Romeo And Juliet Free Essay Example
Romeo And Juliet Free Essay Example

Romeo And Juliet Free Essay Example

Available Only on StudyHippo
  • Pages: 6 (1421 words)
  • Published: September 29, 2016
  • Type: Case Study
View Entire Sample
Text preview

A foil character is a character whose function is to be compared or contrasted with the main protagonist. Moreover, a foil character is used to heighten and illuminate drastic differences or extreme similarities in the main character. Furthermore, this form of juxtaposition when contrasted inevitably underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics or flaws of the protagonist. Consequently, within many movies, plays, and books there are always characters that influence the main character’s personality traits and qualities.

These concepts of foil characters are prevalent within Romeo and Juliet, wherein they emphasize the protagonist’s hubris and persona and give a better understanding of the protagonist. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a tragic play of two star-crossed lovers who kill themselves for each others love, Romeo’s hubris, his idealism and h

...

is personality are emphasized and distinguished by the foil characters: Friar Lawrence, Mercutio, and Tybalt. To begin, Friar Lawrence is a foil character as he emphasizes on Romeo’s impulsiveness and hastiness.

Friar Lawrence is a very significant character since his actions and words have a big impact on Romeo’s character. For example Romeo gets over Rosaline, whom he was infatuated with and heartbroken over, and suddenly he is now in love with Juliet and wants to get married to her. The Friar is amazed at the prompt revival of Romeo’s last heartbreak and is bit suspicious of Romeo’s hastiness. This is exemplified when Friar Lawrence says, “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast” (Shakespeare, 2. 3, 90).

The quote reveals that Friar Lawrence is pointing out impulsiveness leads to downfall and throughout the play it shows how tragedy quickly strikes from

View entire sample
Join StudyHippo to see entire essay

one’s impulsiveness. Furthermore, this quote reveals Friar Lawrence is a significant foil character because he is foreshadowing future events caused by Romeo’s impulsiveness. Moreover, Friar Lawrence emphasizes on one of Romeo’s hubris which is him being a child. For example, Romeo was just in love with Rosaline however now in love with Juliet and Friar Lawrence is pointing out Romeo is inexperienced with love because he is only a child.

This is demonstrated when the Friar says, “[Romeo’s] love did read by rote that could not spell,”. This quote reveals the Friar is saying Romeo’s knowledge on love is as much as a child who can recite words by memorization without knowing and understanding the words he recites. In addition, Friar Lawrence is the only character who truly highlights Romeo’s childish behavior throughout the play because Romeo’s childlike behavior stands out clearly against Friar Lawrence’s wise personality. Last, Friar Lawrence brings out Romeo’s immaturity.

For example, Romeo is banished and is complaining regarding how death is better that banishment and is acting immature and melodramatic about his punishment. This is exemplified when Romeo says, “Ha! Banishment! Be merciful, say ‘death’,”. The quote illustrates how overemotional Romeo is about exile wherein most people would choose exile over death. Furthermore, Friar Lawrence counters Romeo immaturity with wise answers making him a great foil character. In conclusion, Friar Lawrence is an ideal foil character who emphasizes Romeo’s hubris, immaturity and his impulsive nature.

Mercutio is another significant foil character as he accentuates Romeo’s other hubris, which is Romeo’s intuition and thinking he knows what is best even though he is just a child. First, Mercutio

starts to fight Tybalt and Romeo jumps in between to stop the fight because he thought it was right. The foolish, naive action is what gets Mercutio stabbed under Romeo’s arm, which ultimately leads to his death. This is illustrated when Romeo says “[He] thought all for the best,”. The quote illustrates how naive Romeo is because he was thinking he could stop the fight between the Prince of Cats and his best friend just by interfering.

