The Beatles were one of the most famous boy bands in the ’90s. Each member had a contribution to the band. Ringo Starr played drums, George Harrison played lead guitar, John Lennon played rhythm guitar and Paul Mccartney played bass. With the different instruments each of them plays, they still connected together to create a boy band no one will forget. Just like the Beatles, William Shakespeare does a wonderful job of incorporating all sorts all literary devices in his writing. However, the most important essential is the extras that leave people thinking. The Beatles did not stick to only one genre of music, they incorporated classical elements, older pop, pop ballads, and even Indian music into hard rock. And William Shakespeare uses allusion to reference several myths of Roman and Greek Gods in his play Romeo and Juliet. He refers to Aurora, goddess of dawn, Phaethon, god of the sun, Cupid, god of love, Echo, a beautiful nymph, and Venus, goddess of love. Each of these allusions helps support the themes that when one has a great loss, they will often feel depressed and do stupid things, youth is often impatient, youth is impetuous, one may feel a deep love for someone and often seek their attention and, love cannot be forced.
Cupid is the god of attraction, attraction, love, and affection. Carrying a bow and a quiver filled with golden arrows to cause desire and leaden arrows to extinguish the slightest chance of love, Cupid struck the hearts of several mortals and gods as well as played with their emotions. Apollo, the god of the sun, had just defeated a horrible dragon that lived in Delphi. Because of his victory, he had gotten so arrogant that he ruthlessly told Cupid to leave war-like weapons to powerful gods like himself. Cupid wanted revenge for what Apollo had said to him, so he struck a gold arrow at Apollo and made him fall in love with Daphne, a beautiful, young nymph. However, Cupid struck a leaden arrow at Daphne to make her have no love in her heart. Under the spell of the arrow, Apollo continued to follow Daphne, but she continued to reject him. She did not want to be married and especially touched by any man for the rest of her life. So Daphne cried out to her father, Peneus, god of the river, for help. Peneus transformed Daphne into a laurel tree with an excellent scent. Once Apollo found out, he was heartbroken. Apollo then made the tree sacred and vowed to wear it as clothing. The laurel then became a symbol of Apollo and poetry (Schumm).
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In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses allusion to reference the myth of Cupid to convey the theme that youth is impetuous. In Act I, Romeo is lovesick, and he explains to Benvolio that he is in love with a woman who does not love him back. In Act I, Scene I, Romeo says, “Well in that hit you miss. She’ll not be hit/With Cupid’s arrow. She hath Dian’s wit,/And, in strong proof of chastity well armed,/From Love’s weak childish bow she lives unharmed./She will not stay the siege of loving terms,/Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes,/Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold./O, she’s rich in beauty; only poor/That, when she dies, with beauty, dies her store” (19). Romeo is stating that Rosaline will not be ‘hit’ with Cupid’s arrow, so she will not fall in love with him. Rosaline’s beauty is going to end with her because she does not want to be involved with a guy. Just like the myth of Apollo and Daphne, Rosaline wants to remain a virgin and untouched. However, Romeo continues to push and does not understand that Rosaline is not interested in him. He does not have a sense of maturity and blamed Rosaline’s vow of chastity for not being interested in him. Romeo is too childish to see that forcing love will make a person more distant. Finally, the theme that youth is impetuous is proven through the use of allusion to the myth of Cupid in Romeo and Juliet.
Phaethon is the god of the sun, light, knowledge, music, art, and poetry. When Phaethon was a child, his mother Clymene would point out to her husband, Phoebus, that rises the sun and his passing through the sky. One day, “Phaethon begged his father, Phoebus, to let him drive the chariot of the sun” (“Phaethon”). Patiently, Phoebus explained to Phaeton that the four fiery steeds would be beyond his control and that he would kill himself if he tried to drive the chariot. However, Phaeton continued to plead and beg. Since Phoebus made a promise to his son saying he will grant him any wish, Phoebus reluctantly agreed to the boy’s wishes. Phaeton knew that his friends would be there to see him so they can be convinced that Phoebus was his father. When the time came, Phaeton quickly became impatient and whipped the horses, losing control of them almost instantly. The sun-chariot veered out of control moving closer and closer to earth. Zeus, horrified by the destruction, attacked Phaethon with a thunderbolt, killing him (“Phaethon”).
