Essay+Topics

Brian Jandreau March 1, 2010 English 9: Mr. Jandreau

= //Romeo and Juliet// =

=Essay Topics=

Please write a two to three page essay (at least five paragraphs) on one of the following topics. Your essay should be double-spaced, have one-inch margins, size 12-font, and be formatted as I have formatted this page. In this paper, as with all papers you write for me, you must propose a thesis and use quotations from the text to support your thoughts. Please feel free to develop your own topic, but see me for approval before you begin writing about it.

Thursday & Friday, March 11th and 12 **nd**
For those of you not pursuing honors challenge, I have provided you with three possible thesis statements. Please choose one of them and write your essay around it.


 * Despite having been written over four hundred years ago, Romeo and Juliet portrays teenagers much as they are today.


 * Despite his status as a holy man, Romeo and Juliet’s Friar Lawrence is an immoral meddler who acts in a way contrary to Christian teaching.


 * Shakespeare challenges gender stereotypes throughout Romeo and Juliet to portray Romeo as effeminate and Juliet as independent.

Honors Challenge Options:
The powerful concept of fate and destiny has intrigued many writers, including William Shakespeare. Although Romeo and Juliet scheme up many ways to be together, it is almost certain that they have no hand in their fate; they are merely being pushed along by fate. As Juliet prepares to leave everything she loves, Romeo is caught up in the cosmic warfare between his family and the Capulet’s, fighting for his life against her cousins and is eventually banished by the King. Using these examples, as well as Shakespeare’s own textual hints, describe how destiny controls the end result of Romeo and Juliet’s ill-fated union. Did they ever have a chance together? Why or why not?

The theme of religion appears quite frequently throughout the text of Romeo and Juliet. In what ways does religion in Romeo and Juliet allude to the feelings that the lovers have for each other? Romeo compares Juliet to a saint as he kisses her hand, saying that he is unworthy to do so, and at several moments, the duo declare their love as divined by God. What is the connection between their affair and the heavens, and do they perhaps overestimate God’s favor? If God really approves of their love, why is it that the one religious figure in the play causes their deaths? Also, in what way does the language used between Romeo and Juliet add to the consecration of their relationship?

The poet W.H. Auden famously said about Romeo and Juliet: “The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is not simply a tragedy of two individuals but the tragedy of a city.” Certainly, it is awful that Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, but one could argue that their deaths reflect even worse on the community as a whole. By looking at the role of the parents, the community leaders (i.e. Friar Lawrence and the Prince), and their friends, how has the community created an environment that would allow two teenagers to act so rashly and consequently? In other words, how much blame does the community deserve? Who among the players in the community deserves the most blame? Why?