Quillian


 * Henry Quillian **

//Paste the appropriate portion of your essay in the spaces below. Note: we may not have enough time to post every part of your essay even though there are sections for each.//

Throughout the play, Romeo shows that his lack of masculinity and manhood before he meets Juliet, during the time he is in love with her, and even when he is performing usually masculine acts causes much disorder and chaos. __Comments:__
 * __Thesis Statement:__**

you said that he shows a lack of masculinitiy when he is performing masculine acts. Revise this statement

You have many grammar and punctuation errors. But, besides that, good solid thesis. -Reid Calhoun

Romeo starts out in the play a sad ball of depression due to his rejection from Rosaline. Instead of taking the rejection like a man and moving on he is so convinced that this girl is his love he spends all the time moping and complaining about is broken heart. “I am too sore enpiercéd with is shaft/ To soar with his light feathers, and so bound/ I cannot bound a pitch above dull woe:/ Under love’s heavy burden do I sink.” 1.4.19-22. With this quote it sounds as if Romeo is just going to spend all his time sitting at home eating ice cream and crying for the rest of his life. His failure to man up and get over Rosaline creates a feeling of femininity about him. This femininity of his sadness causes him to stay secluded for almost all the time and only go out at night. Romeo also seems to be a bit of a teenage girl when it comes to love. “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough,/ Too rude, too boist’rous, and it pricks like a thorn.” 1.4.25-26. Romeo acts like a drama queen after being dumped by her boyfriend. If this love of his is too much for him to handle then he needs to stop obsessing over it and find something else. If not then he will spend the rest of whatever life he may have in depression. This depression causes Benvolio to have him come to the party where he meets Juliet and falls in love. Of course, in the end his love becomes very rough, rude, and boist’rous. __Comments:__
 * __Body Paragraph 1:__**

Romeo never gets rejected by Rosaline, he is just too in love to ask her to go out with him good quotes Fun Fact: i used your seconed quote too.

Good job. You explained your argument well. -Reid Calhoun

Romeo’s relationship with Juliet causes him to act more feminine and also causes him to lose more of his identity as a man. After his marriage with Juliet, when Tybalt challenges him to a duel, Romeo fails to pull out his sword but instead starts talk about how he loves him. “I do protest I never injuried thee,/ But love the better than thou canst devise,/ Till thou shalt know the reason of my love;/ And so good Capulet, which name I tender/ As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.”3.1.61-66 This is said after Tybalt slanders him, calling him a villain, but Romeo refuses to fight. He seems to ignore his reputation and pride and declines to fight at all. The declining of the challenge itself shows how Romeo is feminine enough but he then goes on about loving Tybalt and causes his friend Mercutio to get fed up and fight Tybalt. This ends up leading to his good friend’s death. Another point about Romeo’s masculinity problems in this quote is the importance of names. Earlier he told Juliet he would take her name and now he talks of how he loves the name Capulet as dearly as his own. The changing of names is usually the wife’s role in the relationship but Romeo takes it on showing another example of his lack of masculinity. Romeo jumps in-between Tybalt and Mercutio fighting later and accidentally causes his friend to be stabbed. He realizes his folly and remarks about Juliet, “O sweet Juliet,/ Thy beauty hath made me effeminate,/ And in my temper softened valour’s steel!” 3.1.104-106. Romeo himself has admitted he has lost his manhood to Juliet. He also talks about valour’s steel being softened which could have two connotations both to do with his lack of manhood. First it could be commenting on his failure to cross blades with Tybalt. His valour’s steel being his sword and the softening meaning the losing of his masculine urge to fight to protect ones honor. The other meaning of this could be a sexual reference of sorts where the softening of valour’s steel is becoming impudent. Afterwards he goes into a rampage and hastily decides to kill Tybalt. This causes him to be banished which his mother kills herself over in the end. Overall it seems that in his time with Juliet, Romeo has lost whatever masculinity he had and is falling down a slippery slope causing many deaths. __Comments:__
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These are really good points and you use strong quotes to back up your argument. Overall it is very good.

You are so smart. "could be a sexual reference of sorts where the softening of valour's steel is becoming impudent." I would've never come up with that. Good job! -Reid Calhoun

When faced with choices of doing things in a masculine way or a more feminine way it seems that Romeo has a tendency to take the less masculine path. Near the end of his wedding night Romeo just hops out of bed and starts running away for fear of being caught. He sayes, “Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day/ Stands tip toe on the misty mountain tops./ I must be gone and live, or stay and die.” 3.5.9-11 Romeo seems to just be acting like he was just there for some quick sex and was then off to some more important place to be. He runs off not seeming to care much about how she was but rather just that he was satisfied. He finds it ok to just leave her there alone just as long as he gets out of there alive and happy. Near the end of the play Romeo really seems to choose multiple drastic, stupid, and unmasculine paths. He is informed that Juliet is “dead” and goes off in an emotional rant and figures he will kill himself. “let me have/ A dream of poison, such soon-speeding gear/ As will disperse itself though all the veins,/ That the life-weary taker may fall dead,” 5.1.59-62 First of all it seems that choosing to kill yourself is not the best path to choose. It shows how Romeo just runs on emotions and can’t let any masculinity help him make better decisions. Something else to notice about this quote is that he takes the easiest, quickest, and painless form of death. Unlike those who throw themselves on their swords he is just going to take a few sips out of a bottle and lay down. If he had to commit suicide he should have at least had some dignity in it. In the end it is Juliet who once again takes the masculine role and stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger. Of course Juliet wouldn’t have had to kill herself if Romeo just calmed down and didn’t kill himself in the first place. __Comments:__
 * Body Paragraph 3:**

good quotes and points but im not sure if "quickie" is a word. Try not to use present day slang.

He spends the night with Juliet, then he leaves. But it is pretty typical of a modern day "man" to have sex and go. It isn't very polite but it sure beats having to talk to the girl. Right? -Reid Calhoun

In //Romeo and Juliet// the lack of masculinity in Romeo causes many problems for all characters in the play. Throughout the play Romeo shows that his lack of masculinity and manhood before he meets Juliet, during the time he is in love with her, and when he is performing masculine acts, causes much disorder and chaos. Shakespeare shows how a man, lacking adequate amounts of masculinity, can cause many catastrophes that snowball into a disaster. Romeo’s lack of masculinity could even be said to lead to the death of many including himself and his own love, Juliet. __Comments:__
 * __Intro:__**

see comment in thesis statement overall it is a strong thesis

Oh nice. You kind of went off of the thesis into a little bit more depth. good. -Reid Calhoun Over all Romeo’s lack of masculinity could have caused around 5 deaths in the play. Shakespeare shows how this extreme femininity in a man is bad for everyone and no man should run solely on his emotions. Love is good but it cannot run your life or you may end up dead. If one is unmasculine like Romeo in the beginning of the play that needs to be changed or in a few days that person may end up dead because he got depressed, went to a party, fell in love with a girl, killed her cousin, got banished, had sex with her, missed a letter, and made a stupid decision to kill himself. __Comments:__
 * __Conclusion:__**

These are excellent points and arguments that are backed up by strong quotes. But you might want to get some of your facts strait.

Now I know to never be unmasculine. Good Job overall. Your a good kid. -Reid Calhoun Period 4 Home Page

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