Romeo And Juliet Marxist Essay

Were Romeo and Juliet killed by their own parents? There is evidence that supports this being true, and it can help us determine exactly what Shakespeare was trying to say. When evaluated through a Marxist lens, the ending of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet can be used to make inferences about Shakespeare’s comments and critiques on Elizabethan class and societal structure.
The Elizabethan class structure was the societal structure used during the Elizabethan Era and was very hierarchical. The six different classes of the Elizabethan Era were arranged in a very hierarchical way. There are six major groups of Elizabethan Class Structure (Medici). The absolute highest group is the royal family, being the queen, king, and direct relatives (Medici).

The goal of marxism was to create equality amongst the citizens (“Marxism”). According to Gale, Marxism was a political philosophy created by Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels which was aimed at creating a “classless society” in order to help “promote greater economic equality among a nation’s citizens,” (“Marxism”). This shows that Marxism would be beneficial to all if it worked as intended. This also helps show that Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels were advocating for less harsh class divisions and equal opportunities for everyone. Also, Marxism was made to create a new system, different from standard Capitalism (“Marxism”). It was not originally made to be a new government system, but a rather a suggestion on possible changes to the dominant Capitalist system (it was the foundation for the Communist System)(“Marxism”). Marx and Engels believed that workers were being “abused” by their employers, who gave them low wages for hard work in a poor work environment (“Marxism”). This is important because it explains how Marxism was just a system that was opposite from the capitalist system and systems like the on represent during the Elizabethan Era. It was made so that there were no classes, no monopolies, and no nobilities. It also shows a possible reason as to why Marx and Engels wanted to create a new system, they wanted to stop the suffering of many while very few

The deaths of Romeo and Juliet were caused by the Capulet and Montague families. When Capulet says, “Poor sacrifices of our enmity!,” it directly shows that he is responsible and is taking fault for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet (V.iii. 304). This is important because it helps us see that Shakespeare intended that Capulet and Montague were the people responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. By saying, “Poor sacrifices of our enmity!,” Capulet admits that their deaths were a result of the fued between the two families (V.iii. 304). The characters of Romeo and Juliet are arranged based on the classes of the Elizabethan Era, mostly spread throughout the Aristocracy, Nobility, and Gentry. In terms of class Structure, the Capulet and Montague families would be the nobility, Paris would be aristocracy, the servants and nurse would be gentry, and the Friar was the high end of the Gentry (Medici). This is important because it allows us to see that Shakespeare is blaming the issue on the nobility. Since Capulets and Montagues are nobility, and in the play they are responsible for the damage, it shows that Shakespeare believes that the Nobility and Aristocracy is responsible for most of the damage that was done during the Elizabethan Era. In brief, the Capulet and Montague families were responsible for the passing of both Romeo and