#2

Romeo and Juliet, the literary epitome of a passionate romance. Shakespeare's tragic love story has always been considered a "timeless classic", but how does it rate with other such classics? Works such as the well-known Pride and Prejudice also convey the traditional love story, yet beyond this there is little similarity left between the two plots.

The concept of idealized love is conveyed in both quite clearly, expressing the wish to counter the norms of society to freely express their destined love. Both scenes occur in generally higher society, no poorhouses or slums. Refined, educated persons make up the main characters. In each story, they are temporarily denied each other and are separated for what is or seems to be a lengthy period of time. Both eventually reunite and remain that way at the end, whether in spirit or in body.

There is much more to differentiate in these literary works. First of all, quite obviously one is a tragedy and the other ends very happily. Romeo and Juliet is written as a play, whereas Pride and Prejudice is written as a novel narrated in third person. Romeo and Juliet are swept up in all the heat of their relationship. Contrasting widely is the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, who are at odds for most of the book before finally declaring their love for one another. Definitely extreme v. mellow emotions. With such differing expressions of attraction, the contrast is found in the cultural and time differences. Renaissance Italy and Elizabethan England are two entirely opposite places. Their views of what ‘idealized love’ is differs greatly, from Romeo and Juliet’s passionate affair, to Darcy and Lizzy’s mutual attraction.

While both are vastly apart in time, setting, perceptions of love, and social behavior, they still share important qualities. These are social standing, character development, desire for the idealized love, and a match destined to be together. Some would place the happily-ever-after ahead of the tragic ending, perhaps most. Yet, Romeo and Juliet ranks far higher as a tragic love story, being able to compare and contrast with work like Pride and Prejudice and other prestigious works.