论罗密欧与朱丽叶的人物性格特点及封建家庭中的婚姻观

论罗密欧与朱丽叶的人物性格特点及封建家庭
中的婚姻观
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本科毕业论文
题目： Analysis on Characteristics of Characters in Romeo and Juliet and Marriage View of Feudal Families
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摘要
《罗密欧与朱丽叶》是莎士比亚着名的爱情悲剧之一。

罗密欧与朱丽叶这一对恋人相亲相爱，他们忠于自己的爱情，忠于自己的誓言。

他们为了获得幸福，不顾任何冷酷的现实，最后他们双双殉情自杀。

莎士比亚正是通过罗密欧和朱丽叶的爱情悲剧，把爱情题材和文艺复兴时期的社会矛盾联系起来，批判了封建道德观念，表现了人文主义追求个人自由和个人幸福的理念。

本文通过分析《罗密欧与朱丽叶》的人物性格特点及及其家庭来揭露在社会主义宗教改革和人文主义思想下的人物性格特点及封建家庭中的婚姻观。

关键词：《罗密欧与朱丽叶》，人物性格，婚姻观
ABSTRACT
Romeo and Juliet is one of the famous love tragedies of Shakespeare. As a couple, Romeo and Juliet who were deeply attached to each other were loyal to their love and faithful to their oath. In order to obtain happiness, they were regardless of any cold reality, and finally the lovers committed suicide together for love. Shakespeare correlated the subject matter works of love with social contradictions in the Renaissance period through the love tragedy Romeo and Juliet, criticized the feudal moral concept and expressed that the humanism aims at pursuing concepts of personal freedom and personal happiness. This paper will analyze characters and families in Romeo and Juliet to expose the characteristics of characters and marriage view of feudal families under the influence of socialist religious reform and humanistic ideas.
Key word: Romeo and Juliet, characters, marriage view
Content
Chapter I Introduction............................................................................................
1.1The Author.....................................................................................................
1.2The Background............................................................................................
1.3Literature Review..........................................................................................
Chapter II Characteristics of Characters in Romeo and Juliet................................
Main Plots of Romeo and Juliet....................................................................
Characteristics of Juliet.................................................................................
Characteristics of Romeo..............................................................................
Discussion on Characteristics of Romeo and Juliet.......................................
Chapter III Feudal Families in Romeo and Juliet....................................................
Feudal Capulet Family..................................................................….............
Capulet..................................................................…...........................
Capulet’s wife..................................................................…................
Feudal Montague Family...............................................................................
Montague..................................................................….......................
Montague’s wife..................................................................….............
Marriage View of Feudal Montague Families...............................................
Chapter IV Conclusion............................................................................................ Bibliography.............................................................................................................
论《罗密欧与朱丽叶》的人物性格特点及封建家庭中的婚姻观Analysis on Characteristics of Characters in Romeo and Juliet and Marriage View of Feudal Families
Chapter I Introduction
Love is the eternal theme in literature. Up to the present, it is unknown that so many people pour out their soul. They sing a lot of love-paeans with vehement passions. Although we wish that the lovers have a happy wedding, there are still some tragic love-stories in literature.
The Author
William Shakespeare (1564-1615) was an English dramatist and poet and generally regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets in his lifetime. His imagination, his richness of language and his deep understanding of human behaviors had made him universally known and loved. His influence on English literature and on the writers of other countries is immense. Shakespeare is one of the founders of realism in world literature. His dramatic creation often used the method of adaptations. His long experience with the stage and his intimate knowledge of dramatic art thus acquired make him a master hand for playwriting. He was a great master of the English language. He was skilled in many poetic forms: the song, the sonnet, the couple, and the dramatic blank verse.
