Perhaps the most beloved romantic play of all time, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” has been cherished by generations of readers. It is difficult to overstate its impact. Today, to evoke their names is to conjure up images of tragic love. Needless to say, Shakespeare’s work is timeless and eternal. It continues to be studied in schools and universities around the world. We’ve put together this blog post for you If you are one of the many students studying “Romeo and Juliet.” If you’re struggling to think of an essay topic to write about, we’ve got a multitudinous list for you right here!
Luckily, Shakespeare’s plays contain a lot of ideas and topics that one could dive into in an essay. But how do you go about picking one? We’ve put together some steps that you could take to help you choose the right topic to write your best “Romeo and Juliet” essay.
Below you’ll find some interesting “Romeo and Juliet” essay topics to delve into. We’ve included some further ideas that you could use to approach these topics. Feel free to use any idea that you like and cover it your own way in your own essay.
What can you write about?
In this essay you can checkdiscuss how fate has predetermined the pair’s relationship from the start and shaped the course of their actions throughout the play. Alternatively, you could consider how Romeo and Juliet could have avoided their tragic end. You can ponder whether free will is an illusion. Explore how fate and destiny permeate multiple aspects of the play, including the characters’ decisions, as well as the language, symbols, and general plot of the play.
What can you write about?
First, you can examine how Romeo and Juliet’s families had expectations that shaped the lovers’ choices. Additionally, you can consider how family loyalty is portrayed in other characters’ actions, as well as in the language used by the characters when discussing their families. Consider how the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets prevented Romeo and Juliet from openly expressing their feelings for one another.
What can you write about?
You can consider how characters like Friar Lawrence, a male, and Nurse, a female, used their different positions in society to attempt to aid Romeo and Juliet. Or you can consider how Juliet’s virginity was valued more highly than Romeo’s. You can examine how gender dynamics were used to create conflict and propel the plot forward in various scenes.
What can you write about?
First, you can analyze the use of sarcasm and witty banter between characters such as Mercutio and Tybalt, or between Romeo and Friar Lawrence. Additionally, you can consider how Shakespeare uses comedy to lighten the mood in scenes such as the balcony scene or Romeo and Juliet’s wedding. Also, you can examine how the author uses humor in the midst of serious themes, like death, love, and tragedy.
What can you write about?
For this topic you should analyze how different directors portray key themes or moments from the play. Here are some film adaptations to consider: Romeo + Juliet (1996), Gnomeo & Juliet (2011), Romeo & Juliet (2013), Romeo and Juliet (1986), Romeo and Juliet: Beyond Words (2019). You could consider elements such as:
What can you write about?
For this essay you can consider how each character’s actions are indicative of their personalities and motivations throughout the play. Think about how different characters interact with one another and reveal more about themselves (e.g., analyze how Friar Lawrence’s cautiousness contrasts with Romeo’s impulsiveness). Also, you can consider how the characters’ decisions are indicative of their values and beliefs.
Shakespeare’s play, needless to say, concerns the theme of love and can be explored from various sides. Love is a great power that has a strong ability to connect people with each other. This theme can be further explored from the perspective of competing forms of love, how various types of relationships shape our beliefs and behavior (e.g. family-like, romantic, friendly, etc.). You could also consider “love” as a dangerous force, as the young love between Romeo and Juliet ultimately led to a tragic fate. Here are 10 essay topics pertaining to love.
1. What would Shakespeare think about the phrase “love conquers all.” Show this using the example of “Romeo and Juliet.”
2. Examine how young love is portrayed in “Romeo and Juliet.” How do Romeo and Juliet deal with their emotions?
3. Analyze why Romeo and Juliet take such extreme measures to be together despite the risks they face.
4. Imagine Romeo and Juliet had survived. How would time impact the intensity of their relationship?
5. Discuss how Romeo and Juliet’s love is stronger than familial or social obligations.
6. Analyze the consequences of Romeo and Juliet’s impulsive decisions.
7. Examine why Romeo and Juliet’s choices are a product of their passionate love for one another.
8. Examine the idea that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship was doomed from the start due to their families’ feud.
9. Explore the themes of sacrifice and loyalty, as seen in Romeo’s willingness to risk his own life on behalf of Juliet by not defending himself when Tybalt demands his blood and his subsequent murder of Tybalt following Tybalt’s killing of Mercutio.
10. Discuss how Shakespeare uses love to create tension between characters and propel the plot forward.
One of the most interesting ways to understand a play is to analyze the behavior and personalities of its characters. You can consider characters’ motivations, feelings, and intentions through a play to better understand its main theme. You can see how characters develop through time and track what events led to their transformations.
Are you looking for a way to come up with some “Romeo and Juliet” topics about characters? Here are some suggestions:
E.g. How do Mercutio’s words shape the development of other characters and contribute to the story?
E.g. Analysis of Friar Laurence’s complex nature and his role in Romeo and Juliet.
E.g. Analysis of Juliet’s cousin Tybalt and how his enmity toward the Montagues caused a chain of tragic events to unfold.
E.g. Understanding Juliet’s motives in Romeo and Juliet: Balancing between love and loyalty.
E.g. Analysis of the intransigency of Romeo and Juliet’s families and the theoretical result of the lovers’ suicides.
E.g. Explore how the theme of love becomes a destructive force and how it shapes the development of the story.
E.g. Character study of Romeo and Juliet in the context of gender roles in patriarchal Renaissance Italy.
1. Compare and contrast the idea of familial responsibility with the idea of love in Romeo and Juliet. What part do the feuding families play in the tragic story?
2. Evaluate Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony in the play, giving close attention to how it adds additional meaning to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. What are the repercussions of failing to live up to society’s standards in “Romeo and Juliet”?
3. Evaluate how the contrasts between Juliet and Romeo’s characteristics impact the start of their relationship. What initial distinctions exist between Romeo and Juliet’s perspectives on their love for one another?
4.Examine the impact gender roles have on Romeo and Juliet’s relationships with their family and each other. How are the choices that Romeo and Juliet make influenced by their genders and the roles in their families?
5. Talk about the significance of family in the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. How is Romeo and Juliet’s behavior influenced by familial pressure?
6.Consider the meaning of death in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Why does their love for one another lead to their deaths?
7. Examine how “Romeo and Juliet” addresses parental duty.
8. Examine how love and violence are portrayed in Romeo and Juliet and how these themes are related to one another.
9. Analyze how the attitudes of the various characters toward love affects the play’s events.
10. Consider how Romeo and Juliet’s final tragedy and their courage are influenced by fate.