Romeo and Juliet as a critique of toxic masculinity
Romeo and Juliet is by so many people dismissed as a play that is a silly story about two teens who fall in love(lust)and end up commiting suicide.But ,I personally ,at almost 27 now,think Shakespeare criticized the toxic masculinity of society that leads to endless family struggle.
The fight is described in the play as 'bred of an airy word 'by the prince in Act 1,so there is not really a known reason as to why they fight.And right at the start,two servants of the Capulet family are saying that they will not not only fight the men,but rape the women of the Montague family(True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels,
are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push
Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids
to the wall.)
And the two elderly lords of the families want to join the fight as well.Only Benvolio tries to part them.
What makes the play come as a tragedy is the death of Mercutio and Tybalt.Mercutio is energetic,very bawdy(the scene with the nurse )and he does not stand for the insult that Tybalt gives to Romeo.Tybalt is a character who often reacts with violence and wanted to fight Romeo at a party,but was stopped by Lord Capulet. And Romeo,when Tybalt kills Mercutio ,reacts wih a little speech often cut from the play
This gentleman, the prince's near ally,
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf; my reputation stain'd
With Tybalt's slander,--Tybalt, that an hour
Hath been my kinsman! O sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate
And in my temper soften'd valour's steel!
So,Romeo reacts with the model of toxic masculinity and violence.Which leads to his killing of Tybalt. A lot of male actors in the past ,I heard did not want to play Romeo,cause he is sensitive ,romantic ,the part was seen as more feminine. And his speeches often are.And Romeo ,as we see here,is not as impulsive as that popular culture image of him makes it so.His speech with the apothecary is also often cut.
Also,another model of toxic masculinity comes from Lord Capulet.He was at the begining of the play content to let Juliet wait two years to marry Paris (Juliet is almost 13 at the start of the play),but after the death of Tybalt ,he is horrifyingly abusive to Juliet and reacts with the most chilling lines in the whole play.
An you be mine, I'll give you to my friend;
And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in
the streets,
For, by my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee,
Nor what is mine shall never do thee good:
Trust to't, bethink you; I'll not be forsworn.
Think about it,this man just says this to his young girl! Lots of people say it is because he did not know of her marriage to Romeo,but still it is no excuse to treat Juliet like that. And that leads to Juliet faking her death and the suicides of the lovers,who deserved none of that and only through their death could the previously toxicly masculine families of Verona be united.That's why it says that there never was a tale of more woe.
