The Fault in Their Time
Romeo and Juliet opens with a summary of the events to come. The audience is told that the ”star-crossed” lovers are “death-marked”, that the main characters are already dead through the fault of fate. However, apart from this explicit mention of fate, and perhaps contrary to the young lover’s beliefs, Romeo and Juliet don’t seem to be governed by the cosmos at all. In fact, they seem to be most governed by the fleeting nature of time and their exceedingly impatient perception of life itself. After all, when all is said and done, it is time, or more specifically the lack there of, that builds and propels the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
Time related language, specifically that which refers to speed, is extensively …show more content…
However, Shakespeare enhances the effect that time has on the characters of Romeo and Juliet by accentuating the importance of the perception of time using specific dialogue and phrases based on the age and current temperament of the characters. For example, the older generation of players discuss time in long units, such as years. In addition to this, the tone of their language suggests perceive time to be passing quickly. When Capulet and his cousin discuss that it has been “five-and-twenty years” (1.5.35) since they’ve feasted, they speak of it as if it has flown by. They ease back into their old ways and feast just as they did before. On the other hand, when Romeo remarks that “sad hours seem long” (1.1.154) when he doesn’t have that which “makes them short”, he speaks as if time is dragging by - shocked at how early in the day it still is. Juliet also perceives time as slow moving. When the nurse takes “three long hours” (1.5.10) to return from meeting Romeo, Juliet acts as if she’s been gone for centuries. She even remarks that had the nurse be young she’d be swift “as a ball”, but since she is old she is “unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as …show more content…
Romeo and Juliet view time as moving extraordinarily slowly so they, in turn, act with great haste. They meet and decide to get married in the same night, they get married the next evening, and they both commit suicide two days later. It’s hard to believe that so much can happen within a span of merely four days, but Shakespeare hardly lets us forget it, littering the text with time related language and imagery. What’s more is when Capulet’s behavior changes to mimic that of Romeo and Juliet, he yields results as unfortunate as they do, arguably pushing Juliet towards her death. All this seems to be an endorsement for the advice that Friar Laurence dispenses in Act II, “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run
Romeo and Juliet opens with a summary of the events to come. The audience is told that the ”star-crossed” lovers are “death-marked”, that the main characters are already dead through the fault of fate. However, apart from this explicit mention of fate, and perhaps contrary to the young lover’s beliefs, Romeo and Juliet don’t seem to be governed by the cosmos at all. In fact, they seem to be most governed by the fleeting nature of time and their exceedingly impatient perception of life itself. After all, when all is said and done, it is time, or more specifically the lack there of, that builds and propels the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
Time related language, specifically that which refers to speed, is extensively …show more content…
However, Shakespeare enhances the effect that time has on the characters of Romeo and Juliet by accentuating the importance of the perception of time using specific dialogue and phrases based on the age and current temperament of the characters. For example, the older generation of players discuss time in long units, such as years. In addition to this, the tone of their language suggests perceive time to be passing quickly. When Capulet and his cousin discuss that it has been “five-and-twenty years” (1.5.35) since they’ve feasted, they speak of it as if it has flown by. They ease back into their old ways and feast just as they did before. On the other hand, when Romeo remarks that “sad hours seem long” (1.1.154) when he doesn’t have that which “makes them short”, he speaks as if time is dragging by - shocked at how early in the day it still is. Juliet also perceives time as slow moving. When the nurse takes “three long hours” (1.5.10) to return from meeting Romeo, Juliet acts as if she’s been gone for centuries. She even remarks that had the nurse be young she’d be swift “as a ball”, but since she is old she is “unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as …show more content…
Romeo and Juliet view time as moving extraordinarily slowly so they, in turn, act with great haste. They meet and decide to get married in the same night, they get married the next evening, and they both commit suicide two days later. It’s hard to believe that so much can happen within a span of merely four days, but Shakespeare hardly lets us forget it, littering the text with time related language and imagery. What’s more is when Capulet’s behavior changes to mimic that of Romeo and Juliet, he yields results as unfortunate as they do, arguably pushing Juliet towards her death. All this seems to be an endorsement for the advice that Friar Laurence dispenses in Act II, “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run