FREE ESSAY ON THE DEATH MOTIF IN SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO AND JULIET

THE DEATH MOTIF IN SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO AND JULIET

The Death Motif in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Often times, authors use the theme of death throughout their works. This seems to be true
of William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. Throughout his play, Shakespeare uses death
to move his story along. He does this with actual deaths, which cause problems for the
lovers, and through premonitions and dreams of death. Both Juliet and her Romeo exhibit
these premonitions/dreams.
The use of death is immediately seen in the prologue of the play: "The fearful passage of
their death-marked love…" (Shakespeare Pro. 9). The Prologue offers us the
inevitable fate of the two lovers short and abrupt. During the first act of the play, we
learn of the Capulet's ball, and of how the lover's met. After the ball is over, Juliet
says, "…If he be, married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed," (I, v,
ll.143-44) which is a foreboding of the final scene of the play. This partially leads to
Romeo and Tybalt's duel in III, i, as Romeo's presence at the ball antagonizes Tybalt. In
II, iv, Benvolio and Mercutio reveal that Tybalt has sent Romeo a challenge to a duel.
Just before the arrival of Juliet, the Friar warns Romeo against consummating their new
marriage too quickly. Romeo agrees, but challenges death to ruin the moment, "...then
love-devouring death do what he dare…" (I, vi, ll.7.). Now if only the marriage was
made public, these forebodings may not have come to pass especially the duel with
Tybalt.
In III, i, Tybalt accosts Benvolio and Mercutio in search of Romeo. Now, Romeo does not
want to duel with Tybalt as he is now secretly his kinsman, but this does not stop
Mercutio for getting in the mix with Tybalt. Romeo gets between the two men, and as
Tybalt attempts to run Romeo through, the sword goes under Romeo's arm and mortally
wounds Mercutio. Before he is taken away, Mercutio says to Romeo, "Why the devil came you
between us…A plague o' both your houses! They have made worms' meat of me. I have
it, and soundly too. A plague!" (ll.102-103, 10106-108). Here, we see Mercutio cursing
the two houses, and, in essence, foreboding things to come. Mercutio is taken to a near
house to be treated, and moments later, Romeo is informed of Mercutio's death. Romeo, now
enraged, duels with Tybalt and slays him. The Prince arrives upon the scene, and after an
account of the happenings, banishes Romeo to Mantua upon penalty of death. This
banishment of Romeo's inevitably leads to even greater problems later in the play.
In III, ii, Juliet prophesizes bad things to come when she says, "Give me my Romeo; and,
when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of
heaven so fine…" (ll.21-23). The Nurse enters and informs Juliet that Tybalt has
been slain by Romeo. Juliet looks at the situation as the death of both the men, as
Romeo's banishment is like a death. III, iii is moved to the Friar's cell, where Romeo is
exhibiting his self-pity to the Friar. At the conclusion of the scene, in a reaction of
brass judgement, Romeo demands the Friar tell him what part of the body his name is, so
he may cut it out with a knife he has drawn. This seems to imply Romeo's desire to be
dead, rather than be without Juliet.
Initially, at the beginning of this scene, Capulet will have no talk of marriage, due to
the recent death in the family. However, in order to help Juliet through her "grief" over
Tybalt's death, Capulet decides to marry her off to Paris (III, iv). Of course this is a
problem as she is secretly married to Romeo at this time. In III, v, Lady Capulet states,
"I'll send one in Mantua, where that same banished runagate doth live, that he shall soon
keep Tybalt company…" (ll94-96). This statement prophesizes Romeo's death later in
the final scene of the play. Then, Lady Capulet wishes her daughter to be married to her
grave (ll. 145), which is ironic, as Juliet will take a potion causing her to appear dead
in IV, ii. That same evening, the lovers consummate their marriage, and in the morning,
Juliet makes yet another prophesy, "O God, I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see
thee, now thou art below, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails
me, or thou lookest pale" (ll.55-58).
