로미오와 줄리엣: 자연과 문화의 충돌

Abstract

In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet come to realize that name is not just name but a symbol of blood deeply rooted in the patriarchal society. As they love each other deeply and passionately, they feel that their lives are strongly dominated by the shackle of family names. Romeo and Juliet are thrown in dilemma diverged between culture and nature. The collision of nature and culture penetrates all through the play. Shakespeare works his way through the opposed ideas of nature and culture. He does not intend to solve dialectically the contrast between the paternal authority and the free will of young lovers. He deftly leaves open the chasm or the border between nature and culture. Shakespeare knows that he is thrown in the world in which he is already involved in and intertwined with the collision between nature and culture. His writings show a divided soul in which he reflects the rapid change of English society in the sixteenth century. Romeo and Juliet is more politically, ideologically aggressive than it seems to be. It is said that this play is the tragedy of fate or the tragedy of character. But at this point it does not seem to be a satisfactory reading. This play leaving abundant signs mixed spawns the possibility of subversive readings. Romeo and Juliet dare not only to show challenging spirit of extreme individualism but also to break down the high wall of the patriarchal society. Romeo at the death of Juliet cries out that she is not conquered. They cast off the bondage of social convention forcefully thrown upon them. There is a voice in protest against the violent culture of the contemporary society suppressing a self of young lovers. Thus, this play is not a play of fate, not a play of character, but a play of the collision between nature and culture.