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Dead Poets Society Comparison

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You may have read the famous Shakespearian play Romeo and Juliet and not thought much of it. The well-known Tragedy actually relates to many other works of literature. The movie Dead Poets Society is a very good example of a similar story. The stories take place in different times and have totally different characters, but they have many plot points which make them very similar. How would 2 forbidden lovers from the Renaissance compare to adolescent boys attending a prep school? Although Romeo and Juliet and Dead Poets Society have a seemingly unrelated plot, there are actually many similarities to them in the form of love, relationships, and tragedy.

The first comparison between the movie and the play would be through love. Romeo and Juliet’s …show more content…
The comparison is the disconnect between the parents and their children from both stories. The characters in dead poets society attend a prep school, so naturally, they would not be very connected with their parents. Not only are they physically separated from their parents, their parents don’t really understand them or their interests. Todd had received the same desk set two years in a row for his birthday and Neil’s parents have no idea that he has a passion for acting. Despite living with their parents, Romeo and Juliet are very disconnected from both of their parents just like the Dead Poets Society characters. Juliet's mother does not know her own daughter's age, and her father does not understand her ideas of love. Romeo’s parents did not feel like they could talk to their own son about why he was feeling depressed and instead sent his cousin to talk to him. Clearly, the relationships between parents and children are similar in both stories. Because of the weak relationships between the characters and their parents, they are forced to find somebody else for guidance. Romeo turns to Friar Lawrence, Juliet turns to the Nurse and the students turn to Mr. Keating. All 3 mentors show the teens how to live and provided the care they did not get from their parents. Friar Lawrence and Mr. Keating are very similar because of what they did for people in need of help. Friar helped Romeo and Juliet marry in secret and Mr. Keating helped his students pursue their dreams. As you can see, the characters in both stories are disconnected from their parents for totally different reasons, but they can still relate to each other on multiple

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