Archetypal Themes Present in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” Essay

The origins of Shakespeares play Romeo and Juliet are relatively unknown. Its hard to believe, exactly this archetypal theme of ill-fated passionateness p rosy-cheekedates Shakespeare by more than than a thousand years. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines arche caseful as the trustworthy pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies. whizz of the first pieces of written escape to accommodate this common archetype of ill-fated bash was Ovids Pyramus and Thisbe. Written nearlywhat A.D eight, and published in Ovids Metamorphoses, this poem recounts the story of two forbid lovers who come to a tragic end, a theme recurring in literature. Shakespeare and Ovid both employ equivalent and divers(prenominal) archetypal symbols within their piddle.One common archetypal symbol in both Ovid and Shakespeares work is the breakwater, symbolizing forbidden love. Ovid gives life to the wall by describing it as hateful, olibanum personifying the wall. Another example of how Ovid makes the wall more than just a breathtaking barrier between the two lovers is when the lovers speak to wall. A most memorable line was when Pyramus and Thisbe declared, But for you we could touch, kiss, addressing the wall as a person.In comparison, in Romeo and Juliet the wall was the Montagues and Capulets fierce hatred for one another. In A summer solstices Night aspiration, Shakespeare further develops this symbol of forbidden love by casting the wall as a character contend by a person. This transforms the wall into more than just an inanimate object, but as an actual living thing that is separating the two lovers. Shakespeare and Ovid employ different means of personifying the wall, but in both, the wall is represented as a symbol of forbidden love.Another powerful archetypal symbol in Pyramus and Thisbe is the mulberry tree. Ovid exercisings the mulberry tree as a symbol of oddment and the ill-fated love of Pyramus and Thisbe. Ovids poem starts out with a comment of the mulberry tree, informing the reader that once upon a sequence the red berries of the mulberry tree were actually as white as snow. worry all of the other tales in Ovids Metamorphoses, this poem is focused some change, in this particular case, the change in color of the berries of the mulberry tree. Ovid tells us that the berries were stained red by the blood of Pyramus as he commit suicide upon finding Thisbes blood-stained cloak. Another archetypal symbol of death, similar to the mulberry tree, is the lion used by Ovid, the harbinger of death. In event one can view death itself as another wall that separates Pyramus from Thisbe, until she joins him in death. Archetypal symbols of death, such as the mulberry tree and the lion, surface in numerous works of literature, and can be identified in Shakespeares plays.Up until this point, I attain been analyzing Ovids and Shakespeares use of archetypal symbols, but it is also important to point out some similarities and differences between both authors. Romeo and Juliet and A midsummers Night Dream both incorporate elements from Pyramus and Thisbe. However, the parallels betweenRomeo and Juliet and Pyramus and Thisbe are more authentic, given that A midsummers Night Dream is Shakespeares satire of Romeo and Julietand Pyramus and Thisbe. both(prenominal) Romeo and Juliet Pyramus and Thisbe have parallel plots, common symbols, and archetypal characters. On the other hand, the original Pyramus and Thisbe is somewhat similar to the amusing rendition that the characters of Pyramus and Thisbe that Bottom and his friends from A Midsummers Night Dream perform. However, there are some differences. In A Midsummers Night Dream Ovids work is performed crudely and absurdly, meaning that Shakespeare was well aware of these oft-repeated symbols and themes and wished to parody them.Next time I read a piece of literature, I will have my eyes open for some of the archetypal symbols the Ov id and Shakespeare use in their work. macrocosm able to recognize archetypal themes and symbols gives the reader a profound and more meaningful understanding of the text. Both Ovid, in Pyramus and Thisbe, and Shakespeare, in Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummers Night Dream, employ common archetypal symbols as a way to enhance the story that they are telling.Works ConsultedHosley, Richard (1965). Romeo and Juliet. New oasis Yale University Press.Roberts, Arthur J. (1902). The Sources of Romeo and Juliet. Modern Language Notes