Explain you response to the character of Juliet, exploring the ways in which Shakespeare presents her to the audience Essay Example

Explain you response to the character of Juliet, exploring the ways in which Shakespeare presents her to the audience Essay Juliet is a fervent and sensual character whom Shakespeare has also revealed to the audience as sly and ardent. She is young but presented to us as very mature, she receives all the audiences sympathies as she receives very little help or guidance from home. Trapped in love she conveys her readiness for sacrifice to be with her beloved; for this she receives our respect and so we have a special bond with her.I am writing about the character of Juliet in the Shakespeare play and exploring the ways in which Shakespeare presents her to the audience. This play is set in Verona, Italy in 1599 and is a play of two families the Capulets and Montagues who are in bitter feuds with each other. The setting in Verona Italy is appropriate to the play as the setting is known to people as the city of love which is one of the main focuses of the play.Juliet is part of the Capulet family and is 14 almost years old in the play when she faces tragedy. she is quickly regarded as a heroine. In the play J uliet is portrayed by Shakespeare as a compassionate and sensual character who stands up for what she believes in. She is frequently found in emotional and empathetic situations where she is stuck between two sides of a dispute. Throughout the play Shakespeare presents the audience with conflicting stages of compassion and emotion for Juliet such as when Juliet kills herself with a dagger after finding her beloved Romeo dead. In this Scene the audience are in grief and sorrow for Juliets tragic loss whilst Juliets death also brings a sense of anger to the audience towards Friar Lawrence for causing their deaths.Shakespeares Romeo Juliet derived from Brooks Tragical history of Romeus and Juliet this poem was about two feuding families and two lovers who are trapped between the hatred of their families. Shakespeare re-wrote this and speeded up the story lines as in Shakespeares play Romeo and Juliet were together as a married couple for only one night whilst in Brooks version Romeus and Juliet spent 3 months together after they got married. Shakespeare also made Juliet younger. At this time boys and girls of 14 years of age could legally marry.In Act 1 Scene 2 Paris, a noble man asks Capulet, the father of Juliet, if he can marry Juliet, at first Capulet disagrees for Juliet to marry as she is at such a young age.My child is yet a stranger in the world(Act 1 Scene 2 p.g, 13 line(s) 8)Later Juliets father reconsiders and Lady Capulet (Juliets mother) asks Juliet if she would like to marry Paris. Shakespeare has made Paris want to marry Juliet because this would make him more powerful and rich seeing as Juliets family is wealthy and Juliet is the heir to the Capulets family estate.Shes the hopeful lady of my earth.(Act 1 Scene 2 p.g, 13 line(s) 15)Paris is endowed with qualities which make him a good choice of marriage for Juliet in her parents eyes. At this time Juliet hasnt thought of marriage before but lives to obey her parents wishes and says Ill see if I like him.Ill look to like, if looking liking move;But no more deep will I endart mine eye(Act 1 Scene 3 p.g, 20 line(s) 98-99)At this point in the play the audience are presented with Juliet as an obedient and respectful young girl. Juliets father arranges for Juliet to meet Paris at an organised party in their house. At the party Juliet meets Romeo the only son of the Montagues who she immediately falls in love with unaware of his identity as their families are bitter enemies.Juliet is first mentioned in the play in Act 1 Scene 3 this is irregular as she is one of the main characters of the play and she is not mentioned at the start of the play, but Shakespeare has done this intentionally to create intrigue in the play about the two families hated feud; this allows the audience to really feel intrigued about the two families abhorrence for each other. This is shown in the fight at the beginning of the play Act 1 Scene 1 p.g 6, line(s) 69.Capulet is some what hard-hearted towards Juliet as he seems to the audience of the play as uncaring to his daughters feelings and preoccupied with the fact that his daughter can have an advantageous marriage, which will be beneficial to the Capulet house hold; by the fact that the person Juliet marries (preferably Paris) will be rich and give the Capulet family a higher status.Lady Capulet also gives the impression to the audience of the play that she would value her husbands opinions and will over her daughters. The audience knows this because when Lady Capulet asks Juliet how she would feel if she was to get married, Juliet replies;It is an honour I dream not of.