Transformation In Romeo And Juliet

Juliet’s personality develops hugely from the outset to the end of the play. She transitions from this young naïve law-abiding 13 year old to a cunning love struck grown up girl. The opening prologue gives a lot of the story away, without taking the suspense away. The chorus informs the audience that Romeo and Juliet are ‘star-crossed lovers’ implying that the couple are governed by fate and somehow linked to the movements of the stars. The Elizabethan period was very patriarchal and a way that Shakespeare exemplifies this is by making Capulet have absolute power over his wife and daughter or so he thinks. ‘Two households, both alike in dignity’ is an example of an iambic pentameter that Shakespeare uses to create a rhythmic structure for the prologue.

At the beginning of the play Shakespeare presents the character of Juliet in a discussion with her father and Paris. In this scene Juliet is described as ‘ripe to be a bride’. The adjective ‘ripe’ objectifies her since she is represented as a fruit. From this scene the audience can infer that Lord Capulet cares about

Shakespeare situates this moment directly after Juliet’s wedding night , linking the idea of development from childhood to adulthood. The audience can infer that she feels apoplectic and imprisoned by her father as she says ‘Proud can I never be of what I hate’. The revelation of Juliet’s attitude toward her father would have shocked an Elizabethan audience whereas in modern times we find it normal to disagree with our parents. Shakespeare uses foreshadowing technique in the lines ‘or if you do not, make the bridal bed, in that dim monument where Tybalt dies’ which adds dramatic tension to the story by building anticipation about what might happen next. The audience can see Juliet developing in maturity as this is the first time in the play that she disobeys her parents and makes her own