Draft 1
In the prologue Shakespeare uses fate by using a language device called Iambic Pentameter. An Iambic Pentameter is a melodic rhythm which consists of 10 syllables. For the Iambic Pentameter Shakespeare says, “A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;” In this quote Shakespeare uses personification to symbolise stars being Romeo and Juliet. Also Shakespeare uses a phrase in this quote, “A pair of star-cross’d lover” describing Romeo and Juliet’s love life being thwarted by God, which then consisted of both of them taking their lives because it was God’s decision. In this era of the play, Italy was quite religious and respected the value of God so they depeneded on God’s decisions to decide their fate, so fate was mainly up to God for the both of them.
Analyse
“A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;”
Star crossed is a reference to whom people that fighting against fate which was written within the stars of God. This also refers to destiny as well because it’s explaining how two helpless stars cross their path together, heavily suggesting bad fortune which obviously lead to the death of both of the ‘stars’.
The iambic pentameter has a rhythm which isn’t quite moderate but fast. In this play the flow of time is quite speedy like the iambic pentameter, and with fate you can’t stop it like iambic pentameter in the play. Also it hints anxety of their parents because the melody represents their heart rates fearing for bothing of them.
February 4, 2015 at 10:15 pm
The ideas in this are developing well for the question about the mechanism of fate, but at the moment your analysis is under-developed.
“Star-crossed lovers” is not an example of personification, but it is a metaphor.
You have a real opportunity to continue to work on this so that you can have an attempt at meeting the requirements of the Literary Essay and This is Novel qualifications – so I strongly recommend that you come back to this piece in the near future and re-submit.
Not yet achieved.
February 4, 2015 at 10:20 pm
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