성 역할 바꾸기: 「로미오와 줄리엣」

Abstract

It has been compellingly argued in recent criticism of the play that gender has a good deal to do with the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In this play, Shakespeare reverses the gender roles and has Juliet assume the behavior typically assigned to men. She can be read as trying to tame Romeo, just as falconer Petruchio tames his falcon Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew. The world in which Juliet lives is very intemperate. The thought of predominance of men over women has overruled this society. This is why women can do nothing independently. Tn addition, the feud originating from the ancient grudge between the Montagues and the Capulets has made the society incessantly turbulent. Moreover, Juliet has severely suffered from the hostile fate against her. Even her mother, Lady Capulet, is not an ally to Juliet. She is typical of a selfish, materialistic, and worldly woman, who is a foil character to set off Juliet in the play. She has influenced consciously and unconsciously her husband Lord Capulet to decide abruptly the marriage between Juliet and Lord Paris, disregarding Juliet’s own will. This leads Juliet and Romeo to death and Lord Capulet to his tragic life without any hope―i.e., without his precious Juliet. Nevertheless, Juliet has struggled to preserve her integrity and autonomy in the world that is hostile to her. She has been determined to establish her identity apart from her family, especially her mother Lady Capulet and the Nurse. Juliet has fascinated Romeo with her womanliness and at the same time controlled Romeo by using her masculine attributes within herself as well. As a result, she transforms Romeo from a flighty and impractical man of fancy into a programatic and obedient man of a few words, who learns both to give her succinct answers that she wants and to fulfil her requests. Although she is one of Shakespeare’s youngest female protagonists, she is in many senses the most aggressive and self-contained one in her pursuit of love and independence. She reminds us of an androgyne who has the attributes of both male and female all together. In Shakespeare’s plays, this kind of female character usually emits the Godhead to solve the absurdities caused by male characters as Juliet does. Therefore, the love to which Juliet has led Romeo can be said to have the great power like God’s. In contrast to her mother Lady Capulet who does not love Lord Capulet truthfully, Juliet leads Romeo, who has suffered from his self-alienation, to his realization of what his real self is and what the true love is. Finally, the true love of Romeo and Juliet dissolves the hatred caused by the feud and even time which destroys all on earth. In addition, the truth and constance of their love secure immortality through the literary fame of Shakespeare’s play.