I saw a connection to Nicholas Nickelby, when it mentions the boy to be the Apothecary. I thought it was interesting to see how Dickens relates to Shakespeare, and it was cool to see something we had already learned about reappear later in the year.
I also noticed that a few lines in these scenes connect to Dickens' writing, specifically Great Expectations. As Romeo hands the apothecary money to pay for the poison he bought, he says, "There is thy gold, worse poison to men's souls, / Doing more murder in this loathsome world / Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not / sell"(V.i.84-87). Romeo believes that money can be more dangerous and do more damage than poison, which connects to the theme of Great Expectations. When Pip is exposed to wealth, he leaves his family behind and treats people badly if they aren't wealthy. Dickens shows the dangers of money through Pip's actions, and Romeo's comments connect with that theme.
In the beginning of act 5 scene 1”I dreamt my lady came and found me dead— Strange dream, that gives a dead man leave to think— And breathed such life with kisses in my lips That I revived and was an emperor.” This is a foreshadow of what’s going to happen without the reviving part, because the audiences already know the ending.
But it's not simply what is going to happen without the reviving part, Romeo dreams the opposite of what happens, in reality he finds here dead and kills himself, instead of what he dreams where she finds him dead and out of it instead of death comes life.
Just a random thought, it’s weird to me how both Romeo and Juliet used the potions as methods for killing themselves. There are many ways for suicide so I wonder if Shakespeare did this to make some sort of point. Also if Romeo’s man, Balthasar, was able to get into Mantua and give him the news of her death, why couldn’t Friar John or his men? (How could Balthasar get through the gates even amid the infection/Was it just because he lived in Mantua?)
Friar John couldn't get there as quickly as Balthasar because he was quarantined:
Suspecting that we both were in a house Where the infectious pestilence did reign, Sealed up the doors and would not let us forth, So that my speed to Mantua there was stayed.
I found it interesting how determined Romeo is, even if it may seem foolish or rash. The apothecary said in line 79, “My poverty, but not my will, consents”. This shows how there are people who will deter Romeo from making such a powerful, irreversible choice, but he goes through with it regardless. Romeo replies, “I pay thy poverty and not thy will”. Romeo will it be stopped from reaching Juliet, and it is heartbreaking for the audience to see and not be able to tell him that Juliet is alive.
Friar John getting quarantined is really unlucky and ruins the plan. Romeo thinks Juliet is actually dead and now his attempt to die is going to have the opposite effect to his intentions; he wants to be with Juliet but will end up dead while Juliet is alive. John getting quarantined is another example of good intentions having bad outcomes, as the intention was to stop the plague’s spread, but it ends up causing tragedy.
Observation I’ve found is within the begging of act 5 scene 1 we see the ending foreshadowed in a dream but something is found interesting is earlier in the book Romeo had a dream the night before he met Juliet its An interesting comparison on the fact that the characters have changed so much since the beginning and end of there relationship! Something I found interesting and a question I have is if this is Shakespeare’s way of foreshadowing then why is it that he states that after he’s kissed he is revived because certainly not true? Is this foreshadowing another detail in the story or is it symbolic? Why did Shakespeare put this in the storyline?
Why was Romeo not alerted of the plan beforehand? The way this was planned, if any small detail didn't go as planned everything would go wrong. Were there any advantages to not telling Romeo?
I saw a connection to Nicholas Nickelby, when it mentions the boy to be the Apothecary. I thought it was interesting to see how Dickens relates to Shakespeare, and it was cool to see something we had already learned about reappear later in the year.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that a few lines in these scenes connect to Dickens' writing, specifically Great Expectations. As Romeo hands the apothecary money to pay for the poison he bought, he says, "There is thy gold, worse poison to men's souls, / Doing more murder in this loathsome world / Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not / sell"(V.i.84-87). Romeo believes that money can be more dangerous and do more damage than poison, which connects to the theme of Great Expectations. When Pip is exposed to wealth, he leaves his family behind and treats people badly if they aren't wealthy. Dickens shows the dangers of money through Pip's actions, and Romeo's comments connect with that theme.
DeleteIn the beginning of act 5 scene 1”I dreamt my lady came and found me dead—
ReplyDeleteStrange dream, that gives a dead man leave to think—
And breathed such life with kisses in my lips
That I revived and was an emperor.” This is a foreshadow of what’s going to happen without the reviving part, because the audiences already know the ending.
But it's not simply what is going to happen without the reviving part, Romeo dreams the opposite of what happens, in reality he finds here dead and kills himself, instead of what he dreams where she finds him dead and out of it instead of death comes life.
DeleteJust a random thought, it’s weird to me how both Romeo and Juliet used the potions as methods for killing themselves. There are many ways for suicide so I wonder if Shakespeare did this to make some sort of point. Also if Romeo’s man, Balthasar, was able to get into Mantua and give him the news of her death, why couldn’t Friar John or his men? (How could Balthasar get through the gates even amid the infection/Was it just because he lived in Mantua?)
ReplyDeleteFriar John couldn't get there as quickly as Balthasar because he was quarantined:
DeleteSuspecting that we both were in a house
Where the infectious pestilence did reign,
Sealed up the doors and would not let us forth,
So that my speed to Mantua there was stayed.
Thanks, Friar John, for social distancing!
I found it interesting how determined Romeo is, even if it may seem foolish or rash. The apothecary said in line 79, “My poverty, but not my will, consents”. This shows how there are people who will deter Romeo from making such a powerful, irreversible choice, but he goes through with it regardless. Romeo replies, “I pay thy poverty and not thy will”. Romeo will it be stopped from reaching Juliet, and it is heartbreaking for the audience to see and not be able to tell him that Juliet is alive.
ReplyDeleteFriar John getting quarantined is really unlucky and ruins the plan. Romeo thinks Juliet is actually dead and now his attempt to die is going to have the opposite effect to his intentions; he wants to be with Juliet but will end up dead while Juliet is alive. John getting quarantined is another example of good intentions having bad outcomes, as the intention was to stop the plague’s spread, but it ends up causing tragedy.
ReplyDeleteObservation I’ve found is within the begging of act 5 scene 1 we see the ending foreshadowed in a dream but something is found interesting is earlier in the book Romeo had a dream the night before he met Juliet its An interesting comparison on the fact that the characters have changed so much since the beginning and end of there relationship! Something I found interesting and a question I have is if this is Shakespeare’s way of foreshadowing then why is it that he states that after he’s kissed he is revived because certainly not true? Is this foreshadowing another detail in the story or is it symbolic? Why did Shakespeare put this in the storyline?
ReplyDeleteWhy was Romeo not alerted of the plan beforehand? The way this was planned, if any small detail didn't go as planned everything would go wrong. Were there any advantages to not telling Romeo?
ReplyDelete