Consequently, she seeks the counsel of the Friar. Juliet threatens to kill herself if he
will not help her, as she, like Romeo, believes that death is the only solution. The
Friar suggests she "go through" with the wedding, and discusses a plan with her of
simulating her death with a potion that will put her into a very deep sleep. With the
Friar's plan at hand, Juliet "fantasizes about being surrounded by corpses, and she
herself being a "fresh" corpse (IV, i). 
In IV, iii, Juliet says to the Nurse, "Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again,"
(ll.15) giving a prelude to her own apparent death. Juliet then ponders what she will do
if the potion does not work, and decides to take a dagger with her to bed. She hopes that
she will be able to use the dagger if she wakes in the morning to truly dispense 
herself from the world (ll.22-24). She continues her banter, afraid that she will wake up
next to Tybalt's dead body before Romeo can exhume her. She also becomes fearful of
suffocation from the unhealthy fumes in the catacomb (ll.31-36). Finally, in this dismal
speech, she closes with the fact that if she is not exhumed quickly after waking, that
she will go mad at the sight of Tybalt's freshly dead body, and take a bone and smash her
brains in (ll.50-55).
Meanwhile, the Friar is trying to get word to Romeo of his plan to join the two lovers.
So, he sends a messenger to Mantua to deliver a letter with the details to Romeo (IV, i).
On the morning of the wedding, Juliet is found "dead" by her Nurse, and the wedding turns
into a funeral (IV, v). Unfortunately for Romeo, word of the Friar's plan was delayed by
a plague (death). Ironically, Balthasar does not have a problem delivering the news of
Juliet's death to Romeo. The scene opens with Romeo's prophetic dream, "I dreamt that my
lady came and found me dead…." (ll.6). Moments later, Balthasar delivers his
somewhat inaccurate news to Romeo, "Her body sleeps in Capel's monument, and her immortal
part with angels lives" (ll.18-19). After Balthasar departs, Romeo decides that he is
going to an apothecary, so that he can poison himself and lie with Juliet (ll.36-54). The
apothecarist is hesitant to sell the poison to Romeo, but finally gives him a powerful
poison (ll.60-89).
In the final scene, Paris is mourning over Juliet's death, and as he spies a torch, he
hides. Romeo arrives on the scene with Balthasar, and Romeo asks Balthasar to do two
things, deliver a letter to his family in the morning, and not to come to the grave no
matter what he hears (ll.23-27). Romeo goes on to threaten Balthasar with death if he
comes to investigate what Romeo is doing (ll.33-36). Before he opens the grave, Romeo
addresses the grave, "Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death, gorged with the dearest
morsel of the earth, thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open, and in despite I'll cram
thee with more food" (ll45-48). Here we see Romeo personify the grave, and shows anger
towards it for eating Juliet. He finally offers himself to the grave as well (V, iii).
Paris emerges, as he thinks that Romeo is desecrating the grave, and the two men duel.
Romeo cannot see the other man, and slays him. Paris asks that Romeo lay his body beside
that of Juliet, and Romeo says he will. Upon spying the face of the slain man, Romeo
discovers that it is Mercutio's kinsman, the County Paris. He obliges the dead man and
lays him in the tomb.
When in the tomb, Romeo looks at Juliet and says, "Death, that hath sucked the honey of
thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty…That unsubstantial Death is
amorous, and that the lean abhorred monster keeps thee here in dark to be his paramour?"
(ll.92-105). Here Romeo comments that Death, personified, has not yet taken away Juliet's
beauty. He then goes on to state that Death is keeping Juliet as its wife. At the end of
his monologue, Romeo drinks the poison and dies.
The Friar arrives upon the scene a bit to late, but is there to greet Juliet when she
awakens. The sight is too horrible for him, and he leaves Juliet alone in the tomb.
Distraught that there is no more poison left, Juliet stabs herself. At the end of the
play, we also learn of the sudden death of Lady Montague, after Romeo's banishment.
Throughout his play, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare exemplified the death motif in many
ways. He used actual deaths, personification of Death, and employed the use of foresight
to allude to death and disaster. In doing so in this eloquent manner, his play runs
smoothly, and links to other parts very well, into an ironic and twisted tragedy.
Bibliography
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. New York: Washington 
Square Press, 1959