Post by Catherine on Oct 22, 2006 20:02:46 GMT -5
This is the second draft of an essay that's due wednesday. It's supposed to be in five-paragraph essay format (introduction, three body paragraphs, conclusion). The purpose is to prove a thesis about the play Romeo & Juliet. Even if you haven't read the book, I would appreciate any feedback on style, grammar, etc. (I don't think my essay will really spoil the book if you haven't read it yet. If you didn't already know that they commit suicide in the end, you've been living in a shell.) However, it is specifically written with my Lit class as an audience, and they've all read the book, of course, so there isn't much by way of summarizing it.
Do you think of Shakespeare’s characters, Romeo & Juliet, as the very quintessence of romance? If you do, you are surely not alone. However, is true love, which means caring for the other above oneself, really displayed in their whirlwind passion? Throughout the book, the couple’s actions seem to display their great love for each other, but on closer inspection, these deeds prove nothing of the sort. In fact, Romeo and Juliet endanger each other and ultimately cause each other’s deaths through their brash actions. Perhaps Romeo and Juliet are ignited by passion, and therefore feel and sometimes act as if they are deeply in love, but in reality this is not true love at all.
First of all, true love develops over time. Romeo & Juliet’s love is so rushed that the couple barely get to know each other at all. When Romeo first lays eyes on Juliet, he approaches her with the sole purpose of kissing her, without ever having spoken to her or even known her name. As the party ends a mere few moments later, Juliet claims she will die if she cannot marry Romeo. It is only now, after these drastic displays of love, that the couple finally learn each others names. They are devastated that they allowed themselves to fall so quickly in love with such a hated enemy, and Juliet laments that their love was too quick to start (1.5, line 139). Despite this, Romeo is promising himself to her and they are already planning a marriage later that very same night.
Many times throughout the book, Romeo appears to speak ardently of his love for Juliet, but this is not what it seems. He never compliments her for who she is as a person; instead he makes many shallow remarks about her beauty. When he tells Friar Lawrence about how in love with Juliet he is, his words are empty of any real meaning. He is saying them merely to persuade Friar Lawrence to marry them quickly. Juliet, too, expresses a great longing for her lover in the beginning of Act 3, Scene 2, but the only reason she wants him to come to her is so that she may have her wedding night.
Throughout the entire book, Romeo and Juliet fail to do anything that shows that they really care about each other’s happiness and well-being. Their ‘loving’ actions are fired only by raw emotions, not the intent of making the other happy. When Romeo risks death at the hands of the Capulets to see Juliet at her window, he is doing so because of his fierce desire to look upon her beauty one more time. In no way does this foolish action benefit Juliet, or, for that matter, himself. When he sneaks out to talk to Friar Lawrence about getting married, he may be fulfilling Juliet’s wish by doing so, but probably the first thing on his mind is his own ‘need’ to marry her. Even Romeo’s & Juliet’s suicides, which seem to be the ultimate acts of love, are the same way. They commit these acts in moments of despair, passion, anger, and distress. They obviously do not affect the other in any positive way (indeed, Romeo’s suicide is the cause of Juliet’s). They were not done for the love of the other, but for the short-lived feelings that came at the thought of living with out the other.
It is quite apparent, then, that Romeo & Juliet’s seemingly loving actions and words are driven only by selfish and physical wants. The couple may think they are deeply in love, but they aren’t at all. These characters, whom so many people think of as the ultimate model of romantic love, are actually an excellent example of the unfortunate effects of love in which passion is the only real factor.
Any criticism is welcome, of course, but my other purpose in posting this is the hopes of sparking a discussion on the topic amoung those who have read the book.
Do you think of Shakespeare’s characters, Romeo & Juliet, as the very quintessence of romance? If you do, you are surely not alone. However, is true love, which means caring for the other above oneself, really displayed in their whirlwind passion? Throughout the book, the couple’s actions seem to display their great love for each other, but on closer inspection, these deeds prove nothing of the sort. In fact, Romeo and Juliet endanger each other and ultimately cause each other’s deaths through their brash actions. Perhaps Romeo and Juliet are ignited by passion, and therefore feel and sometimes act as if they are deeply in love, but in reality this is not true love at all.
First of all, true love develops over time. Romeo & Juliet’s love is so rushed that the couple barely get to know each other at all. When Romeo first lays eyes on Juliet, he approaches her with the sole purpose of kissing her, without ever having spoken to her or even known her name. As the party ends a mere few moments later, Juliet claims she will die if she cannot marry Romeo. It is only now, after these drastic displays of love, that the couple finally learn each others names. They are devastated that they allowed themselves to fall so quickly in love with such a hated enemy, and Juliet laments that their love was too quick to start (1.5, line 139). Despite this, Romeo is promising himself to her and they are already planning a marriage later that very same night.
Many times throughout the book, Romeo appears to speak ardently of his love for Juliet, but this is not what it seems. He never compliments her for who she is as a person; instead he makes many shallow remarks about her beauty. When he tells Friar Lawrence about how in love with Juliet he is, his words are empty of any real meaning. He is saying them merely to persuade Friar Lawrence to marry them quickly. Juliet, too, expresses a great longing for her lover in the beginning of Act 3, Scene 2, but the only reason she wants him to come to her is so that she may have her wedding night.
Throughout the entire book, Romeo and Juliet fail to do anything that shows that they really care about each other’s happiness and well-being. Their ‘loving’ actions are fired only by raw emotions, not the intent of making the other happy. When Romeo risks death at the hands of the Capulets to see Juliet at her window, he is doing so because of his fierce desire to look upon her beauty one more time. In no way does this foolish action benefit Juliet, or, for that matter, himself. When he sneaks out to talk to Friar Lawrence about getting married, he may be fulfilling Juliet’s wish by doing so, but probably the first thing on his mind is his own ‘need’ to marry her. Even Romeo’s & Juliet’s suicides, which seem to be the ultimate acts of love, are the same way. They commit these acts in moments of despair, passion, anger, and distress. They obviously do not affect the other in any positive way (indeed, Romeo’s suicide is the cause of Juliet’s). They were not done for the love of the other, but for the short-lived feelings that came at the thought of living with out the other.
It is quite apparent, then, that Romeo & Juliet’s seemingly loving actions and words are driven only by selfish and physical wants. The couple may think they are deeply in love, but they aren’t at all. These characters, whom so many people think of as the ultimate model of romantic love, are actually an excellent example of the unfortunate effects of love in which passion is the only real factor.
Any criticism is welcome, of course, but my other purpose in posting this is the hopes of sparking a discussion on the topic amoung those who have read the book.
;D
Anyways, I'd just replace passion with lust. I don't know; just a thought.