Essay topics for Romeo and Juliet
Explain the rules of marriage during the fourteenth century.
Compare the love that Romeo feels for Juliet to the love that he felt for Rosaline.
Trace how fate has brought the two lovers together.
What effect does the accelerated time scheme have on the play's development? Is it plausible that a love story of such magnitude could take place so quickly? Was it love from the first sight?
Name the two other people in the play who know about the love between Romeo and Juliet and explain how they help the lovers achieve their goals.
Compare and contrast the characters of Romeo and Juliet. How do they develop throughout the play? What makes them fall in love with one another?
Compare and contrast the characters of Tybalt and Mercutio. Why does Mercutio hate Tybalt?
Write a character sketch of Juliet emphasizing the internal conflict she is experiencing in this act.
How does the suicidal impulse that both Romeo and Juliet exhibit relate to the overall theme of young love? Does Shakespeare seem to consider a self-destructive tendency inextricably connected with love, or is it a separate issue? Why do you think so? Explain the reasons of Romeo and Juliet's suicides. Did they have another choice?
Discuss the relationships between parents and children in Romeo and Juliet. How do Romeo and Juliet interact with their parents? Are they rebellious, in the modern sense? How do their parents feel about them?
Is it right that death feud of parents reflects and influences the lives of their children? Was it a sign of fate that the children of two hostile families fall in love? Was it reasonable and efficient from the side of the parents to prohibit young people to date?
Apart from clashing with Tybalt, what role does Mercutio play in the story? Is he merely a colorful supporting character and brilliant source of comic relief, or does he serve a more serious purpose?
Mercutio is considered to be one of Shakespeare's great creations, yet he is killed relatively early in the play. What makes Mercutio so memorable a character?
How does Shakespeare treat death in Romeo and Juliet? Frame your answer in terms of legal, moral, familial, and personal issues. Bearing these issues in mind, compare the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Mercutio, and Mercutio and Tybalt.
Why did Shakespeare choose such a tragic ending for his heroes? What endings of this play can you propose?
Friar Laurence serves many dramatic purposes in the play. Examine the Friar and his role in Romeo and Juliet.
Examine the role of women in Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet are referred to as "star-crossed lovers". Discuss the concept of predetermined destiny and how it relates to the play.
Many references are made to time in the play. Discuss the passage of time throughout Romeo and Juliet.
What set Romeo and Juliet apart from Shakespeare's other great tragedies? In particular, what differentiates the young lovers from other Shakespearean heroes like Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet?
Juliet's suitor Paris is compared throughout the play to Romeo. Examine carefully the similarities and differences between the two young men who love Juliet.
Describe and analyze the different types of love portrayed in the play.
In your opinion, was Lord Capulet a good father? Support your statement.
Explain the role of disorder and hatred in Romeo and Juliet and give its consequences.
Explain in detail how Romeo and Juliet both mature during the course of the play. Cite examples from their speech or actions that illustrate your position.
How have the deaths of Romeo and Juliet affected the entire city of Verona?
Discuss the role of chance or coincidence in the play. How did it affect the ending of the play?
What role does fate play in Romeo and Juliet?