The idea of what it takes to be a human being has long been researched and discussed, and yet, there is no single conclusion about human nature. What it takes to be a human can be explained by certain behaviors that come naturally among all persons. Some basic human traits are the ability to communicate with others, have feelings and perform simple tasks such as eating and sleeping. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, he conveys his perception of humanity through his characters, specifically the protagonists Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare effectively depicts the nature of young adults as they tend to become more rebellious against their parents and make impulsive decisions. Although he does explore many aspects of humanity such
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Shakespeare and Melville interpret what it means to be a human in different ways through their main characters and their actions, and both authors similarly conclude that human nature is distinct for every person and it relies on the past and present events that each person goes through.
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare characterizes Juliet as a young beautiful woman, reaching the beginning stages of adolescence. Because she is the only daughter in the Capulet family, her parents want what is best for her, or so they think. Since the Montagues and Capulets have a long-time feud, Juliet knows to have nothing to do with the Montagues, no matter the circumstance, even if love is involved. Love is not a problem for Juliet, however, since she is only thirteen. Juliet’s parents are so paranoid of her ever falling in love for a Montague that in order to avoid any type of relationships with the Montagues, Juliet’s parents set her up with a man to marry, a non-Montague. This arrangement is only one of the many ways that explains how protective and fearful the Capulets are of interacting with a Montague. As soon as Juliet meets Romeo, a Montague, she immediately disregards her family’s orders and ends up …show more content…
The narrator in the story is a boss at a law firm who employs a rather odd employee, named Bartleby. Bartleby is not what most bosses would call a “great employee.” He just sits at his desk, very quiet and solemn, and when he is asked to perform a simple task, he simply replies, “I would prefer not to.” Instead of firing him, the narrator just leaves Bartleby alone, trying to figure out why he is the way he is. It is not until the very last line in the story that the narrator reaches a conclusion about why Bartleby acts that way, and why humans act the way that they do. The narrator states, “Ah, Bartleby! Ah, Humanity!” This statement may seem vague in its meaning, but here, the narrator has come to the conclusion that everyone is different in the way they act and perform day-to-day activities, and how we act is merely based on past experiences. Bartleby used to work at a Dead Letter Office. Just the title of the job sounds morbid, although all he did there was sort out misplaced letters. It is not explained as to what happened at the Dead Letter Office to make Bartleby act in this way, and maybe it was not his previous work environment that affected him. As the story progresses, the narrator begins to develop sympathy for Bartleby, even though he has no idea why he is disrespectful and unreliable at work. Melville shows how it is human nature to be sympathetic and feel pity towards
Shakespeare and Melville interpret what it means to be a human in different ways through their main characters and their actions, and both authors similarly conclude that human nature is distinct for every person and it relies on the past and present events that each person goes through.
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare characterizes Juliet as a young beautiful woman, reaching the beginning stages of adolescence. Because she is the only daughter in the Capulet family, her parents want what is best for her, or so they think. Since the Montagues and Capulets have a long-time feud, Juliet knows to have nothing to do with the Montagues, no matter the circumstance, even if love is involved. Love is not a problem for Juliet, however, since she is only thirteen. Juliet’s parents are so paranoid of her ever falling in love for a Montague that in order to avoid any type of relationships with the Montagues, Juliet’s parents set her up with a man to marry, a non-Montague. This arrangement is only one of the many ways that explains how protective and fearful the Capulets are of interacting with a Montague. As soon as Juliet meets Romeo, a Montague, she immediately disregards her family’s orders and ends up …show more content…
The narrator in the story is a boss at a law firm who employs a rather odd employee, named Bartleby. Bartleby is not what most bosses would call a “great employee.” He just sits at his desk, very quiet and solemn, and when he is asked to perform a simple task, he simply replies, “I would prefer not to.” Instead of firing him, the narrator just leaves Bartleby alone, trying to figure out why he is the way he is. It is not until the very last line in the story that the narrator reaches a conclusion about why Bartleby acts that way, and why humans act the way that they do. The narrator states, “Ah, Bartleby! Ah, Humanity!” This statement may seem vague in its meaning, but here, the narrator has come to the conclusion that everyone is different in the way they act and perform day-to-day activities, and how we act is merely based on past experiences. Bartleby used to work at a Dead Letter Office. Just the title of the job sounds morbid, although all he did there was sort out misplaced letters. It is not explained as to what happened at the Dead Letter Office to make Bartleby act in this way, and maybe it was not his previous work environment that affected him. As the story progresses, the narrator begins to develop sympathy for Bartleby, even though he has no idea why he is disrespectful and unreliable at work. Melville shows how it is human nature to be sympathetic and feel pity towards