In both Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and Dickens ‘Great Expectations’, the relationships between adults and children show tension, dominance, obedience and victimisation. Although many of the relationships appear to be strained and negative, there are points in both the novel and the play script that show the relationships in a more loving and respectable light.
Comparing the times in which both texts were written in regards to how relationships are portrayed, Dickens wrote of a matriarchal society. For example Mrs Joe from ‘Great Expectations’ was seen as the head of the family. This dominance and strength in character is shown by “You staring great stuck pig!” being used as a putdown towards Mr Joe when things were not going her way. This suggests that Mrs Joe is quite used to getting what she wants and treats her own husband as if he was common dirt. Alternatively relating to the times in which Dickens wrote the novel, The use of the word “Pig” was at the time regarded as a swear word; Meaning that it was not said to anyone in any sort of authority. Taken further to suggest just how much distain Mrs Joe appeared to have for her family.
Conversely, Shakespeare wrote of a patriarchal society whereas the man ran the household. This is shown in the play by Lord Caplet’s use of “I will not be forsworn” in regards to Juliet going against his wishes. Both Lord Capulet and Mrs Joe share their self-imposed views of hierarchy. Relating back to the times ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was based on, “Forsworn” meant that Juliet was forbidden to go against his word. Back in Victorian Italy you did not go against your father’s wishes. Thus furthering my point on it being portrayed as a patriarchal society. To go against your father’s wishes was at ...
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...by Lord Capulets actions, seeing as it was more than common in those days to hit your family as a sign of hierarchy, or similarly a gasp by the violence shown in just one scene.
In both Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and Dickens ‘Great Expectations’ the relationships between children and adults vary drastically throughout the play and the novel; More specifically shown from Lord Capulets violent, aggressive and often controlling nature, contrasting to the care and affections shown by Mr Joe towards Pip. All relationships have their highs and lows, showing a great similarity between both texts. Each story is a cautionary tale about what happens when adults meddle in their children’s lives too much. Thus concluding that although the texts were seemingly quite different, they share the same variation of relationships and ultimately both come to rather tragic ends.
Charles Dickens used Great Expectations as a forum for presenting his views of human nature. This essay will explore friendship, generosity, love, cruelty and other aspects of human nature presented by Dickens over 100 years ago.
Many have said that romance brings love and affection, but when taken to the extreme, it can lead to tragedy and despair. Among the great literary tragedies, Romeo and Juliet may be the most famous of them all. The eternal feud between the Montegues and Capulets prohibits the love of Romeo and Juliet and ultimately results in their unfortunate deaths. It may be difficult to truly determine who is to blame for the tragedy, because their lives had been influenced, criticized, and controlled by many figures. Among the most important characters, Friar Lawrence enables the forbidden marriage of the two lovers and devises a plan to ensure that they end up together. On the other hand, Lord and Lady Capulet feed into the rivalry between the two families and refuse to listen to their daughter’s request, ultimately driving Juliet to fake her own death.
Strained Relationships, Resentment and Indignation Between the Classes in Great Expectations Great expectations is a profound story. It contains the theme of love,
Gazella, Katherine. “. Young Love in The Twenty-First Century.” Social Issues in Literature: Coming of Age in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, ed. by Vernon Elso Johnson, Christine Nasso, 2009. Print.
“It is a wise father that knows his own child” stated by William Shakespeare, a poet, which suggests that a good parent must have a connection with their child. However, Shakespeare lacked parental affection, the plays that Shakespeare had written, never had a well established relationship between a parent and their child. However the correlation between a parent and child may vary in many occasions and factors such as a healthy/unhealthy relationship, a tempting desire for self success, and a change of heart. Therefore, through an analysis of Jeannette Wall’s The Glass Castle, William Shakespeare’s King Lear, Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie, and Martin Fan’s bond with His parents, it becomes clear that the establishments between a
Anna Freud, the founder of child psychoanalysis, once said, “It is only when parental feelings are ineffective or too ambivalent or when the mother's emotions are temporarily engaged elsewhere that children feel lost” (“Anna Freud”). In this case, the children, Romeo and Juliet, get lost and confused, leading to their ultimate deaths. While they cannot live without each other, they also cannot live with each other either, since they end up dying together from all the conflicts piling on top on each other. Since Romeo and Juliet do not really have any parental influence in their lives, they do not know how resolve their conflict of star-crossed love. Due to miscommunication, conflicting viewpoints between parents and adolescents, and a lack of involvement in their children’s lives, Shakespeare shows through Romeo and Juliet that adults are ineffective in saving their children’s lives.
