Romeo and Juliet is one of, if not the most well-known of Shakespeare’s plays. Part of this is because it is an accessible love story that feels like it can take place wherever and whenever. Relative themes include the power of love, rebellion, women’s role in society, and fate vs. choice. He also uses his writing to conjure different emotions, such as despair, frustration, helplessness, or humor. Specifically, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to invoke a feeling of sadness. Dramatic irony is shown in the beginning of the play when Lord Capulet says, “The earth hath swallowed all my hopes; but she; she is the hopeful lady of my earth.” (Act I, Scene 2, Lines 14-15). In this scene, Capulet is explaining to Paris how precious Juliet is to him because all his other children have died. Juliet is all he has left and if she dies, she takes his hopes with her. However, the audience knows that Juliet will die later in the story. This causes a feeling of despair because the reader sees how distraught Lord Capulet will be when his only child, who he loves, dies. …show more content…
After this battle, Romeo thinks that everything has gone to pieces and his life is ruined. The audience knows, however, that this is just the beginning. Romeo’s life will get worse through his banishment and his and Juliet’s deaths. The effect of sadness is added because Romeo is at his all-time low at this point, or so he thinks. In reality, Romeo will be brought even lower and made even