The Background
Shakespeare was living during the renaissance period. The English renaissance was largely literary and achieved its height during the Elizabethan period. The age was especially significant for three literary forms: the drama, poetry and prose. Most of the writers in the era of the renaissance were som etimes called humanists. In Shakespeare’s works voiced the human aspiration for freedom and equality and against the feudal rule. Living in the historical
period of the transition from feudalism to capitalism, Shakespeare faithfully and vividly reflected the society through a host of typical characters in his plays.
Literature Review
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s earliest great success in tragedy, which combines a tragic situation with comedy and gaiety. The play is an exposure of the old feudal world with its internal strife and its unnatural human relations. Though the two innocent lovers die in the end, the play has nothing of pessimism in it. The balcony scene and the parting scene are two great love scenes in the world's literature. This play has always remained a favorite with young readers and audience. The text of Romeo and Juliet in the Oxford copy of the First Folio was almost thumbed to pieces by eager students of the seventeenth century.
Shakespeare’s works are chiefly concerned with the affairs of youth and full of romantic sentiment.Romeo and Juliet is lyrical and optimistic in spirit, lit up by the spring and sunshine of South Europe, it shows an extraordinary facility in expression and a felicity in the choice of phrases, shows an increasing insight into characters and mind, and finally gained a good command of characterization.
Chapter II Characteristics of Characters in Romeo and Juliet
Main Plots of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet took place in Verona city. There were two huge family groups, the Montague family and the Capulet family. They aroused a series of new struggles. However, they gave birth to a pair of unfortunate lovers.
“She is the pearl of the sky to land the world!” Romeo described Juliet like this. They fell in love with each other deeply at the first sight. In the garden, with the moonlight, they expressed their love. They got marry secretly. It seemed that it was the line that the situation would turn around. No one would have thought that after a few hours they would depart. Romeo was to be banished because he killed Juliet’s cousin who killed Romeo’s good friend. Juliet was in great sorrow. Misfortunes never come singly. Juliet was forced to marry another one. That night Romeo secretly climbed Juliet’s room. It seemed to be a farewell. He had to leave in the morning. It was never hoped the arrival of the dawn. Before got marry Juliet took
the sleeping death medicine following the advice of a priest named Friar Lawrence who sent a letter to Romeo to tell the fact. However Romeo didn’t receive the message. With grief and madness, with poison, he came to the tomb. Because he thought Juliet had already dead he took the poison. Just at this moment Juliet woke up. Juliet found her husband’s death and suicided at once. When the priest Friar Lawrence told their loving story to their family members the tow families finally broke their barriers. They turned their conflicts and hatred into friendship. A golden status was set to memory their great love.
Characteristics of Juliet
As a younger child, she was cared for by a Nurse who is now her confidante. Juliet is approaching her 14th birthday (her 16th in Arthur Brooke's poem). She was born on "Lammas Eve at night" (August 1), so Juliet's birthday is July 31. Her birthday is "a fortnight hence", putting the action of the play in mid-July.
Shakespeare's Juliet was very young; her father states that she "hath not seen the change of fourteen years". The sacred lovers are reunited on the same deathbed. Both their families realized what they had done by trying to separate the star crossed lovers with the effect that the Capulets and Montagues are reunited and their fighting ended. She dies at the end of the play.
Characteristics of Romeo
In the beginning of the play, Romeo pined for an unrequited love, Rosaline. To cheer him up, his friends Benvolio and Mercutio took him to the Capulets' celebration in disguise, where he met and fell in love with the Capulets' only daughter, Juliet. Later that night, he met Juliet secretly and pledged to marry, despite their families' long-standing feud. They married the following day, but their union was soon thrown into chaos by their families; Juliet's cousin Tybalt dueled and killed Romeo's friend Mercutio that threw Romeo into such a rage that he killed Tybalt, and the Prince of Verona subsequently banished him. Meanwhile, Juliet's father planned to marry her off to Paris, a local aristocrat, within the next few days, threatening to turn her out on the streets if she did n’t follow through. Desperate, Juliet
begged Romeo's confidant, Friar Laurence to help her to escape the forced marriage. Laurence did so by giving her a potion that put her in a death-like coma. The plan worked, but too soon for Romeo to learn of it; he genuinely believed Juliet to be dead, and so resolved to commit suicide. Romeo's final words were "Thus with a kiss I die". He killed himself at Juliet's grave, moments before she awaked; she killed herself in turn shortly thereafter.
