Romeo And Juliet Deaths Essays (886 words) -

Romeo And Juliet Deaths William Shakespeare wrote many great plays in his day. His tale of Romeo and Juliet portrays a tragic love. This play ends with the deaths of the key characters Romeo and Juliet, because of their forbidden love. Many factors contribute to their demise. The scene of when they first meet, the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio, and the final death scene all reveal why the two of them cannot be together in the end. Romeo and Juliet are ultimately killed because of their decisions and fate. The effects of Romeo and Juliet's decisions and fate are first apparent in the scene when they first come together. When Romeo says to Juliet in the Capulet party, "Thus from my lips, by thine my sin is purged" (I,v,108), and then he kisses her, it obviously exhibitions how they exercise their choice to love each other. After discovering each other's identities, Romeo proclaims, "My life is my foe's debt" (I,v,119), and Juliet states, "My only love sprung from my only hate" (I,v,140). These lines foreshadow that there will be many impediments keeping them apart and eventually killing them both. It might be thought that the tragic ending is caused by them choosing to love each other. However, if fate does not bring them together in the first place, they will never have the opportunity to establish their love. Romeo and Juliet are affected by their choices and fate right from the beginning. Romeo's actions and chance also cause the chaos in Romeo and Mercutio's fight scene with Tybalt. When Romeo replies to Tybalt when he is first insulted and threatened on the street, "I do protest I never injure thee, but love thee better than thou canst devise" (III,I,67-8), it means he does not mean Tybalt any harm and is walking away from the fight. Then, Mercutio steps in for Romeo and starts fighting with Tybalt. Romeo gets between them, which allows Tybalt to kill Mercutio, and later results in Romeo killing Tybalt. It is very easy to point the finger at Romeo and accuse him of allowing Mercutio to be killed. His decision directly allows Tybalt to stab Mercutio, but he is trying work it out so no one will be injured, like peer mediation. Although he has no clue that he will do more harm, Romeo is actually trying to help. That's where fate affects him. Also, it can be said that Romeo is entirely responsible for killing Tybalt. When Romeo exclaims to Tybalt after he comes back from killing Mercutio, "And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!" (III,I,123), it shows how he is furious and wants to fight. A lot of people say that Romeo has no need to fight, but what if he does not? Didn't something horrible happen the last time he walked away? Maybe Benvolio will start a fight with Tybalt and be killed as well. So fate does have a role in deciding the outcome. It is hard to conclude that everything will be all right for Romeo if he does not fight Tybalt. In this sense, the fight scene shows how fate and Romeo's decisions are responsible for two deaths and banishment. The final scene itself shows how Romeo and Juliet's decisions and fate lead to their deaths. Their destiny "A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. . . doth their death bury their parents' strife" (1st prologue, 6-8), stated in the prologue, describes how they are foretold to die and many people agree that it is fate that ultimately causes their deaths. If the friar in Mantua arrives earlier to deliver Friar Lawrence's message or if Romeo arrives just a few minutes later in the Capulet tomb, it's possible that the finale would change. Even though fate will allow Romeo and Juliet to carry out their plan, they are the ones who decide to commit suicide in the first place. Juliet speaks to herself before she drinks the friar's potion: Come, vial. What if this mixture do not work at all? Shall I be married then tomorrow morning? No, no! This shall forbid it. Lie thou there." (IV,iv,21-3) After speaking, Juliet lays a dagger down beside her and that displays how she is prepared to kill herself instead of not seeing Romeo again. Also, Romeo says to the nurse in Friar Lawrence's cell, "Doth my name lodge? Tell me, that I may sack the hateful mansion" (III,iii,107-8) and offers to kill himself. Since there is virtually no chance of them being able to live together happily

