Mikayla Yutzy Mrs. Moehlman Literature 18 April 2024 A Comparative Analysis of Tragic Heroes: Romeo and Juliet vs. Paul's Case William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and Willa Cather's "Paul's Case" are two classic literary works that have many themes. Some of those themes are love, identity, and most of all, tragedy. Although the stories were set in different time periods, contexts, and overall story lines, the protagonists in each story rebel against the social norms, putting them both through tragic events and the consequence of death. Readers examine the characters through the plots and themes of both stories. The two written works have many similarities and differences when it comes to the themes, characters, plots, and conclusion of …show more content…
Their passions are crushed as the families of the two young lovers have been in a deep feud for many years and the feuding just gets more repulsive, not helping the two young lovers cases. Romeo is impulsive and romantic, often driven by his emotions rather than reason. His character is described as impulsive, especially when it comes to his decision to marry Juliet after only knowing her for a very short amount of time. In contrast, Juliet is more determined and willing to throw away everything, even her family, for the sake of her love for Romeo. Their love is portrayed as pure, passionate, and a love that goes against their families, social norms and expectations. Similarly, in "Paul's Case," the main character and protagonist Paul is portrayed as a young man who has big dreams of escaping his poor and scraggly life and tries to pursue a very luxurious and rich life full of glamor. Like Romeo and Juliet, Paul rebels against societal norms and expectations, and the decision to rebel puts him down a really bad path of rejection and
“Wilt thou provoke me? Then, have at thee boy!” says Romeo, the murderer of Paris. In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, a young man named Romeo falls in love with Juliet, a maiden from the opposing family. Romeo latches on to the thought of being with Juliet, and crosses great boundaries. Romeo’s gestures can be interpreted as romantic, loyal, and passionate. However, I believe he is mentally unstable and extreme in his decisions. Romeo does not consider the future of others, as well as himself.
The negative life changing experiences they face are a leading cause for them to refuse acting in accord with the prevailing idealistic standards which their society conveys. David suffers a lot under the oppression of Joseph, who keeps him in check by the threat of unjust force and authority that he rebels to defy the oppression present in his society. Similarly, Romeo’s banishment opens his mind to what he is forced to sacrifice as a result of the feud. He discerns foolishness of the feud that causes him to lose Juliet as a result. This illustrates how both experiences alter their beliefs and open their minds to the ugly reality of society, and therefore plays an essential role in triggering their decision to conform to its standards. In both cases, these experiences are crucial in changing their views and swaying them to transform their stance on society. Similarly, Rosalind’s and Juliet’s experiences result in the same effect. Rosalind’s fear that one of the norms will find out about her mutation causes her rebuff their sudden affection. Her experience allows her to discern the fear of rejection others like her has to endure. Juliet’s arranged marriage to Paris prompts her to reject to act in accord with her parent’s wishes. Through her experience, she perceives how blind the families’ brawl causes them to be and restricts her life. This illustrates
Romeo and Juliet, the tale abhorred by all high school students. The archaic language, the sappy love story – it’s no wonder that a chorus of groans occur whenever the name Shakespeare is uttered. The main characters in Romeo in Juliet are unsurprisingly Romeo and Juliet – the star-crossed lovers. Romeo and Juliet are lovers whose families are engaged in a feud for many tears. Despite this, their love flourishes. However, the pay still concludes in a tragedy, because of the character’s flaws. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s desperation and impulsiveness, Juliet’s maturity and rebellion, and Tybalt’s cockiness and aggression.
From these ideas, a theme emerges: When someone has committed an immoral act that disturbs the deception of quick love, a person becomes torn between their feelings and their intellect. In this case, Juliet has to choose between two different factors: her heart, meaning her feelings that fuel her initial view of Romeo; or her mind, specifically the reality of Romeo’s killing of Tybalt that creates her adjusted view of him. Often enough, people take sides not out of sensibility, but out of a overpowering desire for the other side to be true, even when facts directly contradict it. Here, while Juliet can acknowledge the facts of immorality behind the situation, her attachment to her lover proves dominant. Despite the reality presented to her, Juliet lets her heart steer her, which ultimately results in their deaths. The audience can first recognize Juliet’s understanding of the severity of the situation, especially when she opens on the speech filled to the brim with oxymorons. She is able to pick out adjectives to describe Romeo’s initial character (such as “beautiful”, “angelic”, or “honorable”). However, she demonstrates her intellectual understanding of the extremity behind Romeo’s actions by adding nouns to describe Romeo’s flawed character (such as “tyrant”, “fiend”, or “villain”). While
On the surface, Romeo & Juliet is a simple tragic love story: boy meets girl, they fall in love, time elapses, things go wrong, and an end is met. But if you ask why was the end met, well there's where you get into the details of the story and the individual aspects of the mostly nondescript characters, in particular Romeo himself. Look into his ridiculously romantic lines, and you'll notice either the flaw in his character, the mistake he made, or the way fate plays with its toys.
The prosperous and vibrant Elizabethan Age made England the heart of all commerce, culture, and most importantly, theatre. Romeo and Juliet, the masterpiece tragedy by William Shakespeare, takes place in this time period and relays the story of two young lovers whose ill-fated deaths eventually end an ancient family feud. The two, Romeo and Juliet, come from quarreling families who adamantly disapprove of their union. Thus, after knowing each other for only a few days, the star-crossed pair marries in secrecy and continues their furtive relationship. The situation complicates as the story progresses, with a previous love, arranged marriages, a perilous plan, and several deaths. Ultimately, Romeo and Juliet both fall to the consequences of their actions and have a pain-filled and sorrowful demise. Shakespeare’s use of various tactics in developing Romeo’s character in the play Romeo and Juliet shows that Romeo has an impulsive and emotional disposition. Romeo’s inner feelings, his actions and responses, and others’ opinions about him all help shape his character. William Shakespeare’s methods all combine to draw Romeo’s disposition.
