Masculinity In Romeo And Juliet

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, a play that takes place in Verona, Italy in the 14th century: the Elizabethan era. Where there were two star crossed lovers whose fate was predetermined and only their death would reconcile their warring families. Romeo and Juliet embody the theme of young love and its intensity. In this essay I will be discussing how Shakespeare presents Juliet as a stronger character than Romeo, diving deep into the interactions and attitudes they exhibit towards one another. When comparing both of the tragic hero’s modern day audiences may not find any inequalities and would consider both characters to be strong individuals, whereas in the Elizabethan times traditional audiences would find Romeo to be lacking masculinity due to different factors.

Romeo says “Why such is love’s transgression”. Grass of mine own lie in my breasts”. In the first line stating “why such is love transgression” Romeo questions why loving someone is such a crime. Then he says “Greifs of my own lie in my breasts” implying that metaphorically, his chest is heavy with grief. “Greif” means intense sorrow or deep sadness, a heavy emotion experienced during difficult times. Grieving would be considered as an unmanly emotion, which during the Elizabethan era, lacking masculinity would automatically equal to lacking bravery. showing any emotions such as fear, sadness or grief would take away your entitlement to being masculine and