REVISED Romeo and Juliet essay

          Romeo and Juliet, by the famous William Shakespeare, is a story about love. Love that is ever tampered with by the ideals of others. Love, which, even when it is true, is never left alone, no matter what. Whether it is a matter of companionship or intimacy, the characters’ lives are made impossible when people of power meddle in their lives. Juliet is given too much forceful guidance by her parents, especially concerning her relationships, which might be the very thing causing her to be so rash, passionate, and reckless with Romeo.

            Throughout the play we see that Juliet’s father, Capulet, has the ultimate power and final decision in everything involving his daughter’s life, even though he tries to make it appear he is giving her some say in the matter. For example, he makes a grand display of his power in act 3, scene 5, lines 153-155 when he tells Juliet “But fettle your fine joints ‘gainst Thursday next, / to go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church, / or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.” In previous scenes with Paris, Juliet’s soon-to-be husband, Capulet tried to give his daughter some time by saying that she is young, but as soon as Juliet fights against the date of marriage in this scene, he makes sure she knows who is boss. This shows that although Capulet wants what is best for his daughter, he is not afraid to be harsh. The readers at this point can also infer that Juliet feels trapped in this household with no one on her side. If, as a reader, we were to look into this, we could say that this foreshadows Juliet’s desperate thoughts to run away with Romeo.

            Besides the judgment from her parents, the rules and opinions of society are also weighed against Juliet. According to her mother and society, Juliet is even lucky to be married at this age. Lady Capulet’s views are clearly shown when she says, “Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, are made already mothers. By my count I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid.” (1. 3. 70-73). In response to Juliet’s unsure attitude towards marriage she is saying that she should consider herself lucky to be married now, because Lady Capulet herself was married and carrying a child before Juliet’s age. If that is what society thinks is acceptable, one can’t blame Juliet for not wanting to be married. After all, she’s only 13! Often times people read Romeo and Juliet and forget how old she is because all that matters is the love story, but her age places a whole new sense of expectation on her, especially from her mother. In this scene particularly, her mother places pressure on her to get married now, and to whom she (Lady Capulet) wants. Juliet can’t be happy with the lack of say in these important events.

            When Juliet meets Romeo, it triggers the thought that this perfect man, her Prince Charming, was the only way to escape from her suffocating family. All the pressure that is piled onto her to get married to Paris, to someday have children, to be an obedient and proper young lady tried to suppress her longings for childhood and freedom. When she meets the love of her life, all of those feelings come spurting out to make her even more impulsive with Romeo than she would’ve been if she were, for example, paired with him to be married. Other variables like the looming deadline of Juliet and Paris’s marriage, and the feud between the Capulets and Montagues that stops Romeo and Juliet from ever being seen together puts even more pressure on them to do something like get married, or run away together. “Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (2. 2. 35-36).

            Romeo and Juliet’s actions are more rushed and rash because of Juliet’s family and their ever-steady input. Going along with the theme of rebellion, where there are unjust and strict rules, there are going to be rule breakers. If you push, someone is going to push back. In this case, the Capulets pushed at their daughter to be willing and ready for marriage and to be obedient and kind as well. In return, Juliet acted out. She wanted what she couldn’t have so she went around the rules. Even today there are lovers who can’t be together because of race, religion, or sexuality. If we lived in a world with no restraints or interferences with love, maybe there wouldn’t have to be tragic endings to tales similar to Romeo and Juliet. But, unfortunately, that is not true, “for never was there a story of more woe /than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” 

Romeo and Juliet: Final Assignment

          Romeo and Juliet, by the famous William Shakespeare, is a story about love. Love that is ever tampered with by the ideals of others. Love, which, even when it is true, is never left alone, no matter what. Whether it is a matter of companionship or intimacy, the characters’ lives are made almost impossible when people of power meddle in their lives. Juliet is given too much forceful guidance by her parents, especially concerning her relationships, which might be the very thing causing her to be so rash, passionate, and reckless with Romeo.

            Throughout the play we see that Juliet’s father, Capulet, has the ultimate power and final decision in everything involving his daughter’s life, even though he tries to make it appear he is giving her some say in the matter. For example, he makes a grand display of his power in act 3 scene 5 when he tells Juliet “But fettle your fine joints ‘gainst Thursday next to go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church, or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.” In previous scenes with Paris, Juliet’s soon-to-be husband, Capulet tried to give his daughter some time by saying that she is young, but as soon as Juliet fights against the date of marriage in this scene, he makes sure she knows who is boss. This shows that although Capulet wants what is best for his daughter, he is not afraid to be harsh. The readers at this point can also infer that Juliet feels trapped in this household with no one on her side. If, as a reader, we were to look into this, we could say that this foreshadows Juliet’s desperate thoughts to run away with Romeo.

