Essay on How Love Is Represented in Romeo and Juliet and Noughts and Crosses
Comparing noughts and crosses by Malorie Blackman to Romeo and Juliet
Noughts and Crosses is reminiscent of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Noughts & Crosses is a modern-day tale set in an alternative world where you are either a 'Cross' with dark skin or a 'nought' with white skin. It is a book about race, power and truth. In this book Sephy (Persephone) is a cross and Callum her best friend and soon to be lover Callum is a nought
In some ways the book is very similar to Romeo and Juliet. For example Sephy (Persephone) has a close relationship with her mother’s secretary Sarah. This links with Romeo and Juliet because Juliet had a close bond with her nurse and in some ways Sarah is like a nurse to her. One scene that really emphasises this is when Callum sneaks into Sephy’s room and they sleep together. In the morning Sarah covers for her by kicking Callum’s trainers under the bed and out of her mother’s sight. She generally knew what she was doing because she said “get Callum dressed and out of here”. In Romeo and Juliet the nurse covers for Juliet when the same scenario occurs in the play. Juliet's relationship with the nurse is very warm. It is the nurse who cares for Juliet when she is sick, who sits on her bed and holds her hand when Juliet is afraid, who helps her get dressed for parties. