Romeo and Juliet (Harvester new critical introductions to Shakespeare)

This book combines traditional and contemporary critical approaches in its survey of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". It discusses scholarly problems raised by the text, analyzes the work's structure and themes, emphasizes the ironic interplay of characterization, and proceeds to stress the potent political influence of this highly popular drama. Cedric Watts offers a detailed account of the sexual politics of the play, paying particular attention to its feminist aspects, to its criticisms of patriarchy, and, above all, to the complex dramatization of love and sexualtity provided by its interplay of bawdry and lyricism. The mercurial vitality and lyrical beauty of the play have long been admired. This study argues that in its sexual politics, "Romeo and Juliet" was a more radical work, and has been more effectively influential, than is often appreciated.