Practise Essay

Question:

William Shakespeare's tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet, appeals to teenage audiences in 2010 because the themes that are explored are similar to the issues that young people are encountering in their daily lives. To what extent is this statement valid?

Planning:

Step 3: Explanation

Romeo and Juliet appeals to teenagers in 2010 because the themes used relate to what young people are experiencing in their daily lives. To what extent is this true?

Step 4:

Themes: True love, destiny, loss, fate and friendship.

Themes relation to today:

True love- Is seen to be harder to find today then back then.

Destiny- Is not believed by some teenagers today.

Loss- Is a problem that everyone encounters back then and today.

Fate- Is not believed by some teenagers today.

Friendship- Is still very important to teenagers today as it was back then.

Key ideas:

Themes that do relate to today: Friendship and loss

Themes that don’t relate to today: Destiny, true love and fate

Step 5:

William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, does not essentially appeal to teenagers in 2010 due to the fact that they share similar themes in their daily lives. The theme of friendship and loss can relate to teenagers in 2010 but the themes of destiny, true love and fate are not encountered in every day life for teenagers in 2010.

Step 6:

Main paragraph 1:

In the play Romeo and Juliet the themes of friendship and loss can appeal to teenagers in today’s society as there everyday lives can relate to these themes.

Main paragraph 2:

The themes of destiny, true love and fate do not appeal to teenagers in today’s society due to the relevance of it to there daily lives. It is more appealing to them due to the fact that it is like a “fairy tale”. The themes of true love, destiny and fate are harder to believe in and find in todays society as it was back in Romeo and Juliet’s time.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet is appealing to teenagers in 2010 as it is like a fairy tale and they can also relate to some themes. William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, will be timeless and hundreds of years from now teenagers will be studying his plays and enjoying the fairy tale themes that can in some ways relate to them.

Step 7:

Main paragraph 1:

Theme: friendship

Evidence:

When Benvolio cares for Romeo and is interested in his problems. He is a true friend.

Page 13: (Act 1, scene 1, line 155) Benvolio asks Romeo what is wrong, comforts him, tries to cheer him up and guides him in the right direction.

Theme: loss

Evidence:

Page 97: (Act 3, scene 1, line 110) Benvolio tells Romeo that Mercutio is dead and Romeo is saddened.

Main paragraph 2:

Theme: Destiny/ fate

Evidence:

Page 37: (Act 1, scene 5, line 110) Romeo tells Benvolio and Mercutio that there are some consequences hanging in the stars in which he is referring to fate and destiny.

Theme: True love (love at first sight)

Evidence:

Page 53: (Act 2, scene 2, line 5- 25) Juliet is confessing her love for Romeo when they have just met.

Page 185: (Act 5, scene 3, line 120) Romeo toasts the poison to his true love Juliet and then dies to be with her.

Step 8:

The evidence show links to the main point through the themes.

Step 9:

Yes, my first to main pints link as they are the two themes that teenagers today can relate to and my other main points relate as they are themes teenagers today can not relate to as such.

Step 10:

Romeo and Juliet appeals to teenagers today because there are themes that relate to them and also themes that they wish they could relate too.

Essay

William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, does not essentially appeal to teenagers in 2010 due to the fact that they share similar themes in their daily lives. The theme of friendship and loss can relate to teenagers in 2010 but the themes of destiny, true love and fate are not encountered in every day life for teenagers in 2010.

In the play Romeo and Juliet the themes of friendship and loss can appeal to teenagers in today’s society as there everyday lives can relate to these themes. The theme of friendship is expressed thoroughly throughout the main characters in Romeo and Juliet. A main example of friendship is when Benvolio cares for Romeo and is interested in his problems at the beginning of the play. “BENVOLIO It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours?” (I, i, 155) This is when Romeo is saddened by the fact that Rosaline does not love him. He is depressed and is moping around when Benvolio, his kind friend, asks Romeo what is the problem. Romeo and Benvolio have a talk and this shows friendship. The theme of friendship links back to teenagers today as everyone has friends. Teenagers in 2010 need a good friend to talk to when they are having problems just like Romeo needed Benvolio. A main example of loss in the play Romeo and Juliet is when Mercutio dies. “BENVOLIO O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio is dead. The gallant spirit hath sapired the clouds, Which too untimely here did scorn the earth. ROMEO This days black fate on moe days doth depend, This but begins the woe others must end.” (III, i, 110) This is when Mercutio has just been slain and Benvolio tells Romeo that he passed away. Romeo than has to deal with the guilt and shock of Mercutio’s death. This therefore represents loss. The theme of loss can relate to teenagers of 2010 as everybody will lose someone they love or cherish. It’s a part of life and no one can fight it. The themes of friendship and loss relate to teenagers of 2010 which helps Romeo and Juliet to appeal to them.