Discussion on Characteristics of Romeo and Juliet
True love gives the hero and courage to pursue the free love. Although Juliet knew that Romeo was from her enemy’s son. She cannot help resisting her love to Romeo. It was love that gave their courage to fight against feudalism. Juliet gave up the narrow clan concepts and maintained her love to Romeo. Love gave their loyalty. They chose death to show their faithful love to their lovers. When Romeo knew Juliet dead he drank poison and dead in Juliet’s tomb. It was all the same with Juliet. Before their suicide their monologues were extremely similar as their last sentences. Juliet said: “I did the cup for you!” Romeo said: “to my love, I did the cup!” Their love never ended by the boundary of their hatred. With the true love they never mind ending their precious lives.
Yet we can look into the play carefully and we may try to find out to what its elements help to elucidate the question of love. The evaluation to which one will be led after interpreting the treatment of love in Romeo and Juliet depends on the aspect on which the investigation focuses: if, for example, the deeds of Romeo and Juliet, their errors and responsibility are regarded as the crucial point of the question, the investigation will probably show that Romeo is not the perfect and ideal lover, but a vain, partly inconstant, inexperienced young man, whose overhasty love to Juliet, as well inexperienced, leads to the death of both. But if the incredible coincidences and misunderstandings in the play are the focus of attention, the corresponding assessment of love will lay emphasis on the power of fate and fortune against the good intentions and the refined feelings of the two young lovers.
Chapter III Feudal Families in Romeo and Juliet
At first sight Romeo and Juliet may seem to be a simple, domestic romance. It has been moving the audiences of more than three centuries and has been the source for many
adaptations. It is one of the most widely known works of Shakespeare and shares a large popularity up to today. But beyond this tragic and romantic love-story, which uncountable people have simply enjoyed on stage or screen, there could be more: a didactic message, a hidden social criticism or some elaborated concepts. Obviously, one of the central subjects dealt with in Romeo and Juliet is the subject of love.
Feudal Capulet Family
The name of the Capulet family (in Italian, the Capuleti) was an actual political faction of the 13th century
Capulet
Capulet is the patriarch of the Capulet family, the father of Juliet, and uncle of Tybalt. He is very wealthy, but he is not an aristocrat; that is, it would be incorrect to refer to him as "Lord Capulet". He is sometimes commanding but also convivial, as at the ball.
Capulet believed he knew what was best for Juliet. He said that his consent to the marriage depended upon what she wanted and told that if he wanted to marry her he should wait a while then ask her. When she refused to become Paris's "joyful bride", saying that she can "never be proud of what she hates", he became furious, threatening to make her a , calling her "hilding" (meaning "slut" or "whore"), "unworthy", "young " and "disobedient wretch" (along with "green-sickness carrion" and "tallow-face"), but sentenced her to rotting away in if she did not obey her parents' orders). His actions indicated that his daughter's wants were irrelevant all the way up to the point when he saw her unconscious on her bed (presumably dead) and later when she was truly dead during the play's final scene.
Capulet's wife
Capulet's wife was the matriarch of the house of Capulet, and Juliet's mother. She played a larger role than Montague's wife, appearing in several scenes. In Act One, Scene three, she refused to talk to her daughter about marriage, as she felt uncomfortable about it, but she was pleased about 's "interest" in her daughter. When Tybalt was killed in Act Three,
she expressed extreme grief and a strong desire for revenge on Romeo. By the final act, she was nearly overcome by the tragic events of the play. We know that Juliet was born when her mother was 14, thus she is about 28 years old, and her husband was many years older than her. Calling her "Lady Capulet" wa the stage direction and speech headings can be "mother", "wife", or even "old lady", but nowhere "Lady Capulet".
