English 105A01
Meredith Bailey
9/21/01
Over the course of only a few acts, Juliet rapidly matures and transforms
from a frivolous adolescent into a courageous woman. In Act I, Juliet passively
answers her father’s question of marriage to Paris simply saying, "I’ll
look to like, if looking liking move." Here she attempts to compromise
with him, although she knows that she could never marry Paris. (does
she really know this at this point?) Marriage, she says, "is an
honor I’d rather not have." (no, it's "an honor I
dreamt not of") Here she is young and immature. Shakespeare displays
this once through Lord Capulet ironically when he says that Juliet is too
young for marriage earlier in Act I. However, Juliet rapidly matures as
her love and passion for Romeo increase as well as crisis (?
your use of this word seems inaccurate). In Act III, she becomes
completely isolated and her parents both turn against her, as well as her
comforting figure, the nurse. This represents a break from adolescence
as well. She says that she cannot call the nurse in her time of need anymore,
but she must do this deed "alone." (yes, good observation
here) As the play continues and her
maturity level rises, so does her courage. She becomes emotionally stronger
than Romeo. Rather than blaming fate and passively drifting through life,
Juliet has the will to act to battle fate as crises arise. The decision
to fight the powers of fate proves that she is the strongest character
throughout the play. She recognizes that she and Romeo can never be together
if she doesn’t do something. As Fate separates these "star-crossed lovers"
she does everything to stop it. It is here that she falls victim to the
world. Despite her attempts, the tragedy overcomes her strength and courage.
Here she represents innocence, symbolizing how innocence can be tossed
into death like a "plaything," as Bryant referred to Juliet.
This is very fine, particularly the last third
or so, where the writing is very clear and lively and you gesture at some
of the play's larger issues. The first part lacks focus, and the
writing is less precise. Overall a fine job. (9.0)