Comparing Sullivan's Romeo And Juliet

In contemporary times, being true to oneself and being open about one’s opinions can be a magnet for hate and criticism; online and in the real world. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this years annual Vox Populi Youth Symposium. My name is Tom Sullivan and I will be discussing one of Shakespeare’s most known quotes, ‘To thine own self be true’, and why it is still relevant today. Romeo and Juliet is a story about the hatred between two families erupting into violence, until two children of these enemy families fall in love and both commit suicide; putting an end to their parents’ feud. The story focuses around the love between the opposites and how they fall in love regardless of which family they belong to. Through this, the play shows the

Shakespeare’s words, ‘To thine own self be true’ are still valued today, as they encourage people to be proud of their own identity and show maturity and dominance towards their beliefs. I believe that being true to yourself can only begin by becoming proud of your identity and what you stand for. This theme is showcased and highlighted in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This theme is evident when Romeo and Juliet discover that they both are children of rival families at Capulet’s party. Even though Romeo and Juliet both know that they are from different houses, they are true to themselves and are still willing to see each other again. This is evident when Juliet says, ‘My only love sprung from my only hate! … Prodigious birth of love it is to me, That I must love a loathèd enemy.’ (1.5.136-139). However, they aren’t true to themselves in the sense that they do not reveal their love to the public, as they are scared of the ridicule that they would receive from the city of Verona and more importantly, their parents. A real life example of someone standing up for what they believed in is Martin Luther King, Jr. and his “I have a dream” speech. On the symbolic steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King spoke to