Monday, January 24, 2011

Romeo and Juliet essay topics

If you were to write an essay on this play, what angle might you take? What would the specific, arguable, unified thesis statement be? I challenge you to think of “off the beaten path” topics.

17 comments:

  1. The characters of Romeo and Juliet experience great tragedies- tragedies falsely blamed on fate. Evidence of the text shows that Fate should receive credit for the positive moments such as Romeo meeting and falling for Juliet, but that it is human nature that leads the characters to their deaths.

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  2. I might shed light on a character like Friar Lawrence--talking about how he came into the middle of the mess, discussing why he is the most omniscient character and uncovering the true depth of his role in the play.
    Thesis:
    At a glance, Friar Lawrence may appear as a quasi-significant supporting character in Romeo & Juliet, but when closely examined, his character is carefully chosen to be highly influential due to his religious affiliation.

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  3. The last two lines of the poem, "For never was a story of more woe That this of Juliet and her Romeo" (V.III.320-21), is the first time in the play Juliet has been addressed before Romeo. Before the couple had always been mentioned as Romeo and Juliet.
    I would like to write about the societal leaps and independence gained by Juliet throughout the play. Juliet defies her family by marrying Romeo. Juliet was seen as a child at the beginning of the play who was unfit for a marriage at that time. Juliet progressed into a women in the 5 day span of the play. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet could be seen as a Rite of Passage for Juliet.
    Although she does not gain independence as a women from a man, she gains independence from her family. Also, affluence was important at the time of Shakespeare. By Juliet giving up her family and running away with Romeo, she would be also giving up all the inheritance she would have received.

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  4. I would talk about how Romeo and Juliet's relationship was destined for disaster from the beginning and how outside influences led it to its ultimate end.

    Thesis: The deaths of Romeo and Juliet were inevitable because of their young, passionate, forbidden love, family feuds, and the violence around them was a constant reminder that tragedy was coming for them.

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  5. A possible essay topic for this play could be a question on whether or not Romeo and Juliet were sympathetic characters or if they helped cause their own tragedy.

    Possible thesis: With their feuding parents and their passionate love, it can be easy to feel sympathy for Romeo and Juliet, however, they can be held accountable for some of the misfortunes that they ran into throughout the course of this play.

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  6. I would investigate the different types of conflict that occur throughout the play, ranging from literal disputes to internal struggles, and how each contributes to the work as a whole.

    Thesis: Although the plot of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is anchored by an ancient feud between two families, individual struggles against societal norms and internal conflicts serve as the driving forces behind the meaning of the work as a whole.

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  7. Romeo and Juliet is considered to be one of the most classic love stories of all time. It has not only past the test of time,and been made into multiple movies, but has also served as the muse for many modern movies-- like west side story. We spent a lot of discussion time in class on whether the love between romeo and juliet was a fleeting teenage infatuation, or intended to represent true love. We also discussed whether Shakespeare wrote the play as a supporter for young love or for being against young love. I would like to write a paper about romeo and juliet representing true love.

    Thesis: William Shakespeare used poetic language and irony throughout the story of Romeo and Juliet to demonstrate that their love was true.

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  8. While reading the play, I noticed countless references to the sun (daylight) and the moon (nighttime). It relates closely to the light vs. darkness theme, but I think it's interesting to note that the sun and moon are mentioned so consistently.
    This is kind of an obvious thing to note, but the plot revolves around day and night; Romeo and Juliet are forced to meet under the protection of "night's cloak" (II.ii.80), and are ultimately forced apart by the sunlight on the day of Romeo's exile.
    "It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.
    Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon" (II.ii.3-4)
    "O, swear not by the moon..." (II.ii.114)
    "More light and light, more dark and dark our woes" (III.v.36)
    "Then, window, let day in, and let life out" (III.v.41)

    (rough) thesis:
    The contrast between light and darkness is initially used in a good versus evil manner to portray Romeo and Juliet's beauty and love for each other, but roles change when sunlight is what ultimately separates them.

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  9. I was also going to do a paper on the role of fate, and if fate is actually apparent or if the tragedy and "woe" stem from human flaw.

    In Romeo and Juliet, fate is held responsible for love, hate, deceit, and murder. In reality, however, the characters are using fate as a mask to hide from the chaos that they have in fact created.

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  10. Like Lila, I plan on writing about how Friar Lawrence carries much more weight in the story than it seems on the surface. He was the mentor for members of both Houses, and at times made decisions that were big game-changers in the plot.

    Thesis:
    Although Friar Lawrence's character is what you would expect from a priest, his burdens from both Houses caused him to make decisions that hurt and helped Romeo and Juliet's relationship, respectively.

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  12. I would write an essay focused solely on the relationships between male characters throughout the play. This topic interests me because it seems to be quite "off the beaten path" and it seems like an essay that would be enjoyable to read. The story of Romeo and Juliet is held together by the male characters and I think each family's allegiance to itself is something to take note of.

    Thesis: Still working on it...

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  13. I might examine the significance of Friar Lawrence's role in the play and the role of religion, from his oracle-like persona to his realistic and grounded sense of realism and how he is able to do much more than offer spritual guidance to both Romeo and Juliet. Along with wisdom and guidance, combined with his "middle-groundedness," the Friar can be referred to in spiritual terms as almost having an omnipotent role in the play, as if he is acting according to God.

    Thesis: Not quite there yet...

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  14. Sorry Alex, but I think I might take the opposite direction and discuss how I think Romeo and Juliet is a warning against superficial love, and furthermore against the danger of dreaming. The play really is a comedy in the first half when Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love, and I think it highlights the silliness and the superficiality of their love. There is also a lot to be said about dreaming and fantasy in the play, and much like The Great Gatsby warns against dreaming through the downfall of Gatsby, I think Romeo and Juliet warns against dreaming through what turns into tragedy in Romeo and Juliet's relationship.

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  15. With each constant conflict in the book, and the ensuing tragedies, it became apparent that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship could not work out and was headed for trouble. Their impulsiveness, forbidden love, and pressures around them made their demise imminent. These conflicts occur between characters, but it is their individual struggles that push them in this direction.

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  16. For an essay like this, I would like to take an approach where I look at the relationship between Friar Lawrence and Romeo and Juliet. I think his reasoning behind different situations (Romeo wanting to marry Juliet, Juliet wanting to Kill herself, wanting to end the family feud, etc) is extremely controversial and extremely interesting. I think the fact that he is a man of high honor, however he partakes in acts that are not so honorable makes him a very dynamic character and someone I would want to write about.

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  17. I would like to write about something similar to Rebecca---was Friar Lawrence at fault?

    Can anyone see this!?!?

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