English: how do artists and writers portray the difficulties and painful aspects of love?

« Oral d’anglais spécialité: encounters How do artists and writers portray the difficulties or painful aspect of love? INTRODUCTION Love is the deepest relationship between two hearts.

The union of two hearts and two hearts and two minds, the gift of self to another human being, the desire to dedicate one’s life to making the other person evolve and progress, these are the finest sentiments of a human heart.

But love can also be a source of conflict or pain. All these difficulties have inspired men across the centuries.

Many of them knew how to relate the different painful aspects of love in plays, like Shakespeare, in musicals like Arthur Laurents, or simply in novels like charlotte Brontë or Jane Austen. First, I will show that certain authors end their works in tragedy because the difficulties of love are too great.

Next, I will show that certain authors also highlight the obstacles and pain, but love endures despite this and at the end, all is well that ends well! DEVELOPMENT Shakespeare is a famous playwright, and many of his plays end in tragedy. Romeo and Juliet is a famous example.

This play is set in Verona, during the Renaissance.

The story is about a long quarrel between the Montague and the Capulet families but “from forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of young star-cross’ d lovers take their life.” The prologue clearly exposes the situation. Shakespeare tells us that only the two lovers’ death will be able to put an end to the conflict.

The whole play shows us how Romeo and Juliet evolve.

Their neverending love results in an inevitable tragedy because it was incompatible with their families’ situation.

In the famous balcony scene where Romeo and Juliet profess their great affection for one another, and next by their secret marriage, we right believe that all will end in happiness.

But there is a reversal of situation. Juliet already foresees there will be obstacles and even tragedy in their love because when saying goodbye to him from the balcony: “Methinks I see thee, thou art below, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb.” We see very well that despite the good harmony there is between the two young-people, the love brings real sorrows.

It’s also thanks to the very powerful ad elaborate speech of his characters that Shakespeare portrays still more tragically the difficulties and the painful aspects of love of Romeo and Juliet.

In fact, as announced in the prologue, these two lovers end up taking their lives.

Romeo drinks poison and Juliet kills herself with Romeo’s dagger to be united to him in death.

With their death, the conflict between their families ends. My second example is the famous musical West side story by the screenwriter Arthur Laurents This film ends also in tragedy.

In fact, it’s a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.

The story takes pace in the nineteen fifties.

There is a clash between two clans: Porto-Rican migrants are against white American group.

They fight each other for a territory.

But for two young lovers, Tony and Maria, it ends in tragedy.

In this film, we see how love can bring on difficult situations.

For example, Maria must sacrifice her entire life with her family and friends to run away with Tony.

The commentary on West Side story by Clemency Lengagne is very interesting.

The author tells us that “here, each dance has it’s significance” and almost, they “express the feelings of the characters”.

So, it’s particularly thanks to the music and dancing that the difficulties of love are expressed.

At the end of the film, there is a very poignant scene which sums up the difficulties and the sad sides of love which ends in tragedy. Artists and writers portray also the obstacles of love in novels.

The two examples I will mention are two examples which show us the real difficulties that there are in the establishment of love and all the pains it can bring with it.

But these novels end in happiness and not in tragedy. The first novel I choose is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

This novel tells us the life of Jane Eyre.

After an unhappy adolescence, she becomes a teacher and finds a job as a governess to Adele, the ward.... »