Comparision of the Protagonists in The Sound of Waves and Romeo and Juliet

687 Words2 Pages

The chasm of differences between the male protagonists of The Sound of Waves and Romeo and Juliet, Shinji and Romeo respectably, is quite a wide one. Romeo is seventeen years of age at the beginning of his adventure and likewise, Shinji is around the same age: eighteen years old. Instilled in both young men is the sense of recklessness and determination. In Act II, Romeo breaks into Juliet’s garden since “For stony limits cannot hold love out” (2.2.72) despite it being his enemy’s territory and Juliet’s warning that “If they do see thee, then they will murder thee!” (2.2.75). Likewise, Shinji is equally as bold when he claims that to meet Hatsue, there is “Nothing for him to do but to wait until the streets were empty and then prowl about the neighborhood of Hatsue’s house” (page fifty). Shinji like Romeo is the one who has to find a way to meet his love and the two teenagers are so desperate that they throw caution to the wind by going to see her at night time despite the very good chances of failure. However, it seems that the similarities end there. Although appearance wise they may be the same, but underneath the exoskeleton, their personalities and home situations differ drastically. Upon meeting Juliet at Lord Capulet’s party, Romeo immediately and without hesitation engages Juliet in conversation and within a very short period of time, their friendship blossoms into a premature love. In fact, Romeo’s first words to Juliet show his boldness and confidence (“If I profane with my unworthiest hand/This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:/My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand/To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss” 1.1.104-107). However, on the island of Uta-Jima, Shinji approaches Hatsue in a vastly different way....

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...amily of fishermen and since his father passed away, he is the man of the house and the one responsible for putting the bread on their table. The fact that Shinji has grown up with so much responsibility on his shoulders while Romeo can be described as the personification of carefree influenced the two vastly different ways of thinking toward their “true” loves. Romeo is a fickle character who, upon seeing Juliet, approaches her and commences his seducing. Shinji takes a hugely different approach. Shinji fears that he is not good enough for Hatsue. This is evident on page eighteen: “But he could not believe that any of these qualities could possibly touch Hatsue’s heart.” Romeo, being the confident young man he is, knows that he is good enough for Juliet which the author reveals by Romeo’s bold approach towards love.

Works Cited

The Sound of Waves
Romeo and Juliet

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