This one foolish action of Romeo’s eventually leads him to his own darkness. Furthermore, Mercutio is an important foil character since after Romeo’s foolish mistake, Romeo never turns back to the soft, love struck Romeo he once was. Particularly, this hubris of his deprives him of further happiness in the play. Moreover, Mercutio also highlights Romeo’s idealistic side. For example, Romeo believes in love but Mercutio rejects the mere thought of love and is very realistic and cynical towards it. This is illustrated within the Queen Mab speech wherein Mercutio says, “Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love; …

Sometime she driveth ov’r soldier’s neck And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats ... ” .These two parts from the Queen Mab speech reveals that Mercutio may have had bad experiences over love because he goes from talking about lovers’ dreams to talking about soldiers’ dreaming of killing. Moreover, after the speech Mercutio says dreams are nothing revealing he does not care for dreams or love, and also thinks love is a forceful concept. Furthermore, Mercutio is an ideal foil character because of his realistic thinking which emphasizes the idealistic, love struck Romeo.

justify">Last, Mercutio also maximizes Romeo’s dramatic personality. For example, Mercutio was being cynical of Romeo being a lover and remarks that Romeo should get over Rosaline and move on to another, Romeo then dramatically emphasizes the pain he is feeling and believes he will never be free from it. This is illustrated in when Romeo says, “I am too enpierced with his shaft To soar with his light feathers, and so bound I cannot bound a pitch above dull woe. Under love’s heavy burden do I sink,”. This quote illustrates the melodramatic attitude of Romeo towards the subject of love when talking to Mercutio.

Furthermore, Mercutio is an important foil character because his idealism enlarges the dramatic side of Romeo. All in all, Mercutio is an excellent foil character because he enhances Romeo’s hubris, his idealistic and dramatic persona. Tybalt is another significant foil character because he highlights the shift within Romeo. First, Tybalt kills Mercutio leaving a depressed Romeo, who quickly turns into a vengeful Romeo who takes the life of Tybalt. This is illustrated when Romeo says, “... And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now,”. This quote reveals the shift within Romeo which brings forth animosity by the death of Mercutio.

This marks a change from Romeo’s previous character which was a love-driven, peace-maker. Tybalt is an important foil character because his murder of Mercutio leads to a dark, vengeful Romeo to whom peace shall never return. Moreover, Tybalt also emphasizes the loyalty in both himself and Romeo. For example, when Romeo comes to the Capulet party uninvited Tybalt wants to challenge him but because he is turned down by Lord

Capulet, he pursues no further. This is illustrated when Tybalt says, “[He] will withdraw; but this intrusion, Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt’rest gall,”.

This illustrates the loyalty Tybalt shows towards his relatives, even when his usual attitude is a ruthless fighter. Tybalt is a good foil character because when he tries to pick a fight with Romeo; Romeo refuses out of love and loyalty towards Juliet, which shows both, Romeo and Tybalt, hold people they love first. Last, Tybalt’s callous attitude makes Romeo more peaceful. For example, Tybalt goes forth to Romeo with malice and demands to fight but Romeo turns away with gentle words, whereas most men would fight because of their pride. This illustrated when Romeo says, “Tybalt, the reason that [he] [has] to love thee

Doth much excuse the appertaining rage…,”. This quote illustrates Romeo refuses to fight since he loves Tybalt now due to the fact they are family and continues to try to keep the peace when Tybalt fights Mercutio. Tybalt is a significant foil character because Tybalt is very aggressive and the old Romeo is very peaceful, when Romeo is with Tybalt it makes Romeo appear even more peaceful. In addition, this reveals Tybalt presence emphasizes the peace within Romeo. Altogether, Tybalt is a good foil character because he emphasizes Romeo’s catalyst personality, his loyalty, and his peaceful traits.

In conclusion, the presences of foil characters of the protagonists have major impacts on emphasizing or contrasting character traits, hubris and personality within the main character. This perception is dominant throughout Romeo and Juliet wherein the foil characters enhances and distinguishes the qualities within Romeo. In

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet the foil characters Mercutio, Tybalt, and Friar Lawrence highlight and distinguish different qualities within Romeo. One may wonder how the absence of a single foil character may affect the protagonist.

Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New