Gender Roles In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Man up! You just fell? Well, don’t cry like a girl; just man up.
For Romeo in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, complying with gender roles is the only way to be worthy of his love. The plot follows young and love-struck Romeo who marries his foe’s daughter- Juliet, despite their parents’ deep hatred. His name synonyms the word ‘lover’ as he pines for Rosaline and later Juliet while maintaining a romantic persona. Following Romeo’s marriage to Juliet, he’s banished to Mantua and is lectured by adult figures in his life; he adopts a masculine manner and fights anyone ceasing his attempts to be with his wife. Although Shakespeare presents progressive ideas through Romeo’s romanticism, patriarchal pressure results in his transition to fierceness

He also states that love is a fierce and potent force like “fire.” After Rosaline rejects Romeo, he feels that Rosaline’s lack of love for him is “vex’d” and distressing, resulting in dismality and a sea full of “loving tears,” referring to his state. Romeo relies on love as a source of his happiness and grants Rosaline the power over the “fire sparkling” in his eyes. Romeo’s attribution of power to love and even more so to Rosaline rather than himself contrasts with any other male in Verona who prioritize the obtainment of power and respect for his character. Furthermore, admitting that love is capable of impaling him to “tears” is abnormal and renders him weak since men are glorified for their violent and powerful actions rather than for heartedness and expressing emotions. Likewise, Romeo acknowledges the power of love over his masculinity, which renders him a romantic character. Romeo presumes that his softness stems from falling in love with

thou provoke me? Then have at thee,boy!” (V.iii.70) Romeo acknowledges Paris’s provocation, and by questioning him, he makes Paris’s provocation look preposterous and portrays his fighting skills in a glorifying light which implies Romeo is interested in the fight. In addition, he attempts to degrade Paris by calling him “boy,” which is an insulting name for a man with great pride. Thus Romeo engages in the provocation and attempts to get a reaction from Paris and have a more fierce fight. Romeo perpetuates the image of a powerful man rushing to his love and fighting anyone who would suppress his actions. Romeo’s role as a defender or a knight to retrieve his wife from another threatening male illustrates his sense of possession, as he claims his property, which is a dominant masculine trait. This conveys Romeo’s sense of responsibility as a husband to take upon a traditionally masculine