Insight into the Role of Visual Perception in Romeo and Juliet

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 9, Babes-Bolyai Universit, language: English, abstract: Sight is a leading theme in Romeo and Juliet and the frequent use of words relating to visual perception is not random or gratuitous. Therefore, the primary object of this thesis is demonstrating that beside the well-debated forces that govern the action there are others that may have been neglected. Precisely because readers may focus too much on the love story or on other outstanding elements of the play, such as the comic passages which stand in stark contrast with the tragic theme of the play, a considerable amount of intriguing aspects might escape our attention. These are subtle details, which serve a great purpose in the plot development. On many occasions vision becomes the cause of a series of events in the play. By this reflection on the faculty of seeing and the organ of visual perception I wish to consider closely these items that can be easily overlooked when dealing with the play. Owing to the fact that Romeo and Juliet is the best-known tragedy of Shakespeare, much has been written about it, mostly concerning the extent of the lovers' and the parents' culpability or destiny's role in contributing to the tragical ending.