Loyalty In Art Spiegelman's 'Maus'

Selfish Desires, Love or Loyalty--What is the Priority?

In Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Art travels through his father’s past and copes with the present circumstances. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet follows star-crossed lovers as they fight for their right to love each other. While the graphic novel and novel, have completely different plots, for Maus is a recollection of the Holocaust and Romeo and Juliet is a love story, they can be compared and contrasted in the ways in which familial loyalty is jeopardized. With a complicated relationship, both Art and Vladek are seen to make decisions out of self-interest, disregarding the effects on the other. Romeo and Juliet’s love is seen to be the factor that makes them yearn for another

All that Juliet could dream of is another world where she wouldn’t have to abandon anyone who she loves dearly. Yet, that is not her life and will not be the case. No one could have predicted the young, innocent Juliet Capulet would be the Achilles heel of their family, or that she would lead to the mass chaos that results from her newfound relationship. Truthfully, no one or nothing would be able to help Juliet assume this position, except for choosing love over blood. In their family, the most important principles are maintaining the image of an ideal family where everyone is loyal and loves the way they go about their lives. Juliet’s love for Romeo caused her to attempt at breaking free from the restricted life she lived and ruin her family’s reputation, ultimately being an act of treason. Similarly, Romeo faces similar issues upon falling in love with Juliet. When Mercutio has just been murdered by his brand new relative, only hours after marrying into the Capulet family, Romeo must decide whether his love for Juliet will prevent him from taking revenge on Tybalt, the man who killed his best friend. Romeo contemplates, “I do protest I never injured thee / But love thee better than thou canst devise / Till thou shalt know the reason of my love… / This gentleman, the Prince’s near ally, / My very friend, hath got this mortal hurt / In my behalf” (3.1.69-71, 114-116). As a member of the Montague family, Romeo is supposed to fight Tybalt practically for fun, as an act of violence and hate towards the Capulets. In addition to his familial requirements, Tybalt just murdered Mercutio, the man who has been by side as long as he can remember and is an essential part of his life. The obvious response to Tybalt’s rash actions would be to retaliate. Despite all those solid reasons to make a scene, Romeo is reluctant to act cruelly towards his wife’s cousin who she loves dearly. Romeo’s love