Starting with this extract, explore how Shakespeare presents aggressive male behaviour in Romeo and Juliet.
SAMPSON.
My naked weapon is out: quarrel, I will back thee.
GREGORY.
How? Turn thy back and run?
SAMPSON.
Fear me not.
GREGORY.
No, marry; I fear thee!
SAMPSON.
Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin.
GREGORY.
I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list.
SAMPSON.
Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it.
ABRAM.
Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
SAMPSON.
I do bite my thumb, sir.
ABRAM.
Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
SAMPSON.
Is the law of our side if I say ay?
GREGORY.
No.
SAMPSON.
No sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir.
Tala Slater
This was an essay Tala wrote in preparation for her exams. Her final grades were: Grade 9, 125/130 in literature, and also a grade 9 in language.
It’s great to learn from examples of top grade essays. But there is also a huge problem - in the last 5 years teachers have been teaching students to write massive paragraphs, from ‘quote exploders’, packed with too many ideas and ambitious vocabulary. It often means that students miss out on grades 8 and 9 because they simply can’t write quickly enough to get all their ideas down.
Tala is a brilliant student, and her marks prove that she could still get all those ideas down. But don’t be put off by how long her essay is. You can learn a huge amount by rewriting it in as few words as possible.
That’s what I do in the paid subscriber’s post which came out on the 8th January, and is available in the archive to all paid subscribers.
Tala’s Essay
Throughout the tragic play of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents aggressive male behaviour as a form of false bravado in some respect and dominating in the other. He explores this dynamic through the stereotypical characters of chauvinistic attitudes and the epitome of male aggression through Mercutio, Gregory, Sampson etcetera and explores how Romeo and possibly Tybalt distinctively express their aggression in different forms.
This can be seen from the outset in act one, scene one when Sampson states “my naked weapon is out . Quarrel I will back thee”. Here, Shakespeare may employ the use of the metaphorical noun phrase “naked weapon” to portray the extent of men’s excessive machismo in order to convey an aggressive tone. While the noun ‘weapon’ may literally depict a sword that he uses to fight with , the pre modifying qualitative adjective “naked” may clarify Sampson’s weapon to also be an allusion to the male genetalia. This phallic imagery may possibly suggest that in the face of conflict , men allude to sex to suggest an almost hegemonic tone as men were seen to be the ‘dominant’ gender in the Elizabethan era, and could only subjugate their dominance over women through their ‘naked weapons’. This presiding tone may be used in the scene of battle to serve as a reminder of the control they possess over others. In specific – the Montagues. Here, Shakespeare may be commenting on man’s ability to only solve conflict through aggressive means such as battles and fights. Furthermore, Sampson playfully exploits the ambiguity of the “naked weapon” thus referring back to his claim moments before the brawl that “[he] will be civil with the maids.[He] will cut off their heads”. This crude innuendo clarifies the themes of sex and aggression to go hand in hand specifically for the male characters. Alternatively , from a hierarchal point of view a sword during the Elizabethan era was seen to be a status symbol. Sampson, being a Capulet servant may be hesitant of his involvement through the imperative verb ‘quarrel’ and thus instructs Gregory to begin the argument, promising to ‘back thee’. Ultimately , Shakespeare may employ this sexual imagery from the first scene to set the expectation of the aggression to follow.
Later in the extract, Abram states “do you bite your thumb at us sir?” where he is then later replied to by Sampson “No sir I do not bite my thumb at you sir, but I bite my thumb, sir.” Here, Shakespeare may employ the use of the diacope “bite my thumb” to refer to an offensive symbolic gesture in the Elizabethan era. This rather immature tone may depict the men as ‘hungry’ for conflict as Shakespeare comments on their cowardly nature thus revealing the false bravado of these foolish young men. This may be clarified through the imperative verb ‘bite’ representative of the power they believe they hold over people in conflict juxtaposing their true nature. In this scene, Shakespeare presents aggressive male behaviour in the play as cowardly as the men’s immaturity is clearly evident through the hyperbolic sexual imagery perhaps reinforcing the idea of dominance only being achieved over women and not other men. Alternatively, from a modern audience’s perspective this can be seen as ‘toxic masculinity’ as men are expected to act with aggression and if certain stereotypes are not met they are condemned by society as ‘not being manly enough’.
Interestingly, Shakespeare uses the character of Romeo to perhaps portray a contrasting view of the men in the play’s rather aggressive nature. Romeo is presented as an embodiment of Petrarchan values and a conflicted lover as his unrequited infatuation with Juliet drives him to a more emotive state than the other male characters in the play. Romeo is the only Man in the play presented to be more ‘Intune’ with his feminine side as he chooses to express his love for Juliet in numerous ways. This is evident through the quotation in act two where Romeo confesses his love to Juliet while she intently sits by her window listening to the love poetry in the form of a blazon. “It is the East and Juliet is the sun, Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon” Here, Shakespeare may employ the use of a Blazon to portray Romeo’s sensitive nature in comparison to other male characters in the play such as Mercutio who utilizes crude innuendo to allude to his dominance. While Mercutio repeatedly displays evident signs of aggression, Romeo is presented by Shakespeare to be more interested in his infatuation or supposed ‘love’ with Juliet than overcompensating his masculinity for other members of society. This may ultimately portray Romeo as more ‘secure’. This is clarified through the use of the natural imagery through the comparative noun phrases “fair sun” and “envious moon”. The juxtaposition between light and dark here , may represent the courtly nature of their love as Romeo attempts to depict Juliet’s beauty as the ‘fair sun’ and other women as the ‘envious moon’ possibly suggesting that everyone is jealous of her beauty. This supposed declaration of love repeatedly references her beauty, possibly conveying the superficial nature of men during the Elizabethan era, as Romeo is the only character who is confident to boast about his love for Juliet, this quotation presents their love to only be skin-deep. Here, Shakespeare may be commenting on man’s inability to drive away from their primal instincts of aggression and sex as he interestingly interlinks the two themes across the play possibly suggesting the two go hand in hand. Furthermore, from a feminist perspective this may portray the character of Juliet only to be present to fulfil Romeo’s sexual desires, this is clarified through the post modifier “sun”, as the sun is seen to be at the centre of the sky much like Romeo’s sexual gratification is at the forefront of his aims to pursue Juliet. This could also allude to Freud’s psychoanalytical theory of the Id persona. Romeo, as of all the other male characters in the play are driven solely by their primal instincts. For others mentioned before such as Mercutio, Benvolio, Sampson and Gregory: They display their aggression in the obvious form of conflict, while Romeo portrays his aggression in a distinctive way. He may fixate his aggression towards sex, thus relentlessly chasing after Juliet.
1052 words
Key
Subjugation – to be brought under control, to be dominated or conquered
Innuendo - a remark or remarks that suggest something sexual or something unpleasant but do not refer to it directly
Bravado - a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate.
Petrarchan – a type of lover who pursues an unattainable women through romantic actions and poetry, based on the Italian poet Petrarch’s collection of sonnets, all written to Laura, published 1368
Blazon – a list, or sequence which catalogues the physical attributes of a subject, usually female. The device was made popular by Petrarch and used extensively by Elizabethan poets.
Primal - relating to an early stage in evolutionary development. It means following our animal instincts.
Id – the instinctive, animalistic, primal part of our mind which acts on desires rather than reason or logic and so doesn’t worry about consequences.
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