Prompt Revision #2: Open Prompt #2

1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

            Endings are the most important part of a piece of literature, it's like the dessert of a 5-course meal, and if it's disappointing your whole meal is ruined.  The same mind set is applied to literature, a bad ending can leave a reader puzzled and upset.  Some novels and plays do intentionally have an incomplete ending, and sometimes it works and sometimes it's a disaster.  Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been acknowledged to be one of the greatest plays of all time, but it has an abrupt and different ending, but I believe this ending appropriately concludes the play because it adds literary effects, and supports the themes of violence and family.

            Shakespeare veered away from the usual "happily ever after" ending and that decision gave his play a lot of attention.  By ending the play with both Romeo and Juliet dying the reader initially was shocked and maybe even sad, but when the reader gets over the initial shock they can see the ending did a lot of good things.  First of all it leads to the Capulet and Montague houses getting along and it also adds some irony.  When their children die the two families agree to get along as a way to honor their children, but at the end the two families compete over who will build the better grave for their child.  It's also ironic that when Romeo and Juliet wanted their families to get along they didn't, but after they were gone then their families respected their wish.  This ending added some irony to the play as well as allowing it to be set apart from the usual sappy endings.

            Shakespeare's unfortunate ending to the play Romeo and Juliet added the theme of violence and destruction usually ignited by love or passion.  The first example of violence is when Romeo killed Tybalt to avenge his best friend's death.  This theme is strengthened with Shakespeare's unique ending when Romeo and Juliet betray their respective houses because of their love for each other, and as a result Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves because they believe their loved one is dead.  Without this ending this theme wouldn't be as noticeable or powerful.  

            Another theme that's present in this play is family, and the ending of the play emphasizes the effect family can have on love.  In this play the Capulets and Montagues hated each other and this is present right away when their servants have a fight; "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
/
I do bite my thumb, sir.
/Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?/ 
[Aside to GREGORY] Is the law of our side, if I say
ay?/ 
No.
/
No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I
bite my thumb, sir." (1.1.1)  In this scene readers can see how strong the hatred is that even the servants get involved and are giving each other the finger, so to say.  As the play goes on and Romeo and Juliet realize how strong their love for each other is this family conflict comes in the way.  In the end their family conflict led them to make a plan to escape and when that plan went bad it led them to kill themselves.  Juliet's family pushing her to marry another man and their family's not getting along led to their unfortunate deaths.  This ending emphasizes the effects of family, and how they shaped the fate of their children unknowingly.

            Shakespeare's ending contributes to his play Romeo and Juliet, and because of it the play became a literary masterpiece.  His unique ending supported the theme of love, violence, and family, and it also added literary elements like irony to the play, all while straying away from the usual "happily ever after"ending.

Response to Course Materials #6

The dreaded Hamlet is finally finished, but throughout this unit I warmed up to Shakespeare and the play Hamlet.  My goal was to be able to understand his old English without the help of Ms. Holmes, sadly I don't think I accomplished my goal, but reading Hamlet has helped me get one step closer.  Annotating helped a lot and the impromptu switch in finals to the acting project helped me because it allowed me to understand Hamlet in not only one, but in two ways.  After looking back I was able to make connections between Hamlet and our past readings, and the one that stuck out the most was Hamlet and Willy.  Both characters essentially had the same question "to be or not to be..."  They both saw death as the "easy" way out and contemplated this issue throughout their respective stories.  I was also able to relate my own life to this play, although I didn't have the horrendous issue of having a father who was killed by my uncle and then became my dad...I connected with some of Hamlet's issues.  Such as doing whats right, and dealing with the thin line between not doing anything and standing up for what you belive in.

We are now reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead and suprisingly enough it's a connection or branch off of Hamlet.  I agree with Ms. Holmes that even though it looks like a light read there are many layers to peel back.  Right now I'm iffy on the true meanings and connections to Hamlet, but I think the many class discussions and annotations will help me decipher this book.  Now that second semester has started the AP exam is creeping closer and I'm getting nervous for the essays we have to write.  Although AP practice essays are dreaded I hope we do some because I need to practice those for sure.