            Besides the judgment from her parents, the rules and opinions of society are also weighed against Juliet. According to her mother and society, Juliet is even lucky to be married at this age. Lady Capulet’s views are clearly shown when she says, “Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, are made already mothers. By my count I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid.” (Act 1 Scene 3). In response to Juliet’s unsure attitude towards marriage she is saying that she should consider herself lucky to be married now, because Lady Capulet herself was married and carrying a child before Juliet’s age. If that is what society thinks is acceptable, I don’t blame Juliet for not wanting to be married because she’s only 13. I think often times people read Romeo and Juliet and forget how old she is because all that maters is the love story, but her age places a whole new sense of expectation on her, especially from her mother. In this scene particularly, her mother places pressure on her to get married now, and to whom she wants. Juliet can’t be happy with the lack of say in these important events.

            When Juliet meets Romeo, it triggers the thought that this perfect man, her Prince Charming was the only way to escape from her suffocating family. All the pressure that is piled onto her to get married to Paris, to someday have children, to be an obedient and proper young lady tried to suppress her longings for childhood and freedom. When she meets the love of her life, all of those feelings come spurting out to make her even more impulsive with Romeo than she would’ve been if she were, for example, paired with him to be married. Other variables like the looming deadline of Juliet and Paris’s marriage, and the feud between the Capulets and Montagues that stops Romeo and Juliet from ever being seen together puts even more pressure on them to do something like get married, or run away together. “And I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (act 2 scene 2).

            Romeo and Juliet’s actions are more rushed and rash because of Juliet’s family and their ever-steady input. Even today there are lovers who can’t be together because of race, religion, or sexuality. If we lived in a world with no restraints on love, maybe there wouldn’t have to be tragic endings to tales like Rome and Juliet. But, unfortunately, that is not true, “for never was there a story of more woe /than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” 

R and J Final Assignment outline

a.     Title and author: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
b.     Thesis: Juliet is given too much forceful guidance in her life by her parents, especially in her relationships which might be the very thing causing her to be so rash, passionate, and reckless with Romeo.

Paragraph 1

a.     Topic: Ultimitly, even though he tries to give Juliet some say in the matter, Capulet makes the final decision in everything in his daughter’s life.

b.     Example/quote: (act 3 scene 5 line 155) “But fettle your fine joints ‘gainst Thursday next to go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church, or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.”

Paragraph 2

a.     Topic: In Juliet’s case, she is even considered lucky according to her society and mother
b.     Example/quote: (page 38 act 1 scene 3 line 76) “Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, are made already mothers. By my count I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid.”

Paragraph 3

a.     Topic: How this affects Juliet and her actions
b.     Example/quote: (page 70) “And I’ll no longer be a Capulet”

Reading Response on Pandemonium

          After much wait, I have FINALLY started reading Pandemonium, the sequel to Delirium, by Lauren Oliver. I know I promised myself not to read so many Sci-fis, but I couldn’t leave this riveting series unfinished. There are a couple differences in this book from the first one, which, now looking back, seems like 3 books in one. Some of them I like and approve of, and others I’m not so sure about. Don’t get me wrong, it is still so amazing and one of my favorites, but it might take some getting used to.

The intense world created by Oliver never leaves you unsatisfied or bored, and of course, the intense but delicate love between Lena and Alex is one of my favorite parts. But that’s where I found my first problem with this prequel. THERE IS NO ALEX. The last book left us in a dire situation where Lena and Alex stand separated by the border fence with helicopters and police forces all around them. And Alex’s memorable last word “run” still echos in my head while I delve into this book. It never states whether or not Alex dies, but it is implied that he will not make it. Then in this one, he is gone! I thought that maybe, just maybe, this would be a cheesy book and have the scenario that we (the readers) all want, and have Alex somehow escaped and hiding out in the mountains somewhere. Even though he hasn’t, I have been waiting for him to appear on the next page. And it makes me think, am I so used to happy endings in books that I can’t handle the reality of death of a loved one? I mean it’s not a foreign concept to me, I just don’t know why I can’t accept it in this book.

The other major change in this book is that it is told from two different perspective or time frames. After being left by the gate in book one, she goes on to live in the Wilds and then eventually goes back into the society to pose as a perfect citizen and gather info. The chapters switch on and off between her life in the Wilds and her life in the society. Although it is frustrating sometimes because the plot gets so intense that you want to follow it for several chapters, I like this strategy because it allows you to live her past while being reminded of the future. Granted the story could’ve been written just as well if the events were in chronological order, but this way you are even more interested to find out how she got into this current state.

