Romeo And Juliet Essay

The idea of forbidden love is well explored in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. Forbidden love in which I have defined as being love that is not acceptable by families or the society. Romeo and Juliet and Noughts and Crosses both explore how prejudice family values and expectations can affect those in love.

In Romeo and Juliet the idea of forbidden love, is developed through the main characters actions. There are barriers, which Juliet jumps over. She develops into a more independent girl who knows what she wants throughout the play. In the beginning of the play she is an obedient daughter when asked to do things by her mother. “It is an honour that I dream not of,” she says to her mother, however she doesn’t think of getting married. On the balcony scene Juliet declares her love for Romeo in spite of his belonging to the Montague’s. However she ends up proposing to Romeo “If that thy bent of love be honourable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow.” And she is willing to change her name to be with him. O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love”. She is willing to change who she is to be with her love because of their families feud, she has realised that Romeo and her love is forbidden. Also towards the end, in the scene where Juliet is determined to drink the sleeping potion in order to be with Romeo, where she says “Romeo, Romeo Romeo! Here’s a drink- I drink to thee”. This shows us Juliet has truly developed into an independent girl through her love for Romeo. The path she chooses to go with is drinking the sleeping potion because she thinks it’s going to reunite Romeo and her back together when she awakes.

Similarly the idea of forbidden love is also developed in the novel Noughts and Crosses. In Noughts and Crosses the two households Sephy and Callum’s families don’t get along due to their respective racial...