Essay question 4 Romeo and Juliet

"I will raise her statue in pure gold, that whiles Verona by that name is known, there shall no figure at such rate be set as that of true and faithful Juliet." "As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie, poor sacrifices for our enmity!" These lines are from the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. They are set to emphasize the pedestal on which Romeo and Juliet have been raised. Romeo and Juliet as the characters attain an almost-mystical level in the story as well as a literary work in the real world.

In the Story, Romeo and Juliet both sacrifice their lives for their ideas of idealistic love. They give the ultimate sacrifice which ends up in ceasing the conflict between their two families. Even if their intentions weren't nearly as noble as all that, they still attain a level of acclamation because of the repercussions of their actions. Their families get back together and they sacrifice themselves because they cannot stand living without each other. Their actions help their families realize how weak their enmity was and how much they love their children and how noble their children's actions were. And now, there forms, along with memories of them and their actions, will be standing tall and proud in Verona forever.

Looking at the story as a literary work we can see the mythological level that Romeo and Juliet have come to. Juliet and Romeo have become household names like Zeus for his power, Pandora for her condemnation of mankind and Midas for his golden touch. Romeo and Juliet, like their predecessors, have achieved such a status because of their personal sacrifice. The characters are strong characters and they have strong actions, but also, the fact that they where written into being by one of the world's greatest authors, William Shakespeare, definitely helps in their attaining legendary status. They attain what most wish they could, but almost never attempt: idealistic love and personal sacrifice for the betterment of those close to them. The reason that Romeo and Juliet have come to be acknowledged as nearly mythological, is because of the author that created them as well as the actions that they take.