“Love Is Not Love Which Alters When It Alteration Finds”: A Close Reading Of William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with special reference to ‘Sonnet No. 116

Abstract

Abstract

The present paper primarily endeavours to elaborate upon the basic conception of tragedy as laid out by imminent critics over the ages; to religiously undertake a comprehensive close study of the classic tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare; compare and contrast the previous works relating the story and Shakespeare’s very own interpretation; to critically scrutinize and elucidate upon the theme of love, its nature and quality, which is the deciding factor of the play, with special reference been made to ‘Sonnet no. 116’ by William Shakespeare. Both his poems and plays need to be carefully analysed for a proper appreciation of his grand imagination