Betrothal Dilemmas
Uploaded by Gotskillz on May 05, 2004
Betrothal Dilemmas
Three female protagonists, Juliet, Cimorene, and Catherine, in three different critically acclaimed novels, suffer similar betrothal quandaries. Juliet, in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, is engaged to Paris, but her heart teems with love for another man. Catherine, daughter of a loathsome and avarice father, is regularly troubled with abominable suitors in Cushman’s Catherine, Called Birdy. In Wrede’s Dealing With Dragons, Cimorene is despondent with princess life and has no desire to marry Therandil, a dreary prince. The three major characters in the above novels, Juliet, Cimorene, and Catherine, share identical struggles for bliss.
Juliet and Romeo go to great lengths to make their relationship work. The immediate consequences of their actions are truly dreadful, however. Promptly after Juliet lays eyes on Romeo at a festival, she falls in love with him. Nevertheless, Juliet is already engaged to Paris, an arrogant kinsman to the Prince. To make matters worse, Romeo is the son of her family’s paramount adversary, the Montagues. Romeo and Juliet secretly marry with the assistance of Friar Laurence, but because of fate, uncanny events take place to separate the two. Capulet, father of Juliet, grows angry and coerces Juliet to marry Paris within a few days; and Romeo, while avenging his friend Mercutio’s death, kills Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, which lead to his exile in Mantua. Friar Laurence formulates a plot to bring the paramours together once again. Friar Laurence gave Juliet a sleeping potion to prevent her from marrying Paris. When Juliet drinks the brew, she instantaneously falls into a deep sleep. Juliet’s parents believe she is lifeless and take her away to the temple of the dead. Balthasar, Romeo's diligent servant, brings Romeo the news of Juliet's death, unaware that her death is simply a hoax. Romeo makes his way back to Verona to ascertain his servant’s claims. During his visit to Juliet’s burial location, Romeo encounters Paris and kills him in a duel. Finally, after an intriguing soliloquy, Romeo takes his life beside Juliet. Ironically, however, Juliet wakes from her deep slumber minutes after her lover commits suicide and she immediately takes her life using Romeo’s dagger. Friar Laurence plans for the illicit lovers to reunite after Juliet’s awakening, but the destiny of the paramours is to die together. At the end of the story, six people die, including Romeo’s mother because of a broken heart. The Capulet and Montague families resolve their differences after...