(Act 1 Scene 3 p.g, 19 line(s) 67)this is ambiguous. It could mean she doesnt want to get married to the audience.Lady Capulet is also shown to the audience as being uninterested with matters concerning Juliet, this becomes apparent to the audience when Lady Capulet reveals in her conversation with the nurse that she doesnt know her daughters age:Thou Knowest my daughters of a pretty age.(Act 1 Scene 3 p.g, 17 line(s) 11)Shakespeare has created this type of relationship between Juliet and her parents on purpose to generate sympathy amongst the audience for a girl who is kind and affectionate but unfortunate as she is trapped between her parents who dont pay attention to her and want their desires above hers. However, amidst all the hatred and calamity in Juliets life the nurse is presented to the audience as an affectionate and simple minded woman who has an aspiration to satisfy the needs of the young Juliet, she is also seen as a mother figure to Juliet as she is more close to her then her mother. This becomes obvious to the audience when the nurse says she has breast fed Juliet when she was young. The nurse reinforces the thought that she is a like a mother Juliet never had because she knows her birthday unlike her real mother. Shakespeare has done this to make the audience feel sympathetic towards Juliet as she has to rely on someone else to act like a mother figure to her.At the end of Act 1 Scene 3 the audience feel empathetic towards Juliet and feel sympathy for what they believe is a young girl trapped in the middle of her oppressive parents trying to force there will over hers, with total disregard for her feelings.Romeo and Juliet contrast distinctively which is pointed out to the audience in Scenes 3-5.Romeo is well established from the beginning of the play as he has close friends in Mercutio and Benvolio. Romeo is also shown to the audience at the very beginning of the play as being a victim of misguided courtley love with Rosaline. Shakespeare presents Romeo like this to the audience to give the impression that Romeo is a young man who is a misguided playboy type figure. Juliet seems more intelligent. She hasnt got any social life and rarely goes out. Girls had less freedom then.Act 1 Scene 2; at the party the background is set as Tybalt is angry at the presence of Romeo who is a Montague, however Capu let discredits him and acknowledges that Romeo is a gentleman. This scene is the first time the two star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet meet and talk.Romeo: Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?Juliet: Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.(Act 1 Scene 5 p.g 29, line(s) 100-101)When the lovers Romeo and Juliet meet they exchange words and kiss, up until now the audience have thought of Juliet as a young simple girl who always obeyed her parents but is now being carried away by a wave of emotions she is feeling for someone she has only met for a couple of minutes. Unknown to Romeo and Juliet at this point are each others identities, that thery are from the rival families; Juliet from the Capulet and Romeo from the Montague.In Romeo and Juliets conversation; Shakespeare uses a sonnet to create a dramatic effect in the play, Shakespeare uses a love style sonnet for the two lovers conversation so the effect created is a type of falling into each others arms as they both end up kissing, this also signals to the audience that this is true love. The conversation is made by Shakespeare to sound very religious by the use of pilgrim and other religious imagery to sound as if the two were destined for each other; it also creates a romantic love atmosphere in the foreground with the background set as hatred, violence and abhorrence by their bitter families.The audience would be somewhat confused at this point of the play as Juliet (seen previously as a simple obedient young girl) kisses what to her is a complete stranger in the part of Romeo; who was in love in the beginning of the play with Rosaline.Act 2 Scene 2 is the balcony scene where Juliet after meeting Romeo at the party sighs about her new love unaware that Romeo is listening. Braced by confidence and assertiveness for her new love she openly says;But trust me, gentlemen, Ill prove more true(Act 2 Scene 2 p.g 38, line(s) 100)From this scene onwards Juliet starts to adopt a sense of the awarenes s of fortune which Shakespeare uses to foreground the theme of fate and in order to bring irony to the play as what Juliet predicts really does happens in the end. It is also used to make Juliet seem more clever and intelligent to the audience.Shakespeare reinforces the deep love of Juliet for Romeo when Juliet talks extravagantly of her love for Romeo.My bounty is as boundless as the sea,My love as deep; the more I give theeThe more I have, for both are infinite.