Masculinity In Romeo And Juliet Essay Example

William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” – first published in 1597 – is a tragedy play about two star-crossed lovers. Aware of his Elizabethan audience, Shakespeare creates men that are in stark contrast to current beliefs. Men are represented as arrogant within Romeo and Juliet and change gender expectations of the time. Their egoism, dominance, and impulsiveness position a modern audience to accept this representation. Through core examples of masculinity in the play, the actions and choices of Tybalt, Romeo, and Lord Capulet will be analysed.

In Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet”, men are represented as dominant. Unsurprisingly, Lord Capulets dominance in the play defies cultural assumptions of the time. After Tybalt had seen Romeo at the party, he needs to send for his sword, because an enemy is present in their midst, but Lord Capulet will not allow this. Lord Capulet tells Tybalt that he will endure anything he is ordered to since he, and Tybalt, is the man of the house. By Lord Capulet’s statement “Let him alone” warns Tybalt to stay quiet and to not stir any chaos at his party. Arguably through this quote by Lord Capulet, it displays male dominancy since he was able to easily demand Tybalt to stop and which, he did.

Within the play “Romeo and Juliet” Romeo shows his impulsiveness in several instances. For example, when he sees Juliet for the first time at the Capulet party. As soon as he sees Juliet, he pleads, “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it sight!”. Romeo says all of this almost immediately after swearing that Rosaline is the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, and that Rosaline was his one and only true love. If he hadn’t of been drawn in by Juliet’s beauty, he wouldn’t have been through everything which happens in the play. Through Romeos impulsive desire to be with Juliet since she is the most beautiful girl he had ever seen; he may not have died. Although, from Romeo’s irrational decisions, this caused for both Romeo and Juliet to end up dead. Considering a modern audience today, they would accept of this representation of impulsiveness.

Young men in “Romeo and Juliet” are represented as loyal to their families, no matter the consequences. This can be seen when Romeo displays his loyalty to Mercutio by getting revenge on his soul. Romeo is displayed as loyal in the scene where Tybalt murders Mercutio since he avenges Mercutio. He does this through chasing and beating Tybalt to his overall death. When Romeo avenges Mercutio, the line “For Mercutio’s soul” tells the audience that he did kill Tybalt to avenge Mercutio’s soul. Although, he ended up being banished from Verona because of his crimes, he proved his loyalty towards family. Through Romeos loyal act of avenging Mercutio – a fellow Montague – he represents his desire and will to ensure he remains loyal to family. Clearly, a modern audience today would accept this representation of loyalty.

This essay has demonstrated that men – particularly Romeo and Lord Capulet – in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” are represented as arrogant as they defy the gender expectations of the Elizabethan period. Modern audiences should – arguably – accept this reading as it aligns with contemporary understanding of masculinity. To prove this, an analysis of Romeo and Lord Capulet was provided, along with evidence from the play to explore how both characters choose to conceit the expectations of the Elizabethan period. Importantly, a contemporary audience realises that despite their defiance, Lord Capulet and Romeo remain bound by their feud between families. Men – in Shakespeare’s time – aimed to be arrogant; ultimately, they were bound by gender expectations.