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the audience witnesses a great amount of familial pride when Tybalt shouts to an opposing family member, “What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward,” (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 1.1 pg 12). In the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare depicts two feuding families who once had a legitimate reason to be mad at one another, but now continuously fight each other fueled purely by family pride. This everlasting conflict between the Montagues and the Capulets illustrate to the audience how having too much family pride places a restriction on familial unity.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet centres on the relationship between two young protagonists, but much of what occurs during the play is as a result of the inequality between men and women. Juliet’s arranged marriage with Paris, as well as the ancient feud between Capulets and Montagues eventually contributes to the deaths of their children.
Charles Dickens’ world applauded novel of Great Expectations creates tension to grab the audience’s attention instantaneously because of the language devices he delicately lays out throughout the novel. This persuades the reader to go on and find out about what Pip would get up to, what sort of situations he will come across, and what his reactions would be towards the story. He does this in order to inform the audience of the daily problems that occur in the Victorian society and the conclusion the characters come to such as, becoming a gentleman, then changing completely, like Dickens says ‘snob’.
One of William Shakespeare’s earliest plays, Romeo and Juliet (c. 1594) is a well-known tragedy about the relationship of two “star-crossed” (1.P.6) lovers whose families have been quarreling for many years. Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, fall deeply in love after meeting at a ball held in the Capulet’s house. Shakespeare was still gaining an audience when he wrote Romeo and Juliet, so he used many well-known styles and techniques in order to give the audience what they wanted. As G.B. Harrison explains, Shakespeare shows the best and the worst characteristics of his early, immature style in Romeo and Juliet.
Charles Dickens creates a believable picture of Victorian times. In a book review which appeared in the September, 1861 issue of Atlantic Monthly, it was stated that, “in none of his other works does he evince a shrewder insight into real life, and a clearer perception and knowledge of what is called the world” (Peterson and Brother’s). The world Dickens creates emphasizes social structure, where the imbalance between the social classes is prominent. Great Expectations, set in Victorian times, successfully demonstrates the theme of social class and how this social hierarchy can be an inaccurate measure of self worth. This primary theme shows how setting affects Pip’s understanding, ultimately drawing him to the conclusion that treating others with respect is more important than social standing. Dickens incorporates various settings such as the Satis house, Walworth castle, the Victorian prison setting, and the overall climate of the criminal world to develop the prominent theme of the imbalance between the extremes of the social classes.
No novel boasts more varied and unique character relationships than Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. This essay will serve to analyze three different relationships, paying special attention to the qualities that each uphold. Dickens created three types of character relationships: true friends, betrayed friends, and loving relatives.
In Great Expectations, having “great expectations’’ can lead to disillusions and manipulations. These sufferings only greatly affected some characters and scarcely affected others. Dickens use of complex language and context develops many intricate messages similar to the idea that having great expectations can lead to disillusions and
Charles Dickens is well known for his distinctive writing style. Few authors before or since are as adept at bringing a character to life for the reader as he was. His novels are populated with characters who seem real to his readers, perhaps even reminding them of someone they know. What readers may not know, however, is that Dickens often based some of his most famous characters, those both beloved or reviled, on people in his own life. It is possible to see the important people, places, and events of Dickens' life thinly disguised in his fiction. Stylistically, evidence of this can be seen in Great Expectations. For instance, semblances of his mother, father, past loves, and even Dickens himself are visible in the novel. However, Dickens' past influenced not only character and plot devices in Great Expectations, but also the very syntax he used to create his fiction. Parallels can be seen between his musings on his personal life and his portrayal of people and places in Great Expectations.
Instead of providing social channels and moral guidance by which the energies of the youth can be rendered beneficial to themselves and society, the Montagues and the Capulets make weak gestures toward civil peace while participating emotionally in the feud as much as their children do. While they fail to exercise authority over the younger generation in the streets, they wield selfishly and stubbornly in the home.