(Act 2 Scene 2 p.g 39, line(s) 133-135)After Juliet meets Romeo Shakespeare has made Juliet seem more mature and shrewd, through the use of Juliets aptitude to predict her fate; which I mentioned earlier. Shakespeare also makes Juliet more mature because this allows the audience to feel Juliets love for Romeo as being so strong that it can change her attitude. She is acting impulsively now and we are anxious for her.In Act 2 Scene 5 the nurse acting as a go between tells Juliet of Romeos plans to get married with the aid o f Friar Lawrence. In this scene Juliet is impatient and eagerly awaits news from her nurse about Romeo, in this scene Shakespeare starts to use similes and metaphors in Juliets language.Unwieldy, slow, heavy, and pale as lead.(Act 2 Scene 5 p.g 53, line(s) 17)Here she says that the nurse moves slowly. Other similes and metaphors Juliet used in this scene are;She would be as swift in motion as a ball(Act 2 Scene 5 p.g 53, line(s) 13)These are used effectively to emphasise her impatience for news of Romeo. They also revel Juliets witty side. Imagery is used by Shakespeare to enable Juliet to express the deep love she feels for Romeo;Loves heralds should be thoughts(Act 2 Scene 5 p.g 53, line(s) 4)The audience of the play can feel the depth of love between Romeo and Juliet which Shakespeare is trying to convey, through Juliets use of metaphors and similes. This use also brings out dramatic tension in the play as Juliet waits anxiously for news of Romeo; it is used by Shakespeare bec ause the audience sympathise with Juliet and want her and Romeo to be together, however it wont happen. Shakespeare also uses her language to make the audience empathise with her and feel the suffering she is going through mentally.Shakespeare gives Juliet major soliloquies to make up for her passive role and to inform the audience about Juliets character, thoughts and state of mind, often women at this time would not have been able to express their opinions and thoughts. So by the use of soliloquies the audience can empathise with her throughout the play. Soliloquies are used to allow us to read her mind as she is desperate for news of Romeo;Perchance she cannot meet him: thats not so.O, she is lame!(Act 2 Scene 5 p.g 53, line(s) 3-4)This is telling the audience exactly what frame of mind she is in.In Act 3 Scene 1 Mercutio livid with Romeos unwillingness to accept Tybalts challenge draws up his own sword and fights Tybalt; in the process they are both killed. Meanwhile Juliet is eagerly waiting for the nurse on news of Romeo; she is unaware of Tybalts, her cousins death, she is also unaware of Romeos banishment to Mantua for killing him.Later when the nurse gets back to Juliet she tells her the bad news of Tybalts death and Romeos banishment;Tybalt is gone and Romeo banished,Romeo that killd him, he is banished(Act 3 Scene 2 p.g 69, line(s) 69-70)Juliets heart feels torn by her conflicting emotions over Romeos exclusion and Tybalts deaths, at the end of the scene she grieves for the loss of her husband.There is no end, no limit, measure, bound,In that words death, no words can that woe sound.Where is my father and my mother, Nurse?(Act 3 Scene 3 p.g 71, line(s) 125-127)Juliet uses lots of oxymorons as she tries to reason through the situation. Who has she married? Is he a:Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelicalDove-featherd raven, wolvish-ravening lamb!(Act 3 Scene 2 p.g 69, line(s) 75-76)Oxymorons are contradictory words put together to reflect her frustratio n as she tries to find the right language. Juliet is married but not had sex before and feels cheated. She wants to experience it:O, I have bought the mansion of a love,But not possessed it, and though I am sold,Not yet enjoyd.(Act 3 Scene 2 p.g 67, line(s) 26-28)Juliet also says;Give me my Romeo, and when I shall dieTake him and cut him out in little stars,And he will make the face of heaven so fineThat all the world will be in love with night (Act 3 Scene 2 p.g 67, line(s) 21-24)Shakespeare has done this intentionally to create a canny combination of love and death; He uses contrasts cleverly and with irony to show Juliets passion and innocence because they will both be dead soon.The audience are made to question Juliets loyalty regarding Romeo and her family. When Capulet tells Juliet to marry Paris her family becomes less important to her which Shakespeare points out clearly to the audience when she tries to mislead her mother;Good pardon him, I do with all my hart:And yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.