Thursday, November 21, 2013
OLOD vs. Romeo and Juliet
Towards the end of Of Love and Other Demons, there are many parallels to Romeo and Juliet, in particular, dying out of love. If this is the case, the convent can be seen as a force (like Romeo and Juliet's parents), separating their love. Do you think Sierva Maria's many misfortunes like being abused by doctors and being thought to be possessed by a demon represented another aspect of Romeo and Juliet or were they just additional forces keeping Sierva in the convent therefore separating her love towards Delaura?
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I do think that Sierva Maria's misfortunes represent another aspect of Romeo and Juliet. Sierva Maria was trapped inside the convent which made it harder for Delaura to see her. Romeo was also sent away which made it almost impossible for Juliet to see him. Delaura would do whatever he had to to see Sierva Maria and Romeo and Juliet tried to do everything to see each other. In the end of both stories there is a death or multiple deaths.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the misfortunes specific to Sierva Maria do not relate to Romeo and Juliet. The fear of the unknown that is expressed when Sierva Maria interacts with the convent is used to symbolize the fear of the unknown that the Europeans associate with the native Americans. The Europeans do not understand the natives so they simply label them as barbaric and subordinate. This is not a theme that appears in Romeo and Juliet. I think that in Of Love and Other Demons fear of the unknown is the main contributor to the downfall of their love because love itself is scary and unknown. This fear is also what drives the convent and the bishop to exorcise Sierva Maria after classifying her as possessed when in reality it was just the treatment for her fever. I find that in Romeo and Juliet there are many things that can be attributed to their failed love, such as their parents or fate.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are parallels to Romeo and Juliet, but was Sierva really being kept from Delaura. They were still able to see each other every night and that one even all day. They parallel I see is not in how they were separated from love but how they were able to over common this separation force to still be together. In both cases there was something helping them meet. In OLOD it was the tunnel and in Romeo and Juliet it was the help of the friar and Juliet's maid.
ReplyDeleteI don't really think that anything is keeping Sierva Maria and Delaura apart. When two people love each other, nothing can tear them apart. I think that in both Of Love and Other Demons and Romeo and Juliet, the authors use these a outsides forces such as fate and the convent to show the tragic side of love and that love leads to dependence, and once you are separated from the one you love, nothing good will come of it.
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