1988. Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.
William Shakespeare's plays use mental thoughts and personal discoveries that center around the story and advance it until the end. Shakespeare's most famous and well-known play, Romeo and Juliet, uses these thoughts to bring the two lovers together and face circumstances that challenge their love. Mixing mentality within the plays plot their story of forbidden love is told and uses mostly mental factors of how they desire to be together.
Meeting for the first time at the Capulet home Romeo and Juliet instantly fall in love. As Romeo and his friends leave hidden behind their masks Juliet asks her nurse to find out his name. When she returns and tells her that "his name is Romeo, and a Montague! The only son of your great enemy." (Shakespeare), her original thoughts of love change course as she thinks "my only love sprung from my only hate" (Shakespeare). Even though she knows he is the son of her families enemy her thoughts are love are only enforced and grow stronger when he is away. Romeo learns that he loves the daughter of the Capulet's as he watches Juliet reciting a soliloquy from her balcony. His thoughts also remain unchanged as he tells her he would throw away his life as a Montague and take up another name so they would not be enemies and be together. Their love for each other adds excitement and leaves the reader thinking; will they be together?
Reality sets in when Juliet learns that Romeo, her new husband, has slayed her cousin. Not knowing that Romeo has fled the city and hopes to return she goes to the Friar and begs him to help her die. He instead gives her a vile that he says will make her seem like she is dead and that everything will be alright. She returns to her house and takes the vile in her chamber. She gives a long soliloquy where she exclaims her love for Romeo and vows to be with him forever, whether it is in life or death. Her change of consciousness changes her course of love and brings a new level of climax and suspense to the plot. Will Romeo find that she is really alive? Will she awake in time? Will they finally escape their houses and be together?
Romeo returns to find Juliet "dead" in the family tomb and he grieves for his wife. His thoughts of love remain strong until the very end, thinking that she is dead he takes poison and ends his life. This is the highest point of suspense in the play and leaves the reader wondering what is going to happen next. It all begins again when Juliet awakes and discovers her husband newly dead by way of poison. Thinking there may still be some poison on his lips she kisses him and cries "thy lips are warm!" (Shakespeare). Finding her husband dead she takes his dagger and ends her own life. Their final encounter together brings the excitement and suspense of their love to a close.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the most tragic of all love stories uses character and situational mentality to tell the story. Through Shakespeare's unique use of language and wit the personality of his characters and their desire can be found both in physical actions and mental thoughts.
3 comments:
Hi Melanie!
What a coincidence! I wrote about <> for this blog as well!
I really liked your analysis about Romeo and Juliet's love, and I like that you sited your sources and included quotes. The characters truly do tell the story, although there aren't that many stage directions that describe the characters.
I felt like your analysis on the situational mentality was also well done, but lacked further detail about the mentality.
The last paragraph (the conclusion) was a bit confusing and took me a while to understand, but overal, great job!
Erin
I like what you've got going on here, but I'm not sure you executed your ideas as well as you could have. Pay some attention to your grammar, some missed commas and such make the phrases hard to distinguish. Shakespeare is great for this prompt because of all his soliloquys, which you obviously know, but your first paragraph doesn't seem to address the topic. That paragraph has too much summary. The balcony scene is a great place to use, just make sure you talk about the characters' thoughts.
So sorry for my late comments! I think you chose an interesting play for this prompt. Your ideas are good, but I think you provided too much of a plot summary and not enough of a rationalization of your thoughts. I realize that it's really hard to not summarize a play, but try focusing on ideas and then using evidence from the play to support, rather than going through the play and pointing out places that support your thesis. I do appreciate the unique idea this essay presents.
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