Feudal Montague Family
The Montague family (in Italian, the ) was an actual faction of the 13th century.
Montague
Old Montague was the patriarch of the house of Montague, and the father of Romeo and uncle to Benvolio. He was very wealthy, but he was not an aristocrat; that was, it would be incorrect to refer to him as "Lord Montague". He worried over Romeo's relationship with Rosaline (with whom Romeo was in love at the beginning of the story), but cannot get through to his son. He later pleaded with the Prince to prevent his son from being executed, and got his wish when the Prince lowered Romeo's punishment to banishment. In the earliest texts his name was actually spelled "Mountague", but Montague now seems well-established.
Montague's wife
Montague's wife was the matriarch of the house of Montague, and the mother of Romeo and aunt of Benvolio. She appeared twice within the play: in act one, scene one she first restrained Montague from entering the quarrel himself, and later spoke with Benvolio about the same quarrel. She returned with her husband and the Prince in act three, scene one to see what the trouble was informed of Romeo's banishment. She died of grief offstage soon after (mentioned in act five). She was very protective of her son Romeo and was very happy when Benvolio told her that Romeo was not involved in the brawl that happened between the Capulets and Montagues. When Romeo was banished his mother was heartbroken and then she died. As with Capulet's wife, calling her "Lady Montague" is a later invention not supported by the earliest texts.
Marriage View of Feudal Montague Families
The actions of the Romeo and Juliet and resistance against their family marriage reflected deeply distinct anti-feudal tendency. In the work of Romeo and Juliet, we can not only see the reflection of the renaissance period, also can experience the emotion and attitude of the feudal families. At that time, , new bourgeoisie in the Europe continued to rise, but the feudal forces was still in clinging to dominant position, Romeo and Juliet were deeply in love, for free love, they greatly conflicted with feudal patriarchal system. Obviously, this is conflict and contradiction of the new bourgeoisie and the feudal forces. So to speak, Romeo and Juliet were the typical representatives of the new bourgeoisie, they were rich in youthful vitality, they had purer love in the world, in order to free love and regardless of the results of the love and family hatred, they fought against the feudal patriarchal system for their love, this is marriage view of Romeo and Juliet. The humanism young people, the tragedy of the love story of Romeo and Juliet was blamed on feudal old consciousness, the love theme was connected with social contradictions in renaissance period, the criticism is directed to aged and barbarous moral principles in the middle ages and pointed to the reality of the feudal forces. In the end of the works of Shakespeare, the personal views on marriage makes the light of love dissolve hatred of two families and consequently makes the work shine with youth and vigor constantly.
The humanism spirit in 14-16 centuries of European was a rising period of life view, value and marriage view of the new bourgeoisie. Viewing in the day, there are many time limitations naturally. But it took human as subjectivity, demanding core ideas of respecting on nature and value and was not obsolete in nowadays. At present, even through the humanistic spirit lost greatly, Romeo and Juliet still have spirit nutrition which we need to learn.
Chapter IV Conclusion
The power of love is so great that beyond our thinking. Nothing can divide the lovers. Although the society not allowed free loving, with true love, people would never retreat. Just like the hero and the heroin they never stopped struggling with the feudal emotion and
arranged marriage. They represented the new opinions about love. To some degree they were more individual about their private thinking. If they fell in love with each other they would throw all the prejudice. Even they were not accepted by others or by the wild society; they still followed love and never mind ending their lives. Love is innocent. No matter how hard the reality is, love is always the most powerful thing to make you life significant.
The true love and the reality exist at the same time in the drama of Romeo and Juliet. The drama reflects the characteristics of William Shakespeare’s period. Romeo and Juliet’s love is full of renaissance humanists of romantic emotional appeal.
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