ESSAY TOPICS
FOR
ROMEO AND JULIET

1. Does Romeo have a death wish? Be sure to reference all the things he
says in Act 1, Scenes 1 - 4 (particularly Scene 4 between Romeo and
Mercutio) and again Romeo’s soliloquy at the beginning of Act 5, Scene
1 before Balthasar enters.

2. Discuss Shakespeare’s use of light and dark in Romeo and Juliet. Be sure to
provide supporting evidence from the play. Be sure to include
quotations from Act 1, Scene 1, in which Benvolio and Lord Montague use
references of darkness to describe Romeo’s mood; quotations from Act,
Scene 4 in which Romeo uses metaphors of light/heaviness and light/darkness
to describe his emotional state. Please be sure to reference Romeo’s famous
lines from Act 2, Scene 2, in which he sees Juliet on the balcony (“What light
through yonder window breaks? It is the East and Juliet is the sun!”) Be sure
to look through the rest of the play and find other examples to support your
thesis.

3. Discuss the lack of parental involvement in the lives of Romeo and Juliet. Be
sure to include the observation that the Nurse and the Friar serve as parental
substitutes. Show that the lack of parental involvement is one of the reasons
for the tragic outcome of the story.

4. Discuss how Juliet’s decision at the end of Act 3 not to include the Nurse in
her confidences leads to her death.

5. Discuss how Shakespeare uses metaphor to convey time and place in
Romeo and Juliet.

6. Compare and contrast the Friar and the apothecary in Romeo and Juliet and
show how the apothecary is the foil of the Friar. A foil is a character who
is the opposite of another in order to show the characteristics of both
characters. Sometimes the best way to understand a character is to
show what the character is not and the writer does this by creating another
character who is his/her opposite. By seeing this contrast, the reader or
audience can more clearly see and understand the characters.

7. Discuss the relationship between Lord and Lady Capulet. Discuss the
scenes in which they appear and create an arc that traces their relationship.
You need to take a position regarding their relationship and support your
thesis by using evidence from the play that shows they have a loving,
respectful relationship or an unhealthy, abusive relationship.

8. Discuss Lord Capulet’s personality in the play. Be sure to include all the
scenes in which Lord Capulet appears and trace the arc of his personality
throughout the play. Be sure to take a position regarding his personality and
use evidence from the play to support your position.

9. Discuss whether or not the lovers’ fate was written in the stars or if their
“fate” was the result of bad choices and judgments by the parties involved.
Again, use evidence from the play to prove your thesis.

10. Discuss Shakespeare’s many references to both the wedding bed and to
death. You may also wish to include the many instances of foreshadowing
in the play. Be sure to include evidence from the play to support your thesis.