Romeo And Juliet Foils Essay

Hannah Pearson

Dutton

English 1 Honors P5

13 March 2023

Romeo and Juliet Foils Essay

A foil is defined as a character in a piece of literature who provides contrast to another character. Foils are used by hundreds of authors including J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter, Arthur Conan Doyle in Sherlock Holmes, and, most memorably William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet recounts the story of two star-crossed lovers and their struggles through their relationship. Romeo, the protagonist, is a tragic hero, meaning that he displays qualities, or fatal flaws, that contribute to his downfall. His behavior is juxtaposed with other characters in the play to highlight the traits that most obviously cause his tragic death at the end of the

In Shakespeare's tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet", he illustrates Romeo's impulsivity and lack of filial piety by contrasting him with his foils, Paris, Benvolio, and Tybalt. To begin, to highlight Romeo's impulsivity, Shakespeare contrasts him with Benvolio and Paris, two characters that display thoughtfulness in their actions. Benvolio is characterized as a peacekeeper whose maturity shines through in chaotic or intense situations. During fights, he is the one who urges others to "put up [their] swords" (1.1.66), for he knows that they do not understand the consequences of their actions. Unlike Benvolio, Romeo often makes decisions without thinking about the effects of his actions. Before crashing the Capulet's party, Romeo has a dream where he is warned about a "consequence [that is] hanging in the stars" (1.4.114). However, he declares that he is going to ignore it and hope for the best, rashly deciding that he is willing to leave his safety and livelihood up to fate. The sharp, dramatic contrast between Romeo and his foil, Benvolio helps to develop the plot and both of the characters by highlighting how their differences lead to their respective endings in the play. Specifically, it emphasizes Romeo's impulsivity

After Juliet's fake death, Paris is grieving at her tomb when he hears Romeo. Thinking that Romeo has come to do "villainous shame to the dead bodies" (5.3.52-53), Paris confronts Romeo, willing to fight on behalf of the Capulet name. His actions make his filial piety obvious and demonstrate his loyalty to Juliet and the Capulet family. Romeo's behavior is a dramatic contrast, for he is overwhelmingly desperate to be buried next to Juliet, even though being buried in the family tomb was massively important to culture back then, for it displayed a sense of dignity and respect for your family, respect that Romeo lacks. He warns Paris to "tempt not a desp'rate man" (5.3.59) for he is willing to do anything to break into the Capulet tomb, even if it means risking the reputation of not only himself but his entire family. Their opposite behaviors add to the plot and development of both of their personalities, while also making it obvious that Romeo's lack of filial piety will contribute to his downfall. Additionally, the day following the party, Tybalt seeks out Romeo to duel him for crashing the Capulet party as a Montague. Tybalt has immense pride in his family name, and will not tolerate any disrespect, so he tells Romeo that "thou art a villain" (3.1.62). In response to this, Romeo tells Tybalt