Open Prompt 4 Revision

1982. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a work of literarymerit that confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary.

Violence exists for a reason, and even scholar Thomas C. Foster said so in his book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Thus, even with Shakespeare, violence has a purpose, such as in his tragedy Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo finds himself in a quarrel, representing a loss of innocence and a tragic future.

Near the climax of the play, Romeo has a brawl that leads to the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio. Before the fight, Romeo was a carefree young man in love with his rival family’s daughter. However, after the violent scene, Romeo seems to have matured quite a bit; he realizes that he murdered his cousin in law and is in deep grief. He even marries Juliet before he leaves Verona due his banishment. Marriage is a well-known sign of maturity, and it was caused by the violent brawl, it can be assumed that violence is symbolic of the loss of innocence for Romeo ins Romeo and Juliet.

Not only does this scene symbolize the loss of innocence in Romeo and Juliet, it also foreshadows the tragic ending of the play. The death of Tybalt and Mercutio foreshadows the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Tybalt and Mercutio are members of the rival families, just like Romeo and Juliet, and when they are slain in a tragic moment, it can only be assumed that it was only the beginning of the tragedy. The violence lead to their untimely deaths and through all of this tragedy, the families still kept up their bickering, ultimately leading to Romeo and Juliet’s death.

Violence does not exist for its own sake. Seen in the tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the use of a violent scene portrays the loss of innocence and the foreshadowing of future of the two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet.