I'm working on an essay that is focusing on impulsiveness in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I want to avoid focusing on the characters of Romeo and Juliet, because it is mostly a given. Instead, I would like to focus on minor characters, possibly Tybalt, the Friar, and the nurse perhaps.
Any suggestions on how I tackle this essay, or even if there are better characters that I can use for this analysis?
It's been a while since I've read the play. I can help you some though :) It all depends on what you mean by "impulsiveness." If you speak about wit, you can use the "debate" in the beginning of the play where someone bites his thumb, etc. There, you can analyze the argument and show that the "better" and wittier one is often the one who is more "impulsive" and quicker at throwing insults back. If you really want to go into this, you can try researching the concept of sprezzatura.
Of course, there's always the kind of impulse that leads to tragic consequences. Don't ignore the main characters just because they are the main characters. They are the protagonists of the play for a reason. USE them in your essay. Write about the dark side of impulsiveness, etc, and the devastating consequences of it. There are many examples of this in the play.
I want to avoid focusing on the characters of Romeo and Juliet, because it is mostly a given.
Good idea. This sentence would be good to include in the intro paragraph, too, prior to making your thesis statement.
Like Eugene said, give some definition to Impulsiveness as it is being used in the essay, and then skim through the actions of the story to find examples of impulsiveness that meet your definition. Maybe by the time you are writing the conclusion, you will have a new definition to offer for the word impulsiveness.
idk what the first choice is even talking about but the second one i feel like is easier to talk about. you can say something about how Juliet drinking the poison has influenced romeo to kill himself or something like that.