The themes of destiny, true love and fate do not appeal to teenagers in today’s society due to the relevance of it to there daily lives. It is more appealing to them due to the fact that it is like a “fairy tale”. The themes of true love, destiny and fate are harder to believe in and find in today’s society as it was back in Romeo and Juliet’s time. The theme true love (love at first sight) is evident in the play of Romeo and Juliet when Juliet and Romeo confess their love for each other only after meeting each other once before. “ROMEO It is my lady, O it is my love:” (II, ii, 10) This is after the Capulet party when Romeo sneaks to Juliet’s balcony and is admitting his love for her and hoping she will appear. “JULIET Be but sworn my love” (II, ii, 35) This is when Juliet walks out onto her balcony and is not aware that Romeo can hear her but is confessing she loves him to. This shows that Romeo and Juliet fell in love with each other only after they had meet each other once which is very unrealistic in today’s society. Teenagers of 2010 find this theme hard to relate to as it is unrealistic and very rare to come across. They do however find this theme very sweet and dream of it for themselves in the future. The theme of destiny and fate becomes apparent when Romeo tells Benvolio and Mercutio that there are some consequences hanging in the stars. “ROMEO Some consequence yet hanging in the stars Shall bitterly begin this fearful date” (I, v, 110) In this passage Romeo is referring to the fact that his stars (sign) are telling him that there will be a consequence for going to the party tonight in which links to fate and destiny as in he can’t stop or fight it. Teenagers in 2010 find it hard to relate to the theme of destiny and fate, as it is again unrealistic and very “fairy tale” like. The themes of destiny, fate and true love don’t relate to teenagers in today’s society however they do appeal to them for their “fairy tale” like qualities.

In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet is appealing to teenagers in 2010 as it is like a fairy tale and they can also relate to some themes. William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, will be timeless and hundreds of years from now teenagers will be studying his plays and enjoying the ‘fairy tale’ themes that can in some ways relate to them.

Persuasive essay Week 3-4

If Juliet had told her parents that she had married Romeo, Juliet would most likely have been murdered by her father. A simple nice long talk would not have cured the feuding families problems but in fact it would have most likely made the problems worse. In the novel, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's father is seen to be quite violent when he does not get his way. An example of this is when Juliet refuses to marry Paris and her father slaps her multiple times, calls her garbage and threatens to disown her which essentially means she will die of starvation anyway. Can you imagine his anger if he found out that Juliet had married the enemy. Her father would be furious. He would probably beat her to death. The problems between Juliet and her parents could not be solved by sitting down and having a nice long chat because that would most likely end in the death of Juliet.

The Sun, the moon, the stars

Imagery helps the audience to a great extent to understand the characters and central themes. Shakespeare was very clever in using imagery that relates to the sky to further introduce his characters and central themes. An example of when Shakespeare used imagery related to the sky to further introduce a character is in act 2 scene 2 when Romeo has just meet Juliet at the Capulet's party and has run back to her window waiting for her to appear. Romeo says tenderly, "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon." This example shows when Shakespeare was using imagery relating back to the sky to further introduce Romeo. This quote shows Romeo to be romantic and very spiritual. Romeo is saying that Juliet is his sun and without her the sky would be dark. Another example of when Shakespeare uses imagery relating to the sky is again in act 2 scene 2 when Juliet is telling Romeo not to swear his love to the moon. Juliet says, "O swear not by the moon, th'inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb." In this quote Juliet tells Romeo not to swear his love for her to the moon as it changes every month. This shows Juliet as being romantic, quite unsure and wanting so desperately for Romeo to love her as much as she loves him. She begins to become anxious and this becomes apparent through Shakespeare's imagery relation to the sky. Shakespeare also used imagery relating to the sky to create certain themes. One of the themes that became evident was fate. In the play Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare uses the idea of star cross lovers which means that Romeo and Juliet had been brought together as their stars had aligned. They were basically destined to be doomed. He refers to the fact that Romeo and Juliet had no control over their fates as it was all planned out in the stars. Without Shakespeare using imagery relating to the sky audiences all over the world would not have as greater insight into the characters and themes in Shakespeare's plays as they do today.

Romeo is an impulsive character and his actions are influenced by his emotions...

Romeo Montague is a very impulsive character and his actions are greatly influenced by his emotions. Romeo's actions are influenced by his emotions many times for example when Romeo is to leave the party that the Capulet's are holding he can't control himself and runs to see Juliet outside her bedroom window. This shows that Romeo, instead of leaving, risks his life by his actions which was influenced by his feelings for Juliet. Another example of when Romeo lets his feelings for Juliet lead into a sudden action is again when he is standing out the front of Juliet's window and asks her to marry him. This action was very greatly influenced by his emotions/ feelings towards Juliet. He is very impulsive asking Juliet to marry him,which is a decision for life, before he even got to know her. Romeo is a very impulsive character that lets his emotions rule his actions, probably a little to much. Emotion means everything to Romeo and therefore he does not mind risking his life for love.

Respect your Elders!

