Romeo and Juliet Identity Analysis Essay Example

A person’s identity is a key part of their lives. A person’s identity starts with their name and is then shaped by the people they are surrounded by. However, as expressed in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, one’s identity can lead to their downfall. In the play, the recurring theme of identity plays a pivotal role in the development of the characters and their relationships with one another. The name that one is given at birth can be an indication of who they are as a person as well as what their future may look like. 

Feuds between families usually mean one thing. The children of those families should dislike their set rivals. It’s just part of their identity because of their namesakes. The houses of Montague and Capulet had been fighting for many years, and naturally, this had an influence on their offspring’s viewpoints. Due to Romeo's being a Montague, he should not have been able to get into the Capulet’s party. In order to be welcomed into the event, he had to conceal his identity, which in this case was his given name. In order to do this, he wore a mask. When Romeo and Juliet met, it was unbeknownst to them that they were from rival families. They didn’t know anything about each other's true identities at all. They didn’t know their counterparts' names, feelings, emotions, or even faces. Despite this, they fell for what they considered love. As Juliet says in Act 1, Scene 5, "My only love sprung from my only hate!" The two lovers fell in love with the one person that they really should not have. When Juliet says this, it is evident that Romeo and herself would never be able to truly ignore that they are enemies by identity.It was almost as if when they found out each other’s identities, the pair were more drawn to each other than they were before. Would Romeo and Juliet have had the same love if they had known each other’s identities when they first met?

When a child is born, a parent knows exactly what they want for them. They know who they want their children to be and, more importantly, who they want them to marry. This is what usually shapes a child’s identity. What happens if a child rejects this ideology? How will their parents react? In Juliet Capulet’s case, not in a good way. A young, handsome suitor had been eyeing the hand of Juliet in marriage for quite some time. However, this was not what Juliet wanted for herself. She had already married Romeo and was content and happy with that. Her parents would not support that as he was her enemy by identity. When Juliet disagrees with her father, he is not happy. In act three, scene five, he says, "Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch. I tell you what, get thee to church on Thursday, or never after look me in the face." He is basically saying that if Juliet does not marry Paris, he is no longer going to consider her his daughter. This is an example of others influencing Juliet’s identity. Her parents want her to marry young, just as her mother did, and be just like them. They want her to dislike the Montagues and to obey their every word. This controllingness negatively affected Juliet, and this is shown when she quickly falls head over heels for Romeo and desires to marry him right away.