In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, these two protagonists were too blinded by others decisions and love to act with intelligence which ultimately leads to their deaths. These characters lived in a world where their love had to be kept secret or it would have been broken, which is why the characters looked to wiser peers for help. The deep feelings each lover had for one another was influenced by their family and three people who made destructive choices. Which leads the characters being most responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths are Friar Lawrence, County Paris, and Lord Capulet
Juliet’s weakness to be controlled by love leads her to make unadvised and irresponsible decisions that contribute to her choice of ending her life. Characterized as a young and rash teenager, with no interest in love and marriage at first, Juliet wants to be independent. However, after she first lays eyes on Romeo, Juliet’s perception of love is quick to change. Their strong love easily manipulates and clouds her judgment. Even if she is cautious and realizes their love is too fast, the rush of feelings from having a first love overcomes her.
Romeo and Juliet choose their own actions through their judgments, which were caused by their belief of everlasting love. Due to their unsound and absurd attitudes, both characters are dazed by love in a puerile manner. The relationship they created was actually built on lust and desperation. Firstly, Romeo is the first character whom shows immature love in the story as a whole. Once Capulet’s party is over, Romeo’s attitude leads him to jump over the wall to Juliet’s house and exclaim to her,” And what love can do, that dares love attempt./Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me”(2.2.68-9). The effect of love caused Romeo to not pay attention to the consequences of jumping over the wall and talking to the daughter of his enemy. The flaw is that he is beginning to think that his love is as hard as nails. It is illogical for Romeo to think this...
Reckless actions lead to untimely deaths. In Shakespeare’s tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, both protagonists fight for their hopeless love. Bloodshed and chaos appear inevitable in fair Verona; Romeo and Juliet come from enemy households, the Montegues and the Capulets, who have sworn to defeat one another. The young and handsome Romeo weeps over his unrequited love for Rosaline, until he lays his eyes on Juliet. Strong and independent, Juliet seeks to escape her family’s will to marry her off to Paris, a kinsman of the Prince. Fate ties these adolescents’ lives together binding them to witness the ill-fortunes of Romeo and Juliet’s love. Romeo and Juliet prove themselves woefully impulsive through their words and actions, which ultimately lead them along a series of unfortunate mishaps.
Romeo has a passion for love that is unbreakable, and he will do anything to get who he wants, no matter the consequences that might follow. An example of this is when Romeo goes to Juliet’s balcony and confesses his love for her, but what he does not understand is that “if they do see thee, they will murder thee” (Shakespeare II.ii.75). Romeo has trouble accepting the reality that it will not work out for him or her because of family differences. The intensity of love in both of these texts becomes a dangerous and violent thing.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is often referred to as a classic love story. It is a story of love at first sight and fighting between families. The classic is a true tragedy because of the way it is created. Romeo and Juliet is an Aristotelian tragedy because it clearly follows the model shown by Aristotle. All aspects of the plot and characters perfectly follow way Aristotle defined. The plot follows the events that need to occur and the main characters have a flaw. Pity and fear is felt for the characters throughout the play. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a true Aristotelian tragedy because of the characters, plot, and the fact that it triggers pity and fear.
“We met, we woo'd and made exchange of vow, I'll tell thee as we pass; but this I pray, That thou consent to marry us to-day.” (Shakespeare II.III. 60). Romeo’s impulsiveness is clearly shown through this quote that he states. The reason for Romeo’s impulsiveness is because he just recently met Juliet and he decides to marry her very quickly. Also this quote reveals to the audience Romeo’s hamartia. Since he is too quick and rash it will inevitably lead him to his fatal death; and through this quote you could see where Romeo went wrong and how it will greatly affect him. Furthermore Romeo leads the audience to believe that he is just infatuated by Juliet’s looks; due to the fact he was strongly in love with Rosaline and then all of sudden falls in love with Juliet and forgets about Rosaline which he claimed to be his one and only love. “Young men’s love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.”(II.III.65). This quote that Friar Lawrence states planted into the readers mind that Romeo might not be truly in love but rather infatuated. This tragic play takes place in fair Verona where a quarrel between two families takes place due to an ancient grudge. Both families, Montague and Capulet hate each other with a great passion. Two lovers named Romeo and Juliet are both from the two opposing families and they love and marry each other in secret without their families knowing. Because of their impulsiveness and rash decisions it causes them to lead themselves to die a tragic death. Foil characters aid to heighten or highlight an attribute in another character which furthers the plot. Romeo is heightened and influenced by secondary characters that eventually brings out his hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnorisis. These chara...
Romeo and Juliet is a romantic love story about a young lad named Romeo who has fallen in love with Lady Juliet, but is unable to marry her because of a long-lasting family feud. The play ends in the death of both these characters and the reunion of the friendship between the families. Romeo is in love with Juliet, and this is a true, passionate love (unlike the love Paris has for her or the love Romeo had for Rosaline) that nothing can overcome, not even the hatred between their two families that is the reason for the death of their two children. Throughout the play, Shakespeare thoroughly explores the themes of both true love and false love and hatred. Without either of these themes, the play would loose its romantic touch and probably would not be as famous as it is today.
Divisions Racist attitudes have a detrimental effect on societies in both big and small ways. There are many examples throughout history, from slavery to apartheid to Jim Crow laws, of racism causing major divisions between white and black communities. Unfortunately, racism and discrimination are still significant issues today, evidenced by the Black Lives Matter Movement regarding police brutality. In addition, separations among black and white communities limit friendships, relationships, cultural experiences, and new ideas. All of these examples build barriers preventing the two races from living in harmony together.