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Audrey Litto
Mrs. Hope
English LPS
13 January 2016
Allusions Essay
The Renaissance was a period of time starting around the 1500s where the Greek and
Roman classical age was reborn. There were many artists and writers during the Renaissance,
and the techniques that they used were specific to the time period of the Renaissance. William
Shakespeare was one of the writers during the Renaissance, and his writings are legendary even
today. Shakespeare was known for his plays and sonnets, such as Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo
and Juliet. In the William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet there are many examples

of

allusions. An allusion is a reference to something that happened in history, a famous person, or

an important place. Shakespeare alludes to ancient Gods and Goddesses like Cupid and Diana.
Most of his allusions are about the Gods and Goddesses that were worshiped at the time. This
shows the importance of Gods and Goddesses to not only William Shakespeare, but to everyone
else that lived during that time period.
Shakespeare alludes to the Gods and Goddesses to show their importance in the lives of
the people living back then. The Gods and Goddesses he alludes to have to do with love. Cupid,
for example, is known for his connection with love and that is what Shakespeare uses most in his
play. Shakespeare uses allusions like the one to Echo, the mythological character. Juliet says,
Else would I tear the cave that Echo lies which means that she will go to a lonely cave if she
could not be with Romeo (2.2.172). Echo was shunned by her lover and lived in lonely caves.
Juliet does not want to live without Romeo, and if she has to she wishes to not live with anyone

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at all. This enhances Shakespeares theme of forbidden love, because he alludes to this
mythological creature who has no love and lives in loneliness. Additionally, when Mercutio says,
Dido a dowdy, Cleopatra a gypsy Shakespeare is alluding to more romantic heroes
(2.4.43-44). These fictional characters that Mercutio mentions all have to do with love. The Gods
and Goddesses that Shakespeare alludes to all have to do with love. Whether that be the love
Gods, or mythological creatures that lack love. The allusions that Shakespeare makes all hint at
the major theme in the play. The major theme is forbidden love, because Romeo and Juliet are in
love but are from two fighting families. Their parents and other family members will not approve
of their marriage, and so they are forbidden to see each other let alone marry one another.
The Gods and Goddesses that Shakespeare alludes to also foreshadows the fate of Romeo
and Juliet. They will eventually end up together, but neither of them will be alive. They kill
themselves for love, and the Gods and Goddesses that Shakespeare alludes to foreshadow this
bittersweet event. Romeo finds Juliet dead and cannot live without his love, so he kills himself
by drinking poison. Juliet wakes up from her deep sleep only to find her only love lying dead on
the floor beside her. She (feeling the same way that Romeo felt) feels that there is no other option
than to kill herself. They both kill themselves because they can peacefully be with each other,
and not have to worry about their parents or families getting in the way of their love.
In conclusion, Shakespeare uses a lot of allusions in the play Romeo and Juliet. Most of
the allusions that he uses are alluding to Gods and Goddesses. This not only shows the
importance of mythological characters, but helps to enhance the major theme of the play,
forbidden love. Without the allusions, it might not have been that easy to figure out how strong
Romeo and Juliets love for each other was. The allusions not only make the play easier to

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understand, but shows how important Romeo and Juliet were to each other and what their love
meant.