The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet – Critical Lens Essay
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The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
Critical Lens Essay
Someone once said, “All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason that motivates characters in literature.” This means that all literature is an expression of emotion and it is the emotion that is the main character, and often the setting and theme as well. It is not the reasoning within the story that draws you in, but rather how the story deals with the emotions we all have felt. It provides us with a possible scenario of the impact of focusing only on emotion and losing focus on reason. The power of emotion driving literary characters to see their emotions through, make us wish we could feel so strongly about something or someone and the way we would all like to think we would see our emotions through. Atticus Finch, from the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, and Romeo Montague from Shakespeares drama, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, both are driven only by their emotions. Both are so driven to see their powerful emotions, no matter what might happen to them, that their emotion and the opposite emotions of everyone else around them becomes the main character, setting and theme in these stories. You are drawn in to the emotion by asking would I have the courage to stand up to my home town full of racism to seek justice for a black person as Atticus did in To Kill A Mockingbird? Could I be so in love, as Romeo was, that I would be willing to give up everything I had, my family, my position in society, even my own life, for the love of another person?
Atticus Finch, from the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, bases all of his decisions and actions in the Tom Robinson trial, merely as a reaction to powerful emotion. First he accepts the case based upon the emotional racist state of the town condemning Tom Robinson primarily because he is black. Second, he is driven by his emotional belief in everyone getting a fair trial and having the same access to justice, no matter their race. Atticus is fully aware of the racism that exists in his town, but he did not take the time to consider that the violence and hate of that racism can easily be turned on him and his family. A literary element used in To Kill a Mockingbird is setting. The setting was used to help develop the fact that Atticus does not think too much before he accepted the case. To Kill a Mockingbird was set in a southern, racist town, at a time when blacks were looked down upon and discriminated against. Just the racism alone was enough to drive Atticus. He wanted this to change, and felt very strongly on this issue. Another literary element used in To Kill a Mockingbird is symbolism. The mockingbird is used to symbolize something that is harmless. They only sing and make music for others to enjoy and to kill one is a sin. Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are harmless individuals, who never intend to hurt a soul. Yet Toms life is lost, and this is like shooting a mockingbird. As Scout said, “to hurt Boo Radley too would be like killing a mockingbird.” Atticus put everything he had: his career, his status in the town and his and his familys safety on the line to fight for an innocent man and against the prejudice ideas of the south.
Romeo Montague, from William Shakespeares drama,