romeo’s Family) and in the play she is brung into adulthood quickly. She helps develop the theme of gender roles of females through all the events in which she must disobey her father who was going to disown her for not wanting to marry Paris because she is secretly in love with Romeo, “CAPULET: Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch!I tell thee what: get thee to church o ' Thursday,Or never after look me in the face. Speak not; reply not; do not answer me.”

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459 Words | 2 Pages

He believes that Juliet’s family is “no let” to him. To Romeo, if Juliet would “look…but sweet,” he would be “proof against their [Juliet’s kinsmen] enmity.” Romeo ignores the threat of being killed and instead claims he is protected by love. His behavior can be compared to a child who is oblivious to the dangers around them and does things based on their immature conceptions of the world. This behavior is further carried out when Romeo uses a simile about schoolboys and their books, saying that “love goes toward love” like schoolboys do to their books, but “from love, towards school with heavy looks.”

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733 Words | 3 Pages

The portrayal of women in Romeo and Juliet is complex. On the one hand, the play presents women as passive and submissive, particularly in their relationships with men. Juliet, for example, is expected to obey her father and marry the man he has chosen for her, even though she is in love with Romeo. She tries to defy him so she can be with Romeo but it doesn’t turn out her way. Similarly, Lady Capulet is portrayed as a dutiful wife who defers to her husband's authority and does not challenge him.

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1263 Words | 6 Pages

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents the idea of defying and showing the inaccuracy of gender norms. Shakespeare shows his defiance of gender norms in his characterization of Romeo, Romeo's defiance to fight against the capulets is an example of him defying gender norms. In the text Romeo is faced with a possible altercation between him and Tybalt, though the altercation could result in his death he refuses to fight against him. Romeo starts this interaction with saying " I do protest I never injured thee/ But love thee better then than thou canst devise/ Till thou shalt know the reason of my love./

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630 Words | 3 Pages

Women became less strong and didn’t find the courage to act on their own or solve problems on their own. Juliet may have ended her own life because she truly loved Romeo, or she didn’t want to face the tragedy on her own. In conclusion, women’s rights played a huge role in the play Romeo and Juliet and could be one of the deeper meanings within the

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832 Words | 4 Pages

Secondly, at line 60, when Tybalt calls Romeo “Boy” instead of “Man”, the medium shot of Romeo will have a slightly higher angle, to portray that Romeo is the weaker of the pair. Thirdly, Romeo will repeat line 108 three times, “O sweet Juliet, Thy beauty hath made me effeminate And in my temper softened valour’s steel”, portraying Romeo’s shame in himself that he has lost his masculinity, and he blames it on his infatuation with Juliet. This is only one of many scenes in Romeo and Juliet that we can utilise to portray the theme of masculinity to the modern

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460 Words | 2 Pages

Unfortunate events lead our protagonist to tragedy, or perhaps his reckless behavior is key to the disastrous end. Romeo’s attraction to the opposite sex is driven by physical appearance. Although Romeo doesn’t notice himself, other realize his vanity. As Romeo commits to marry Juliet, the Friar says, “Young men’s love then lies/ not truly in their hearts but in their eyes” (2.3.67-8). Romeo’s choice to marry is not out of love from their hearts but rather from the eyes.

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635 Words | 3 Pages

Romeo and Juliet's gender roles are established early on in the play, with Romeo being portrayed as a typical male lover and Juliet as a typical female lover. Their gender roles shape the way they express their love for each other and the way their families and society view their relationship. Juliet's gender identity is also seen when she defies societal norms and takes control of her own fate by seeking out Friar Lawrence to help her and Romeo be together. She states, "Here, here will I remain with worms that are thy chamber-maids. O, here will I set up my everlasting rest, and shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh" (Act 4, Scene 3) showing her determination to be with Romeo regardless of societal expectations of a woman during that

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1002 Words | 5 Pages

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare reversed the stereotypical gender roles between the two star-crossed lovers in terms of the diction and imagery; however, this does not change the fact that Juliet was treated almost as a child and was restricted of her rights and voice throughout the play. Additionally, the men in the play were called “womanish” at points where they were vulnerable in the play, or showed emotion for that matter. This suggests women being inferior to men—as they are perceived as children, or weak. In response to Romeo’s breakdown over his banishment, the Friar tells him “Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art; the unreasonable fury of a beast.

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394 Words | 2 Pages

In this moment, we see how Romeo shows Juliet what lengths he would go to just to be near Juliet and how he followed his heart’s intuition. Since he has not done anything but think about Juliet even before his own life, we know Romeo follows this rule. To follow, Romeo continuously shows us that when someone is harder to get it makes you want their love more. When we first meet Romeo he has already been defined as dramatic and desperately in love, here he is sorrowful over someone he loves but does not love him back. “Show me a mistress that is passing fair/What doth her beauty serve but as a note/Where I may read who passed that passing fair?/Farewell.

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764 Words | 4 Pages

Strong Women in Romeo and Juliet In history women have suffered for a long time however, there have been strong and striving women that take control of their own lives. For example in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare there are many strong female characters such as Juliet. Juliet can be seen as a strong woman because she marries Romeo without her parents knowing, says no to her father when told to marry Paris, and fakes her death to leave her parent’s life and run away with Romeo. Therefore, Juliet is a strong and striving woman because Juliet marries Romeo without her parents knowing, says no to her father when told to marry Paris, and fakes her death to leave her parent's life and run away with Romeo.

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333 Words | 2 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s love transforms Juliet from a girl who follows the rules to a brave young woman who speaks her mind. Juliet is the type of girl who obeys her parents, does not argue with anything they say, and agrees with them no matter what. For example, when Lady Capulet calls, Juliet, she comes quickly and says, “Madam, I am here. What is your will?” (1.3.7).

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778 Words | 4 Pages

Their tough archetypes were always present in many plays and reinforced the idea of male superiority. This fact held true, especially for a certain tragic classic by William Shakespeare. There was a misogynistic mentality towards women in Romeo and Juliet, evident through the way women were shown as objects, portrayed as weak, and made to seem unable to dictate their own lives. Men in Romeo and Juliet could be seen acting like owners towards women. Women were seen as nothing more than possessions, as illustrated when Romeo first described Juliet as, “My lady…/my love” (II.ii.10).

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1408 Words | 6 Pages

In today’s world, gender expectations and roles of men and women are a highly debated topic. However, the reconsidering of these expectations is not a new phenomenon. Set in Verona, Italy, the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare explores the reversal and fluidity of characteristics usually assigned to a specific gender. In this play, two young people fall in love and end up tragically taking their lives as a result of their forbidden love. Shakespeare suggests that men are not necessarily masculine, women are not necessarily feminine, and that when people are forced by society to act the way their gender is “supposed” to, problems will arise.

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