Refusal Strategy in the Shakespearian Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet: A Discourse Analysis

Abstract

This paper deals with the different refusal strategies in the text of Romeo and Juliet. The researcher collects quotes ways of saying No from The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language by David Crystal (2003: 287).Thus, the researcher applies this model in analyzing the text of Romeo and Juliet.The present study aims at identifying and analyzing the refusal speech acts according to Crystal’s refusal model in this drama to ease and help both the reader and the researcher understand it accurately and easily. It comprises an introduction which gives some definitions and information about the topic, a plot of the play, a survey of the speech acts of refusal according to David Cristal (2003) model, data analysis of the text (Romeo and Juliet), and finally the conclusions which summarize the findings the researcher arrives at. In relation to the results of the study, the highest percentage of refusal is noticed in the meanings which have no name included within Crystal’s model and the researcher names this strategy as ‘Others’, while the least frequency is noticed in the category ‘Evasive’.