(Act 3 Scene 5 p.g 83, line(s) 83-84)Juliet also manipulates her father;Good father, I beseech you on my knees,Hear me with patience but to speak a word(Act 3 Scene 5 p.g 86, line(s) 158-159)This attitude change of Juliet towards her parents is intentionally used by Shakespeare to make the audience see her strong will and utter loyalty to Romeo. She is rather distant from her mother when she lies to her;Indeed I never shall be satisfiedWith Romeo, till I behold him-dead-(Act 3 Scene 5 p.g 83, line(s) 93-94)This is ironic because it is exactly what happens.As the play goes on, her family and the nurse become less important to her. Shakespeare represents Juliet as genuinely upset about what has happened which proves to the audience how much she loves Romeo.Act 3 Scene 5 is a very tough time for Juliet as Lady Capulet brings her news about her arranged marriage to Paris.At the end of Act 3 Scene 5 Juliet feels let down by her mother and father, even the nurse who was previously on her side and stuck by her throughout her experiences with Romeo; the person she trusted most lets her down. The nurse tells Juliet;Nurse: I think it best you married with the county.Juliet replies sarcastically: Well, thou hast comforted me marvellous much.(Act 3 Scene 5 p.g 87, line(s) 217)Shakespeare has intentionally created this situation of abandonment for Juliet as it makes the audience feel sorry for her, as she is a young girl and everyone has let her down except Romeo.In Act 4 Scene 1 Juliet meets Paris at the church where they are to get married. Paris talks to Juliet passionately; Juliet replies with courtesy, however when she is with Friar Lawrence she grieves over her unhappy situation with Paris and threatens to kill herself rather than to break her sacred marriage vow to Romeo. Juliet also becomes rather hysterical about the thought of a marriage to Paris.Juliet: chain me with roaring bears,Or hide me nightly in a charnel-house,Oercove rd quite with dead mens rattling bones,(Act 4 Scene 1 p.g 87, line(s) 80-82)Again this is ironic as this will inspire the Friars plot.In Juliets desperation to get out of her arranged marriage with Paris the Friar offers her a way out; a potion which is taken which will make her fall into a coma and takes up the appearance of death. At this point the Friar would call Romeo to rescue Juliet. She agrees to it. Later Juliet returns home and asks forgiveness from her father;By holy Lawrence to fall prostrate hereTo beg your pardon.(Act 4 Scene 2 p.g 94, line(s) 20-21)This brings her father into a frenzy of excitement; pleased with Juliets new obedience he decides to hold the wedding a day early.Juliet torments herself in Act 4 Scene 3 where she has a brave but disturbing soliloquy over the Friars intentions as to whether the potion would actually work before she swallows it:What if it be a poison which the friarSubtly hath ministerd to have me dead,(Act 4 Scene 3 p.g 96, line(s) 24-2 5)however although she is frightened and petrified she reminds herself that the Friar is a holy man and has good intentions so she takes the potion and goes to sleep in her bedroom to allow the potion to take effect.This situation Juliet is in brings her closer to us the audience as she is being brave although afraid over the potion; she takes it in the hope of being reunited with her beloved Romeo for loves sake. The audience is also feeling frightened for Juliet and hope the potion works so she wakes in time to be rescued by Romeo. Up until this point in the play the audience felt sympathy for Juliet being such a young girl she is and stuck between her parents will to overcome hers but now we the audience have a bond with her and feel the emotions and suffering she goes through so we want things to work out for her. We are terrified for her as she imagines the ghost of Tybalt and her ancestors bones in the tomb.In Act 4 Scene 5 the discovery of Juliets death is slow; we know she i s in a coma however everyone else is unaware, when the Nurse finds Juliet dead she is in a flurry and makes a scene she seems to be the only one in the Capulet house hold to weep. Juliets mother only seems disappointed as she had one daughter and she is dead;Cruel Death hath catchd it from my sight!(Act 4 Scene 5 p.g 100, line(s) 48)We the audience find it difficult in this scene to sympathize with the grief of the Capulets house hold as we know Juliet isnt really dead; this is especially true for the father who almost over exaggerates;Despisd, distressed,hated, martyrd killd!Uncomfortable time, why camst thou nowTo murder, murder our solemnity?