Outline for Romeo and Juliet Thematic Essay

OUTLINE FOR ROMEO AND JULIET THEMATIC ESSAY

Introduction

The purpose of my essay is to show that "True love brings upon the biggest sacrifices in people." Sacrifice is a major theme in Romeo and Juliet. In the play, both main characters, Romeo and Juliet sacrifice their lives for one another. The theme is achieved through the many sacrifices made by the characters in the play.

Body

1. One main sacrifice in Romeo and Juliet is the scene where Romeo is about to kill himself for Juliet. "Arms, take your last embrace. And, lips, O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss... a dateless bargain to engrossing death" (40). This quote takes place when Romeo kills himself for Juliet because he thought that she was dead. Romeo couldn't let the thought of living without her cross his mind, therefore sacrificing himself just so he wouldn't have to live without her.

2. Another main sacrifice in the play is when Juliet sacrifices her life for Romeo. When Juliet says "Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger! (snatches Romeo's dagger). This is thy sheath; (stabs herself) there rust and let me die"(47), shows her sacrifice for Romeo. Although Friar Laurence tells Juliet to join a colt of holy nuns she disagrees. She cannot live without her fair Romeo. Romeo and Juliet share the same love and passion for each other and could never imagine life without each other, which is why they would do anything and everything including kill themselves for one another.

3. During the play Mercutio sacrifices his life for Romeo. Although the third reason isn't necessarily a sacrifice of boy girl love, it's still a sacrifice. Mercutio takes a hit for a friend and that hit causes him to die. "..... Why the devil you came between us? I was hurt under your arm"(27), Mercutio says this line out of love. Although Mercutio is a very tough, he has that special soft side for his friend Romeo. As shown in this scene, Mercutio would do anything for Romeo. That special type of bond between two friends is very strong.

Conclusion

As mentioned before, the purpose of this essay was to show that true love brings upon the biggest sacrifices in people. This theme is true in real life as well as in literature. Some people may disagree, but Romeo and Juliet is very relatable. In real life, if anyone were to love someone the amount that Romeo and Juliet did, under the same circumstances, they would probably do the same thing. Literature usually comes from reality and sacrificing yourself for the one you love is very true. Romeo and Juliet can increase our empathy for humanity because it's relatable. Most people have fallen in love by now and know how it's felt to have lost a loved one. Romeo and Juliet really expands our understanding