Emily Murphy, Canadian Womens Rights Activist

Emily Murphy, Canadian Women's Rights Activist Emily Murphy (March 14, 1868–Oct. 27, 1933) was a strong advocate for Canadian women and children who led four other women, collectively called the Famous Five, in the Persons Case, which established the status of women as persons under the British North America (BNA) Act. An 1876 ruling had said that women are not persons in matters of rights and privileges in Canada. She also was the first female police magistrate in Canada and in the British Empire. Fast Facts: Emily Murphy Known For: Canadian womens rights activistBorn: March 14, 1868 in Cookstown, Ontario, CanadaParents: Isaac and Emily FergusonDied: Oct. 27, 1933 in Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaEducation:  Bishop Strachan SchoolPublished Works:  The Black Candle, The Impressions of Janey Canuck Abroad,  Janey Canuck in the West,  Open Trails, Seeds of PineAwards and Honors: Recognized as a  Person of National Historic Significance  by the government of CanadaSpouse: Arthur MurphyChildren: Madeleine, Evelyn, Doris, KathleenNotable Quote: We want women leaders today as never before. Leaders who are not afraid to be called names and who are willing to go out and fight. I think women can save civilization. Women are persons. Early Life Emily Murphy was born on March 14, 1868, in Cookstown, Ontario, Canada. Her parents, Isaac and Emily Ferguson, and her grandparents were well-to-do and highly educated. Two relatives had been Supreme Court justices, while her grandfather Ogle R. Gowan was a politician and newspaper owner. She was brought up on equal footing with her brothers, and, at a time when girls were often uneducated, Emily was sent to the prestigious Bishop Strachan School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While she was at school in Toronto, Emily met and married Arthur Murphy, a theological student who became an Anglican minister. The couple moved to Manitoba, and in 1907 they relocated to Edmonton, Alberta. The Murphys had four daughters- Madeleine, Evelyn, Doris, and Kathleen. Doris died in childhood, and some accounts say Madeline died at an early age as well. Early Career Murphy wrote four popular books of patriotic travel sketches under the pen name Janey Canuck between 1901 and 1914 and was the first woman appointed to the Edmonton Hospital Board in 1910. She was active in pressuring the Alberta government to pass the Dower Act, a 1917 law that prevents a married person  from selling the home without the consent of the spouse. She was a member of the Equal Franchise League and worked with activist Nellie McClung on winning voting rights for women. First Woman Magistrate In 1916, when she was prevented from attending a trial of prostitutes because it was deemed unsuitable for mixed company, Murphy protested to the attorney general and demanded that a special police court be set up to try women and that a female magistrate be appointed to preside over the court. The attorney general agreed and appointed Murphy as the police magistrate for the court in Edmonton, Alberta. On her first day in court, Murphys appointment was challenged by a lawyer because women were not considered persons under the BNA Act. The objection was overruled frequently and in 1917, the Alberta Supreme Court ruled that women were persons in Alberta. Murphy allowed her name to be put forward as a candidate for the Senate but was turned down by Prime Minister Robert Borden because the BNA Act still did not recognize women for consideration as senators. The Persons Case From 1917 to 1929, Murphy spearheaded the campaign to have a woman appointed to the Senate. She led the Famous Five in the Persons Case, which eventually established that women were persons under the BNA Act and so were qualified to be members of the Canadian Senate. Murphy became president of the new Federation of Womens Institutes in 1919. Murphy was active in many reform activities in the interests of women and children, including womens property rights under the Dower Act and the vote for women. She also worked to promote changes to the laws on drugs and narcotics. Controversial Causes Murphys varied causes led to her becoming a controversial figure. In 1922, she wrote The Black Candle about drug trafficking in Canada, advocating for laws against the use of drugs and narcotics. Her writing reflected the belief, typical of the times, that poverty, prostitution, alcohol, and drug abuse were caused by immigrants to western Canada. Like many others in Canadian womens suffrage and temperance groups of the time, she strongly supported the eugenics movement in Western Canada. Along with suffragette McClung and womens rights activist Irene Parlby, she lectured and campaigned for the involuntary sterilization of mentally deficient individuals. In 1928, the Alberta Legislative Assembly made the province the first to approve sterilization under the Alberta Sexual Sterilization Act. That law was not repealed until 1972, after nearly 3,000 individuals were sterilized under its authority. In 1933, British Columbia became the only other province to approve involuntary sterilization with a similar law that wasnt repealed until 1973. While Murphy did not become a member of the Canadian Senate, her work raising awareness of womens causes and changing laws to empower women was critical to the 1930 appointment of Cairine Wilson, the first woman to serve in the legislative body. Death Emily Murphy died of diabetes on Oct. 27, 1933, in Edmonton, Alberta. Legacy Though she and the rest of the Famous Five have been hailed for their support of property and voting rights for women, Murphys reputation suffered from her support for eugenics, her criticism of immigration, and her expressed concern that other races might take over white society. She warned that the upper crust with its delicious plums and dash of cream is likely to become at any time a mere toothsome morsel for the hungry, the abnormal, the criminals and the posterity of insane paupers.† Despite the controversies, there are statues dedicated to Murphy and other members of the Famous Five on  Parliament Hill in Ottawa and in the Olympic Plaza in Calgary. She also was named a  Person of National Historic Significance  by the Canadian government in 1958. Sources â€Å"Emily Murphy.†Ã‚  Biography Online.â€Å"Emily Murphy.† The Canadian Encyclopedia.Kome, Penney.  Women of Influence: Canadian Women and Politics. Toronto, Ontario, 1985. Doubleday Canada.