(Act 4 Scene 5 p.g 101, line(s) 59-61)The lack of weeping from the parents reinforces for the audience the fact that Juliet was unloved by them and that Romeo is the best thing for her, as we the audience are closer to her then we ever were we want whats good for her.Juliet actually dies alone in the vault where her body has been moved, she kills herself with a dagger after finding her beloved Romeo dead. Even the Friar leaves because he is scared when he hears a noise.As life has no meaning without Romeo, Juliet has no reason to live so she kills her self violently with the use of a dagger which she bravely and poignantly plunges into her chest;O happy dagger, This is my sheath.(Act 5 Scene 3 p.g 116, line(s) 169-170)By Juliets suicide being carried out in such a violent way she is presented to the audience as brave and courageous; her actions show us that she is loyal to Romeo to the end even though she could have left she prefers death to life without Romeo.Shakespeare presents Juliet as an imaginative, impetuous and mature girl who is a victim of oppression by her parents. Her character sometimes quite sensual is also presented to the audience as sly and ardent. We the audience have a bond with her as she goes through the play feeling conflicting emotions for what she believes in. Juliet has a much more complex c haracter than Romeo whose been well established from the very beginning of the play, her imagination is some what over the top which makes her more interesting then Romeo.Shakespeare uses Juliet to predict forthcoming events to the audience through her major soliloquies. Juliet deserves the status of a tragic heroine because she has all the makings of one; she sacrifices herself in the name of love and she is proven to be courageous and valiant through her suicide. She is indeed true and faithful, and ends the feud through her suffering.

Christmas Trends, Demographics, Spending and Waste

Christmas Trends, Demographics, Spending and Waste Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays by people all over the world, but what are the particularities of it in the United States? Who is celebrating it? How are they doing it? How much are they spending? And how might social differences shape our experience of this holiday? Lets dive in. The Cross-Religion and Secular Popularity of Christmas According to Pew Research Centers December 2013 survey about Christmas, we know that the vast majority of people in the U.S. celebrate the holiday. The survey confirms what most of us know: Christmas is both a religious and a secular holiday. Unsurprisingly, about 96 percent of Christians celebrate  Christmas, as do a whopping 87 percent of people who are not religious. What may surprise you is that people of other faiths do too. According to Pew, 76 percent of Asian-American Buddhists, 73 percent of Hindus, and 32 percent of Jews celebrate Christmas. News reports indicate that some Muslims also celebrate the holiday. Interestingly, the Pew survey found that Christmas is more likely to be a religious holiday for older generations.  While just over a third  of people ages 18-29 celebrate Christmas religiously, 66 percent of those 65 and older do so. For many Millennials, Christmas is a cultural, rather than a religious, holiday. Popular Christmas Traditions and Trends According to the 2014 National Retail Federations (NRF) survey of planned activities for Christmas Day, the most common things we do are visit with family and friends, open gifts, cook a holiday meal, and sit on our bums and watch television. Pews 2013 survey shows that more than half of us will attend church on Christmas Eve or Day, and the organizations 2014 survey shows that eating holiday foods is the activity that we most look forward to, after visiting with family and friends. Leading up to the holiday, the Pew survey found that  the majority of American adults- 65 percent- will send holiday cards, though older adults are more likely than younger adults to do so, and 79 percent of us will put up a Christmas tree, which is slightly more common among higher income earners. Though hurtling through airports at top foot-speed is a popular trope of Christmas movies, in fact, just 5-6 percent of us travel long-distance by air for the holiday, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. While long-distance travel  increases by 23 percent at Christmas time, most of that travel is by car. Similarly, though images of carolers punctuate holiday films, just 16 percent of us join in the activity, according to Pews 2013 survey