The word Renaissance comes from the French and it means “to be born again’. It took place in Europe during the 14th to 16th century and was a period of innovation marked by a new era of growth. This era was used as a bridge of culture found in modern history as well as the middle ages. ( Etymonline 2009 ) . In The Lion and The Jewel we examine a theme of culture and conflict that arises, in Romeo and Juliet there is the theme of the forcefulness of love and in the sonnet Shall I Compare Thee To A Summers Day the theme of stability is found.
During the Renaissance era, female characters were portrayed as having duties of being wives to their husbands and mothers to their children (Kelly & Joane 1984). Very few of them were given masculine roles in plays or the role of a problem solver …show more content…
At the beginning of the play, she is portrayed naïve, obedient and does everything by the book. Throughout the whole story, there have been no friendships of hers introduced. This is no social norm for a teenager’s life. Lady Capulet says “Thou knowest my daughter’s of a pretty age” (act 1 scene 3) this implies that it was normal for teenagers to get married at that age and that their families would even choose their future husband. Juliet’s father, a Capulet wants her to marry Paris whom she does not love. This was often a transaction done between two families as a way to keep their wealth within. Love is a powerful emotion that captures Juliet into being against her family’s wishes. She follows her heart and marries Romeo instead. Juliet’s determination of being with Romeo leads to her downfall of stabbing herself to death during the moment when she realizes that Romeo has drank poison. The birth of a female’s life is already destined by the choices made by her