The theme that youth is often impatient is proven through the use of allusion to the myth of Phaethon in Romeo and Juliet. In Act III, Juliet is anxiously waiting for nightfall to come so she can finally see Romeo and have their honeymoon. In Act III Scene II it states, “Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,/ Towards Phoebus lodging! Such a wagoner/ As Phaeton would whip you to the west/ And bring in cloudy night immediately” (61). Juliet wishes that Apollo would whip his fiery horses and make them move much faster to hurry and bring nightfall. Just like in the myth of Phaethon, Juliet is also impatient and wants things to go her way. The death of Phaethon was caused because he did not listen to his father and he carelessly rode the horses without listening to any advice given to him. Similar to Phaethon, Romeo persuades Juliet to get closer together even when their families are rivals. This rash decision caused several problems, for they would immediately commit suicide if they saw each other die. Conclusively, the myth of Phaethon is used to support the theme that youth is often impatient in Romeo and Juliet.
Venus is the goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility. She was in several love affairs with both gods and mortals. One of those affairs included an arranged marriage. She was forced to marry a person that she was not interested in to prevent a war of the gods fighting for her hand. Hera, the queen of gods, arranged for her son, Hephaestus, to marry the goddess of love. And willingly Zeus, Aphrodite’s adoptive father, agreed. However, the marriage between a beautiful/irresistible goddess and an ugly/lame god did not go well. Aphrodite did not love him and decided to have countless affairs between gods and mortals behind his back. One of these affairs was with Ares, the god of war. However, this affair did not remain secret for long, as the god of the sun, Helius, saw them in Ares’ palace. Once Helius told Hephaestus what he saw, Hephaestus decided to get payback. He secretly attached an unbreakable net to the side of his bed. Then he said goodbye to Aphrodite, saying he is going to go to Lemnos for the time being. As soon as Hephaestus left, Aphrodite sent for Ares, where they spent the night together. In the morning, Hephaestus walked in and saw Ares and Aphrodite trapped in the net. Upset, he gathered gods to witness the naked helpless couple. In the end, they got divorced and went their separate ways (“First of the Red-Hot Lovers: Aphrodite”).
William Shakespeare alluded to the myth of Venus in Romeo and Juliet to convey the theme that love can not be forced. At the beginning of Act IV, Paris is talking to Friar about Juliet and why the wedding is happening so soon. Paris states, “Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death,/ And therefore have I little talked of love;/ For Venus smiles not in a house of tears” (79). Paris says that Juliet’s grief about Tybalt’s death has made her unbalanced. And that Capulet has determined they should get married soon so that Juliet can stop crying. Paris does not want Juliet’s crying to worsen by talking of love because he wants Venus to bless his and Juliet's marriage. Venus is the goddess of love, who “smiles not” on a grieving family. So therefore, Paris is having a difficult time wooing Juliet because she is too busy crying about Romeo. Juliet does not want to marry Paris because she already has a person she loves dearly. This is comparable to the goddess of love, Aphrodite, because she did not want to marry someone she does not love, so instead, she would sneak out and be with Ares. Love is something very powerful and meaningful. When one loves someone, one will do whatever it takes to be with them. However, love can not be forced even if one thinks one can provide more for the other person. Finally, in Romeo and Juliet, the myth of Venus is used to support the theme that love can not be forced.
Aurora is the goddess of dawn. Every day, Aurora went through the skies to announce the arrival of dawn. She brings light from the far East to overcome the night. Just like other gods and goddesses, Aurora was in love. She was in love with a mortal named Tithonus, a prince of Troy. But before Tithonus, she fell in love with Ares, the god of war. Ares could not deny such a beautiful goddess. However, when Ares's wife, Aphrodite, goddess of love, found out, she cast a spell on Aurora. Making the goddess of dawn never stop falling in love. Due to the curse, Aurora fell in love with Tithonus. The goddess of dawn wanted Tithonus to become just like her, immortal. So she went to Zeus, king of the gods, for a wish. The king of the gods granted her wish and they lived happily for a while. However, Aurora forgot to ask for his never-ending youth, so Tithonus started aging. In the end, Tithonus continue to grow old, and then finally, died. The sight of him filled her with such sadness that she could not bear to look at him. So she left him alone and traveled, falling in love with others (Friedman).
In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses allusion to reference the myth of Aurora to convey the theme that when one has a great loss, one will often feel depressed and do stupid things. In Act I Scene I, Lord Montague expresses his concern for his son Romeo stating that at dawn, he sees Romeo crying. Lord Montague says, “But all so soon as the all-cheering sun/ Should in the farthest East begin to draw/ The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed,/ Away from light steals home my heavy son/…(17)” Romeo’s lack of enthusiasm for live shows that something worries him and keeps him awake at night. He hides in his room because he is depressed that Rosaline left him. While Romeo is sleeping at dawn, the goddess Aurora awakes from her sleep and ascends to the sky. When Montague refers to her, he is acknowledging that Romeo prefers the darkness because of his sadness and tries to avoid the light of dawn. Just like Romeo, the goddess of the dawn was very upset that one of her lovers had left her. She was so sad that she ran away from her dying husband and fell in love with other mortals and gods. Both Romeo and Aurora suffered a great loss due to their past lovers. Romeo was so depressed that he would cry in bed and would not get out even if the sun was rising. Therefore, when one has a great loss, they will often feel depressed and do stupid things. The use of Aurora in Romeo and Juliet helps convey that theme.
