The play Romeo and Juliet was published in 1562, the play was inspired by the author Arthur Brooke who rote a narrative poem 'the tragically history of Romeos and Juliet', this is the source where Shakespeare got the idea of making the well known play Romeo and Juliet. The genre of the play romeo and Juliet is tragic theme, the genre is a tragic theme because at the end of the play Romeo and Juliet aren't able to get there happy ending there happy ending but Romeo kills him self in the sorrow of hearing about Juliet's death, but Juliet isn't actually dead, so she also puts a end to her self by getting a dagger and dyeing next to her love.The play Romeo and Juliet is set in the city Verona, it is set around the 16th century the reason why I think Shakespeare choose the era is because there's was a lot of complications between males and females, the males where always dominant characters in house holds. This meant that the men would own everything, this will include the property, any money or inheritance which has come forth her family will automatically be owned by the male, which meant that if they wanted to separate ( have a divorce ) this would lead them into being spinsters because they'll have nothing to fall back on, also the families of the 16th century would not take there daughters back because firstly divorce wasn't allowed and no one would marry a female after she's been divorced, they found it to be impure.
The attitude which was viewed upon the upper class would be the marriage being a business deal between two families, the females where seen as objects having no Wright into bringing up there own feelings towards the marriage or choice in husband, this put the females into a difficult position because if they disagreed they will be forced into the marriage and if they wanted to run away they will have no housing .The attitudes towards divorce and marriage have changed significantly towards women and men, as now the females are able to choose who they wish to marry and who they do not; both the male and females are both treated equally in today's society. Now in the modern society the female is equally the owner of the property as the male, if there happens to be a divorce the female will get half the property and any other settlements. Females now can have a job and get the same amount of respect a male has, an example would be when in the 16th century if there was a brawl between the male and female the male would always get listened to where as the female would be ignored, now females and males both are listened to equally.
The way superstition and fate affected peoples attitude towards marriage was a great amount of believed in astrology and ideas surrounding fate, destiny and the wheel of fortune. There was a widely held idea that individuals had little knowledge over their own lives and future. Many people among the upper class believed that fate would determine who there kids would marry before the marriage, because individuals had little influence over there own future. the prologue Romeo also states to Juliet that the stars are against them.considerable number of people who believe in the influence of the stars and fate.Witness the space given to astrology in papers and magazines.
On the other hand, there is less superstition in the modern day than in shakespears, the place where most superstion is placed is in religious families. A part where you can say it was fate that romeo and Juliet where meant to meet is that if Romeo and his mates never bumped into the servant they would have never known about the party and if they'd never gone to the party Romeo would not have fallen in love with Juliet.MainPrologueThe thing that is revealed before the play is a bit about the play. This part is spoken by a single actor, who's commenting on the action, she's introducing us to Verona, talking about how the city is dived by an ancient curse, the actor doesn't tell us the cause of this brawl between the families, capulate's and montagues but says there's been a separation between both the familes. She also tells us right from the start that both the children of capulat and monatague would die, the quote where she says this is ,"from forth the fatal lions of these two foes a pair of star-cross'd lovers take there life; whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows doth with their death bury their parents' strife".
