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Story characters are aspects of the theme, disguised to resemble people.
They are attitudes, philosophies, points of view, opinions about your main theme – expressed through action.
Please let me illustrate, and you’ll see how this works.
(A)
#ShakespeareSunday
They are attitudes, philosophies, points of view, opinions about your main theme – expressed through action.
Please let me illustrate, and you’ll see how this works.
(A)
#ShakespeareSunday
Suppose we tell a story whose theme is “love vs reason”.
Suppose we decide to call it “Romeo and Juliet”.
(B)
#ShakespeareSunday
Suppose we decide to call it “Romeo and Juliet”.
(B)
#ShakespeareSunday
A character who represents unrestrained love, will dive into romantic experiences head-first, without thinking. Since it’s a love story, we have to have a couple of them. (Romeo and Juliet.)
(C)
#ShakespeareSunday
(C)
#ShakespeareSunday
A character who sees love as a fun, raunchy adventure, will be up to some shenanigans. (The Nurse).
A character who believes in being prudent, will try to restrict the lovers, maybe harshly. (Lord Capulet.)
(D)
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A character who believes in being prudent, will try to restrict the lovers, maybe harshly. (Lord Capulet.)
(D)
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A character who represents the denial of love and affirmation of loveless social institution of marriage will be cold and ineffectual. (Lady Capulet.)
(E)
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(E)
#ShakespeareSunday
A character who represents the notion that love means being nice to people will be a nice guy, lacking in personality. (Paris.)
A character who represents pure male machismo will be a fighter, not a lover. (Tybalt.)
(F)
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A character who represents pure male machismo will be a fighter, not a lover. (Tybalt.)
(F)
#ShakespeareSunday
A character who represents reason, will voice the opinion that love is just a delusion, and life itself is but a dream.
That character will have a playful attitude to the whole thing – and is likely to exit the story early. (Mercutio.)
(G)
#ShakespeareSunday
That character will have a playful attitude to the whole thing – and is likely to exit the story early. (Mercutio.)
(G)
#ShakespeareSunday
A character who represents love as friendship, will be everybody’s best buddy. (Benvolio.)
A character who asserts the idea that love means compassion and support to all human beings, will provide that, even if it may lead to ruin. (Friar Laurence.)
(H)
#ShakespeareSunday
A character who asserts the idea that love means compassion and support to all human beings, will provide that, even if it may lead to ruin. (Friar Laurence.)
(H)
#ShakespeareSunday
A character who doesn’t care about love but cares about the law, will act unemotionally and impartially. (Prince of Verona.)
(I)
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(I)
#ShakespeareSunday
Do you see how every single character in Romeo and Juliet represents a unique point of view of the theme?
There’s no overlap!
Shakespeare’s writing is compact, economical, and extremely well structured!
(J: end of thread.)
#ShakespeareSunday
There’s no overlap!
Shakespeare’s writing is compact, economical, and extremely well structured!
(J: end of thread.)
#ShakespeareSunday
