Timeless Themes In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

According to Dictionary.com, classic means “of enduring interest, quality of style”. But when asked for an example of classic literature, many people would mention Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Classic literature has timeless themes, much like those in Romeo and Juliet . These themes include the danger of long-held grudges, the power of love and concept of tireless fighting.Although Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet over 400 years ago, it’s timeless themes make it a classic that audiences will relate to for generations to come. One timeless theme is the damage of enduring feuds. In Romeo and Juliet , the long lasting feud between the Capulets and Montagues led to the deaths of Mercutio, Tybalt, Romeo and Juliet. The play ends with the Prince describing how Romeo and Juliet are the cost of the feud, “ Where be these enemies? Capulet, Montague,/ See what a scourge is laid upon your hate/That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love!/ And I, for winking at my discords too,/ have lost a brace of kinsmen” (V.iii.315-318). But this isn’t the only instance of a feud killing people: the Vietnam War, nothing more than a continuation of the communism versus capitalism in the Cold War, killed 1,353,000 people alone. In the end, elongated grudges killed many people, from

Romeo and Juliet do many self-destructive things on their path of love, from planning to purge their identities to be with each other to killing themselves because they feel they have nothing other than their love. In fact , after the couple’s most intimate moment (after they have sex) they imagine each other dead - an omen of double suicide, “Methinks I see thee, now thou art below,/ As on dead in the bottom of a tomb”( III.v.56-7 ). Love may have brought Romeo and Juliet’s suicides, but… Love is a very passionate emotion, commanding people to do crazy