Romeo and JulietCharacter Analysis Essay

ThesisIn William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Lord Montague is the character most responsible for the deaths of the two lovers for many reasons.

Ask yourself…1.Does it contain the full title and the author?2.Does is contain a SUBJECT and an OPINION?3.Is it one sentence?4.Do you know the topic? 5.Is there a clear and debatable position on

the topic?

If you can answer YES to all of the questions above, then it is a GOOD

THESIS!

Introduction

Sometimes, parents try to be their kids’ friend when really they should step up to the plate and be the authority-figure or leader that their kid needs them to be. Often, parents believe that a child’s peers can provide insight and answers when times are tough, or they believe that their kid will come to them when they really need help. This is the case for Romeo and his father because Lord Montague did not intervene in his son’s life when he should have. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Lord Montague is the character most responsible for the deaths of the two lovers for many reasons.

First Body Paragraph

To start, Lord Montague is too passive in the story, failing to help his son when he needed it most. For example, when he is worried about Romeo, he states, “Many a morning hath he there been seen, With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew” (1:1:121-122). This shows that he knows Romeo is depressed and miserably sulking about. This also shows that though he knows Romeo is depressed, he has not actively sought out the reason. In addition, he says, “Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow. We would as willingly give cure as know (1:1:144-145). This indicates that Lord Montague wishes to know what ails Romeo. This also indicates that Lord Montague has tried to figure it out but is now asking someone else to determine Romeo’s problem. In conclusion, Lord Montague failed as a parent because he allowed his son to wander about in a depressed state instead of giving him the help he needed, which lead him to attending the Capulet ball and acting rashly.

Second Body Paragraph

Next, while Lord Montague is passive, he is also too submissive, lacking the strength to protect his son’s reputation. For example, after the second major street brawl, Lady Capulet gives her tainted account to Prince Esclalus when she says, “I beg for justice, which thou, prince, must give; Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live” (III.ii.174-175). This shows that Lady Capulet is willing to lie and exaggerate the claims against Romeo. This also shows that Romeo needs someone to come to his defense. In addition, Lord Montague tries to reason with Prince Escalus when he states, “Not Romeo, prince, he was Mercutio's friend; His fault concludes but what the law should end, The life of Tybalt” (III.ii178-179). This indicates that Lord Montague is trying to rationalize Romeo’s actions, but he stops there. This also indicates that Lord Montague is not willing to fight for his son and keep him safe from execution or banishment. In the end, Lord Montague should have tried harder to prove his son’s innocence or lessen his son’s punishment, preventing the banishment and Juliet’s grief.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if Lord Montague would have been more aggressive in his parenting, he could have prevented the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. When Romeo was depressed and overwhelmed, he did not turn to his father; instead, he went to other figures for advice – individuals like Friar Lawrence that lead him astray. Unfortunately, Lord Montague, like many other parents today, failed to respond to all of the warning signs emitted by Romeo. Parents should not wait until times of crisis to address serious issues with their teens.

Works CitedShakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Mirrors and Windows: Connecting with Literature Level IV. Ed. Brenda Owens. St. Paul: EMC Publishing, 2009. 505 – 614. Print.

In MLA Format with a hanging indent, the entry should include the following: • Author’s last name comma author’s first name period space • The full title of the play in italics period space • The full title of the text book including the level period space• Abbreviation for editor period space• The full name of the editor of the textbook period space• The city of the publishing company colon space• The name of the publishing company comma space• The year the textbook was published period space• The range of page numbers the story spans in the textbook period

space• The medium of publication period