Topic Four 3-16-06

Recently for humanities class I read "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare. This is a classic story of forbidden that has stood strong for over four hundred years. "Romeo and Juliet" was written during the Renaissance time- a time when old ideas and inventions were being rediscovered creating a whole new form of society. "This was a time when people had a new outlook on culture, life and learning."( taken from some facts about renaissance provided by my humanities teacher.) During this time there was a separation of church and state, meaning people had the "idea that the government and religion should be separate, and not interfere in each other's affairs."( a definition taken from an online dictionary).

"Romeo and Juliet" is about a prohibited love between two young "star-crossed lovers" set in Verona, Italy during the late 1500's. In this timepiece, Romeo and Juliet put their needs above the church and fellow individuals. The characters selfish habits remind me of renaissance, because before then this tendency would have been frowned upon. When "Romeo ad Juliet" was written it was very different from any of the other plays at its time. "Romeo and Juliet" showed people doing things for themselves instead of their religion, it showed rebellion and other things that were not the stereotype of a perfect child.

I think Shakespeare had perfect timing when coming up with the play. The renaissance was a time of discovering when people were open to many new things, therefore it was possible for Shakespeare to show his play "Romeo and Juliet" without getting in trouble. If this play had been published just a couple centuries earlier it would not have had the potential or reached the popularity that it did.