In the Capulet household respect for elders is paramount and this is shown through out the novel. For example in Act 1 scene 5 Tybalt recognises the sound of Romeo's voice and is outraged. He can't believe that a Montague would have the nerve to show up at a Capulet party. Tybalt tells Lord Capulet to fetch him his sword so that he can kill Romeo only to find Capulet tell him not to. Tybalt is disgusted with Lord Capulet but when Capulet threatens Tybalt to be taken off his will, Tybalt calms down. This shows that Tybalt, Capulet's nephew, respects his elder and listens to him despite his anger towards Romeo. Another example of respecting elders in the Capulet family is between Juliet and her father, Lord Capulet. Juliet is expected to listen to her father as he is older than her. An example of this is when Capulet is arranging Juliet to marry Paris. Although Juliet does not know about this at the time it is apparent that she would not argue with her father as she holds the greatest respect for him and her mother. This is confirmed later on when Juliet's mother tells Juliet that she is to marry Paris and asks her what she thinks of that. Juliet replies to her mother respectfully that she will do what ever she is told to do even though she may not love Paris. In the Capulet household respect for elders is paramount and this is shown in the way that Juliet listens to and respects her mother and father and by the way Tybalt responds to Lord Capulet's instructions.

Character Profile

Romeo

• Romeo is handsome, passionate, impulsive, intelligent and sensitive.
• Romeo is hated by the Capulets (exception for Juliet) and loved by Juliet.
• Romeo is son of Lady Montague and Lord Montague. Mercutio & Benvolio are Romeo's closet friends and Benvolio is also Romeo's cousin. Balthasar is Romeo's dedicated servant. Rosaline is Romeo's past love. Last but not least Juliet is Romeo's true love.
• Romeo Montagues main role is to fight past all the hatred between the two families (Capulets and Montagues) to be with Juliet.
• Romeo links to the theme of love, destiny and courage.

Benvolio

• Benvolio is caring and always very peaceful often trying to stop conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues.
• Benvolio is hated by the Capulets as he is a Montague and he is admired as a friend and cousin by Romeo.
• Benvolio is Lord Montagues nephew and he is Romeo's close friend and cousin.
• Benvolio's main role seems to be to help Romeo through his tough time of getting over his love for Rosaline.
• Benvolio links to the theme of courage, love and friendship.

Juliet

• Juliet is beautiful, very obedient and very impatient. In act 1 scene 3 when Juliet is asked by her mother, Lady Capulet, what she thinks of marrying Paris. Juliet replies that she will never love Paris but she will marry him if it is what her father and mother want form her. This shows that Juliet is very obedient to her parents and agrees to marry Paris even though she does not want to. In act 2 scene 5 when Juliet's nurse returns from meeting with Romeo, Juliet is very impatient when the nurse takes a while to answer her. She begins to get very annoyed with the nurse and the audience then learns that she is not patient.
• Juliet is viewed by Romeo as his other half... his soul mate. Juliet is also viewed by her father and mother as a beautiful young lady that is yet to see the world. Juliet is seen by her nurse as a daughter.
• Juliet has a very close relationship with her nurse. Her nurse mothered her ever since she was born. To start with her nurse was her wet nurse which meant she breast feed Juliet as a baby and then progressed with Juliet to the stage they are at. The nurse is like Juliet's mother. Juliet is in love with Romeo, which she admits in Act 2 scene 2 to Romeo without even knowing he was listening to her. She is very obedient to her mother and father as explained before when Lady Capulet asks Juliet what she thinks about marrying Paris to which he replies with she will never love Paris but will marry him to make her mother and father happy.
• Juliet's main role in the play seems to be to fight past the two families (Capulet's & Montague's) differences to be with her true love, Romeo.
• Juliet seems to be linked in the theme of love at first sight because in the play Act 1 scene 4 when Juliet and Romeo first meet Juliet instantly falls in love with Romeo just by looking at him even though she has no idea who he is, she later discovers he is her enemy.

"Love Story"

Discussion Questions:
1. Outline the subject matter of the poem?
Taylor Swift was explaining a “love story” in this song.
2. Why is the poem entitled “Love Story”? Use evidence from the lyrics to support the titles significance and relevance.
The song is entitled “Love Story” because in the song Taylor is explaining a love story in which “Romeo” is coming to take her away so they can be alone and they get a happy ending.
3. Describe the relationship between the two characters. Who are they?
They two characters are named Romeo and Juliet and they are two young people who fell in love and are forbidden to see each other. They have a strong relationship where they love and trust each other very much.
4. What evidence is there to suggest that these lovers have to overcome obstacles in their relationship?
Well in the song she says “And my daddy said stay away from Juliet”. This indicates one obstacle that would have to be overcome for the two lovers to be together… Romeo would have to win over Juliet’s father.
5. What themes and issues are explored in the lyrics and through the video clip?
Well there is the theme of fantasy and the video clip is set in the olden days. Romance is explored in the lyrics and video clip.
6. How does the “Love story” end for Romeo and Juliet in the song? Is this how it ends for the Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet? Why does Taylor Swift end her song this way? What perspective is she writing from and why would they want the story to end this way?
Taylor ends the story differently to Shakespeare. In Taylor’s version Romeo and Juliet end up together and get married. In Shakespeare version Romeo and Juliet ending up committing suicide and there is no happy ending.