Echo was a magical mountain nymph who had the most beautiful voice ever. Echo was very kind and possessed a good heart. However, Zeus took advantage of Echo’s kindness one day while messing around with different nymphs. Spotting Echo in the forest, he asked her to help him escape from his wife Hera, Queen of the Gods. One could not possibly turn down a request from Zeus, King of all Gods. Hera knew that Zeus has had several affairs, so she followed him to catch him. However, Echo would distract her by talking and gossiping to her in long-winded conversations, helping Zeus escape. After several times Echo helped Zeus, Hera finally figured out what was going on. Hera was so angry that she cast a curse on Echo, making her only able to repeat the last words/sounds she heard. After being cursed, Echo spotted a young beautiful man. For the first time, Echo fell madly in love with him. However, she was not able to talk to him, so she did what she can only do, follow him into the woods. The young man, Narcissus, knew that she was following him, so he called out to her, but all she could do was repeat the words that he said. Narcissus shouted to go away. Echo, sad, went inside a cave and stayed there forever, until becoming only an echo. Narcissus came across a stream and saw his reflection in the water. He fell in love with his reflection. Every day, he would lay by the stream, admiring himself. He was so distracted that he stopped eating, drinking, and even sleeping. Finally, he passed away (Donn).
William Shakespeare uses the myth of the Echo to support the theme that one may feel a deep love for someone and often seek their attention. In Act II Scene II, Juliet tries to call Romeo without making any noise and says, “Bondage is hoarse and may not speak aloud;/ Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies,/ And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine/ With repetition of my Romeo’s name./ Romeo!” (42). Juliet compares herself to Echo, who was cursed by the goddess, Hera, to forever repeat the words that were spoken to her. Juliet wishes that she can cry out Romeo’s name, yet she can not since she is forced to stay home. So instead, Juliet wants Echo to repeat Romeo’s name over and over again until Echo’s voice becomes discordant. In the myth, Echo fell completely in love with a person who only cares about himself. She tried so hard to get noticed by him, but eventually gave up. With sorrow, Echo faded away into a cave. As for Narcissus, he got so occupied with staring at his reflection, that he also died, only becoming a Narcissus flower. In the play, Romeo and Juliet are willing to do whatever it takes to see each other, even if it is disobedient children to their parents. They want to be together no matter what the results may be. They love each other so much that they endure so many problems just to be in the presence of each other.
Conclusively, William Shakespeare included several allusions to Greek and Roman mythology in Romeo and Juliet that help prove the themes that youth is impetuous, youth is often impatient, love cannot be forced, when one has a great loss, they will often feel depressed and, one may feel a deep love for someone and often seek their attention. The theme that youth is impetuous is proven through the use of Cupid. When Cupid struck Apollo with a golden arrow and Daphne with a leaden arrow, Apollo could not resist Daphne. But Daphne had no interest in him. Just like this myth, Romeo is helplessly in love with Rosaline, who does not love him back. Romeo is too immature to realize that Rosaline is not into him. The theme that Youth is often impatient is proven through the use of Apollo. Apollo was so impatient to ride the chariot, that when he carelessly rode it he got himself killed. This is comparable to Romeo and Juliet because Juliet wants Romeo to come to her place secretly, which causes several problems in the end. The theme, love cannot be forced is proven through the goddess Venus. Venus was in an arranged marriage with a guy she did not love, so she would sneak out of the house and have an affair with Ares. Just like the myth, Juliet is forced to marry Paris even though she is already married. Aurora help conveys the theme that when one has a great loss, one will often feel depressed and do stupid things. Aurora was in love with Tithonus who died of old age. Aurora was devastated when he died, so she ran away, falling in love with other gods/mortals. This is comparable to Romeo and Juliet because when Romeo and Rosaline broke up, Romeo cried all day and was so depressed. Lastly, one may feel a deep love for someone and often seek their attention is proven by the myth of the Echo. Echo was in love with Narcissus but when he turns her down, she died in a cave, only leaving behind her voice. And Narcissus was in love with himself, that he forgot to eat and drink, and then died. This connects to Romeo and Juliet because they both killed themselves for their strong, passionate love. William Shakespeare uses several Greek and Roman gods to help support several themes.
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