A first essay! Romeo and Juliet

[Momling]

This is the first essay written by my 5th and 6th grade girls. It's heavily guided / modeled and really only the middle three paragraphs and end of the conclusion is actually their authentic writing. I used this guide to help them plan their essay: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CHQQFjAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.classconnect.com%2Fapp%2Ffilebox%2F4f432711c582163d0a000dec%2F4f432711c582163d0a000deb%2Fdownload%2F&ei=XZNDUYcS0JarAfTpgPAL&usg=AFQjCNHKL1pbyiQPP5vg0TcciEE0pndS5A&sig2=FSWxp_SMH9uSd0zJKoY_5g&bvm=bv.43828540,d.aWM

 

I'm hoping that these "essay training wheels" will help them to understand how to write their own essays in the future. I'm quite pleased with the results and plan to do similar essay writing with other books that they read.

 

 

 

Romeo and Juliet

 

 

 

In the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare calls Romeo and Juliet "star crossed lovers", introducing from the opening minutes of the play the possibility that their tragic end was unavoidable. Fate is seen by many of the characters in Romeo and Juliet as the reason for their downfall. In truth, however, it is the character flaws and actions of Romeo, Juliet, and Lord Capulet that cause their deaths.

 

One character who contributes greatly to the tragic end of Romeo and Juliet is in fact Romeo himself. The reason why Romeo is involved in the death of Juliet and himself is because of his impulsive and rash decision making. Romeo reveals this flaw to Friar Lawrence in this quote:"I stand on sudden haste"[Act 2 scene 3 line 93.] Friar Lawrence recognizes this flaw and reminds him to "Go wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast." This impulse leads Romeo to rashly marry his latest love, the thirteen year old daughter of an enemy. Impulsiveness also leads Romeo to hold such anger at Tybalt, who killed his cousin, that he kills him. This starts a period of unlucky events that follow. Firstly, it forces Prince Escalus to banish Romeo from Verona, which ultimately leads to Romeo committing suicide.

 

Juliet, along with Romeo, plays a role in their death. In a speech on her balcony, Juliet says, "Leap to these arms untalked of and unseen so lovers can see to do their amorous rites"[Act 3, Scene 2, Line 7-8.] In this quote, Juliet makes it quite clear to the reader that she is lascivious and wishes for Romeo to come to her in the night. This passion leads her to a quick marriage, but when her father tells her to marry Paris, he gets quite suspicious of her refusal. As a result, Juliet, upon hearing of her upcoming marriage to Paris, decides to go with Friar Lawrence's "desperate plan". The plan goes wrong and the conclusion is Romeo and Juliet's death.

 

Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet, is the final person who hastens their untimely death. When Lord Capulet hears of Juliet’s refusal to marry Paris, he yells and threatens her by saying “Hang thee young baggage! Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church Thursday or never after look me in the face!" [Act 3, Scene 5, Line 160-162] This quote proves that Lord Capulet is not able to contain himself emotionally. Juliet feels desperate and suicidal when she hears her father’s words. This leads to the plan that goes wrong and eventually kills her.

 

Despite the many references to fate and destiny in Romeo and Juliet, it is actually human nature that causes the tragedy. In particular, it is the flaws and actions of Romeo, Juliet, and Lord Capulet that contribute greatly to Romeo and Juliet's untimely death. Of these three characters, Romeo's impulsive and emotional nature is probably the worst flaw. If Romeo had not had such an impulsive personality, he might have not rushed into marrying Juliet and therefore would not have created a tragic situation.