Explore the ways in which the difficulties of love are presented in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet and Emily Brontes Wuthering heights.

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Writing task, English literature

Explore the ways in which the difficulties of love are presented in Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering heights’.

The difficulties of love saturate the pages of Emily Bronte’s deep, dark, gothic novel “Wuthering heights” and Shakespeare’s bright and bold “Romeo and Juliet”. These two tales are undoubtedly, two of the greatest love stories ever to be written and yet the protagonists love causes unprecedented degrees of suffering and trauma. Throughout this essay, I am going to analyse and explore the many similarities and differences that exist between both stories.

The time scales detailing the difficulties of love in these two pieces of literature are completely miles apart. In Romeo and Juliet, the actions take place within five days where as the events that occurred within Wuthering heights happen over a period of thirty years. In Romeo and Juliet, events come about with such speed, mistakes are made. Things seem out of their control. Romeo fails to receive the message informing him that Juliet is not dead; this leads to his wild and insane intention to take his own life. Juliet does not wake in time to save Romeo and as a result, takes her own life. Tragic events are foreshadowed in Romeo and Juliet, for example, from the prologue the audience is made aware that the ‘star crossed lovers’ take their life’s’. This quote suggests that it was the fate of both lovers to end in such tragedy. The term ‘star crossed lovers’ is a phrase describing a pair of lovers, whose relationship is said to be doomed from the start.

On the other hand, in Wuthering heights, where the difficulties of love occur over such a long period, the happenings are understood and presented through the use of flashbacks, along with the use of narrators, who are actors within the film. The aim of this was to make the story more believable. Catherine and Hathcliff, the two main lovers, could also be referred to as ‘star crossed lovers’ as their love also ends in tragedy. As though they were destined to experience love in such a way and have it swiped right away from them. Although both films differ in many ways, the difficulties of love and the differences between the families of both couples remain the unyielding similarity.

In Wuthering Heights there are two main residences, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Both residents are wealthy, grand households lying near the wild, Yorkshire moors. However they are exact opposites. Wuthering Heights is associated with passion and nature, whereas Thrushcross Grange epitomises civilization, peace and order. Wuthering Heights is a dwelling characterized by fiery emotions, primal passions, bitter vengeance, and blatant evil. Thrushcross Grange is a peaceful, beautiful abode which epitomizes all that is good and lovely. Emily Bronte includes these two places in the Romantic film Wuthering Heights, to create a contrast which furthers the overall theme of good vs. evil. Each house is associated with behaviour fitting the description. For example, when Catherine is taken into the Grange, she experiences drastic changes, thus going from a "savage" to a "lady". While at Thrushcross Grange, she rises in status, learns manners, and receives great privileges such as not having to work. Heathcliff, on the other hand, learns to classify himself as a member of the lower class, as he does not possess the qualities of those at the Grange.

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In Romeo and Juliet there are the two feuding families, the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. Romeo being a Montague and Juliet a Capulet. The Capulet and Montague families held high power in Verona, the main setting of the film. Both families were very wealthy and had huge mansions as homes. The families despised each other. They were involved in many fights until the Prince had to lash threats at both families, threats that could lead to death, if they were to continue their belligerent.

Rival households feature in ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Although the Capulet’s and Montague’s ...

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