Studies also show that we are getting engaged, conceiving children, and deciding to get divorced more so on Christmas than during any other time of  the year. How Gender, Age, and Religion Shape Our Christmas Experiences Interestingly, a 2014 survey by Pew found that religious affiliation, gender,  marital status, and age have an impact on the extent to which people look forward to the  common ways of celebrating Christmas. Those who regularly attend religious services are more enthusiastic on average about Christmas activities than are those who attend less often, or not at all. The only activity that escapes this rule? Americans universally look forward to eating holiday foods. In terms of gender, the survey found that, with the exception of visiting with family and friends, women look forward to the holiday traditions and activities more than men. While the Pew survey did not establish a reason for why this is the case, existing social science suggests that it could be because women spend more time than men do shopping and visiting with or taking care of family members in the context of their everyday lives. Its possible that mundane and taxing chores are more appealing to women when they are surrounded by the Christmas glow. Men, however, find themselves in the position of having to do things that they are not normally expected to do, and so they dont look forward to these events as much as women do. Echoing the fact that Christmas is less of a religious holiday for Millennials than it is for older generations, the 2014 Pew survey results indicate an overall generational shift in how we celebrate the holiday. Americans over the age of 65 are more likely than others to look forward to hearing Christmas music and attending religious services, while those in the younger generations are more likely to look forward to eating holiday foods, exchanging gifts, and decorating their homes. And while the majority of all generations do these things, Millennials are the most likely to buy gifts for others, and the least likely to send Christmas cards (though still a majority do it). ChristmasSpending: Big Picture, Averages, and Trends More than  $665  billion is the amount the NRF forecasts  Americans will spend during November and December 2016- an increase of 3.6 percent over the previous year. So, where will all that money go? Most of it, on average $589, will go  to gifts, out of a total $796 that the average person will spend. The rest will be spent on  holiday items including candy and food (about $100), decorations (about $50), greeting cards and postage, and flowers and potted plants. As part of that decorative budget, we can expect Americans to collectively  spend more than $2.2 billion on about 40 million Christmas trees in 2016 (67 percent real, 33 percent fake), according to  data from the National Christmas Tree Association. In terms of gift-giving plans, the NRF survey shows American adults intend to buy and give the following: Clothing or accessories (61%)Gift cards or certificates (56%)Media items (books, music, videos, games, etc.) (44%)Toys (42%)Food or candy (31%)Consumer electronics (30%)Personal care or beauty items (25%)Jewelry (21%)Home decor or furnishings (20%)Cash (20%)Sporting goods or leisure items (17%) The plans adults have for gifts for children reveal the stronghold that gender stereotypes still have in American culture. The top five toys that people plan to buy for boys include Lego sets, cars and trucks, video games, Hot Wheels, and Star Wars items. For girls, they plan to buy Barbie items, dolls, Shopkins, Hatchimals, and Lego sets. Given that the average person intends to spend nearly $600 on gifts, its not surprising that nearly half of all American adults feel that exchanging gifts leaves them stretched thin financially (according to Pews 2014 survey). More than a third of us feel stressed out by our countrys gift-giving culture, and nearly a quarter of us believe that it is wasteful. The Environmental Impact Have you ever thought about the environmental impact of all this Christmas cheer? The Environmental Protection Agency reports that household waste increases by more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, which results in an additional 1 million tons per week going to landfills. Gift wrapping and shopping bags amount  to a whopping  4 million tons  of Christmas-related trash. Then theres all the cards, ribbons, product packaging, and trees too. Though we think of it as a time of togetherness, Christmas is also a time of massive waste. When one considers this and the financial and emotional stress of consumerist gift-giving, perhaps a change of tradition is in order?