Saturday, August 9, 2014

Is Romeo of "Romeo and Juliet" a static or dynamic character? Any evidence?I would like to know if Romeo is static or dynamic and any evidence...

A dynamic character changes significantly throughout the story.  A static character remains substantially the same.  Romeo is a static character.  His main personality traits are over-reaction, rashness, and emotional instability.  When we first meet Romeo, we see two of the three.  He is upset over the reject from Rosaline.  As a result, he has sunk into a deep depression.  Despite the calm counsel of his friend Benvolio, Romeo refuses to rise out of his depression.  He refuses to accept that there could possibly ever be another woman for him.

Enter Juliet.  Romeo falls quickly in love.  He rushes into her garden, despite it being the home of his enemy and dangerous.  He pledges himself to Juliet after one quick meeting.  He arranges to marry her.  The Friar himself is shocked by Romeo's quick change of heart:  "Holy Saint Francis! What a change this is! Is Rosaline, who you did love so dearly, So soon forsaken? young men's love, then, lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes."

Romeo does marry Juliet, but his new love and new position as a husband does not change him.  Although he has sworn not to fight, he quickly changes tunes after Mercutio is killed and kills Tybalt.  Then, when news comes to him that Juliet has been killed, he acts rashly and without logic.  Rather than seeking the Friar for more information, Romeo kills himself.  He never learned his lesson.

No comments:

Post a Comment

In Act III, scene 2, why may the establishment of Claudius's guilt be considered the crisis of the revenge plot?

The crisis of a drama usually proceeds and leads to the climax.  In Shakespeare's Hamlet , the proof that Claudius is guilty...