Romeo and Juliet 2.4 Literary Reference: Petrarch and Classical Beauties

The transcript discusses how Romeo compares Rosaline to famous beauties from classical literature, highlighting her superiority in his eyes. Mercutio lists tragic love stories, including Dido, Cleopatra, Helen, Hero, and Thisby, to emphasize the theme of love ending in death. Shakespeare uses these stories to foreshadow the tragic fate of Romeo and Juliet, suggesting that they are part of a tradition of romantic love that often leads to tragedy.

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