So far though this book is amazing, as was the first, and I presume the third will be too. I wonder then, if the third book will be from different perspectives, or whether it will just be the same as the first. And because we can always have hope, I wonder if he will turn up… although probably not. Or maybe a new character will be added into the plot because we can’t have Lena moping throughout the whole book.

Reading Response on Reached

Finally, I have started the last book in the Matched trilogy by Ally Condle: Reached. (Although I thoroughly enjoy reading these books, I think I am going to take a break from Sci-Fi for a while.) In this series, I’ve noticed a bit of a theme about what lies underneath, and not judging things too quickly.

One example of this is that, in book one, Cassia and most of the city, believe every law and rule that is given to them without question. The Officials have set up this environment of false security, when really it is a network of lies. When the slightest thing goes wrong, the citizens are made to take a red pill that will erase all memories from the previous 12 hours so the people can go on with their daily lives without suspecting a thing. This is, for the Society, just a simple cover up to continue on with the illusion of their perfectly safe world.

Another example happens in the second book. Cassia’s interest in Ky Markhams is sparked when she suspects that he isn’t normal like everybody else. He has a backstory, and playing along to the manicured lifestyle Cassia knows was never a part of him. Of course, as the story progresses, she develops a deep love for Ky, but you can’t help wondering, if he were the same like all the rest of him, would their relationship still exist. Then, in Crossed, a secret is revealed about Xander, Cassia’s childhood friend and loyal and ordinary match; he was part of the uprising too. Ky never told Cassia this because he feared she would love him instead. I actually can see where Ky is coming from. If Cassia knew that her “normal” match Xander had a streak of danger in him, would she be in love with him and not Ky? I think that even though she loves Ky, it is kind of shallow to be interested in someone just because of his or her background. If she had actually taken the time to accept Xander as her match and not cast him away for a better, more interesting option, maybe she would know his secret now instead of being sheltered from it.

Nothing new has been revealed about the plot so far, but I suspect that as the uprising grows, more and more people of the city will be revealed to be involved in it. Like I said before, this series is all about what lies beneath the surface, and who/what you can actually count on to know about. It is a good theme. Despite the fact that we don’t live in a futuristic world where this is happening, there are lots of lies in our daily lives. I even think reading this book could make you think about looking a little closer at what goes on around you, especially because this book is targeted at the government and head power that is in control. 

Response on The Maze Runner

             I am only 17 pages into The Maze Runner, By James Dashner, but I am already very intrigued. From what I can tell, the main character, Thomas, who we don’t know much about seeing that he has forgotten everything about his life story apart from his name, has arrived in this strange land called The Glade. He arrives after a long ride up a dark elevator shaft and is greeted by strange and slightly wild boys. Some are friendly and others take an aggressive stance. Since Thomas has lost his memory, it’s like we are seeing through his eyes and processing everything for the first time. The author does a very good job of keeping the story mysterious and therefore leaving you curious and wanting more.

As I was reading, I realized that the book reminded me of Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. For example, when the boys (who are also disheveled and wild after living by themselves for so long) are telling Thomas about the rules of this land, they talk about the beasts that live on the outskirts of the town and how they will attack at night if you come to close. This is very much like the “monster” that the boys claim to see and are in constant fear of on the island featured in Lord of the Flies.

Another similarity with the Lord of the Flies is that the boys living in The Glade seem to have two conflicting leaders. At first when Thomas came out of the old industrial elevator, he noticed that all the boys seemed to look up to one teenager named Alby. But later, another boy approaches him; the same one who had been giving him dirty looks earlier. Upon being asked his name, the bully replies, “Gally. And don’t let anyone fool you. I’m the real leader here, not the two geezer shanks upstairs…” he says referring to Alby and one other. Just like in Lord of the Flies, there are two boys with different natures, both competing for the same position. I wonder if this book is going to follow the pattern of Lord of the Flies and two groups of the kids and teenagers will branch off and separate from each other,

If you think about it, many stories are following the ideas of others. For example the movie Warm Bodies is really a zombie-chick flick Romeo and Juliet. Is our society really running out of ideas for books and movies that we have to copy others? A lot of sci-fi books follow the same patterns and at a certain point, I find myself un-interested in them. However, books like His Dark Materials have unique and deep plots. I’m still looking forward to finishing this book, it’s just a thought to consider.