Romeo And Juliet Dissents Against Elizabethan Standards

Do you think we live in a world where everyone is accepting? Loving? Fair? Or do you do think we live in a world where racism is still prevalent, homophobia still exists and women are still getting paid less than men? We live in the latter. Why? Because we punish those who dissent from existing values and beliefs. Those who rebel against the norm are facing detrimental consequences such as death and sacrifice. This is represented in Shakespeare’s 1591 play, Romeo and Juliet as Juliet dissents against Elizabethan standards by challenging gender norms and sharing a passionate love with the son of a rivalling family. A supporting text Catcher in the Rye a 1950s American novel by Salinger explores dissenting through the detachment of Holden Caulfield

Shakespeare upholds gender norms by assigning Juliet as an assertive, self-willed character who does not submit to patriarchal nature while Romeo a passive character who distances himself from traditional expectations of masculinity. Romeo and Juliet’s exchange on the balcony scene features Juliet overlooking Romeo, implying Juliet’s spatial dominance over Romeo, and challenges the common patriarchal ideal, this idea is reinforced when Romeo metaphorically compares Juliet to an angel “As glorious to this night, being o’er my head, as a winged messenger of heaven”. By rhapsodising and cosmically implying Juliet’s cosmic and religious power above him, Romeo takes on the subservient role in the relationship. Romeo’s passive nature is also emphasised through his contrast to other males such as Mercutio, who asserts his masculinity through impulsive violence and vulgar remarks. When Romeo proclaims his adoration for Rosaline, Mercutio simply mocks Romeo and responds with a sexual statement, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love, prick love for pricking, and you beat love down”, the use of blazon (a poetic mode that uses metaphors, simile and hyperbole to describe physical attributes of an object) objectifies Rosaline and demonstrates that men of the Elizabethan era regard love as a physical pursuit over an emotional attraction. Mercutio’s role is to juxtapose Romeo and enables the audience to see the stark contrast between the two characters. Romeo and Juliet redefine the role of men and women as they establish that both genders can be submissive, masculine and emotional because ultimately, they are stereotypes and men and women are simply words rather than realities as we are simply all,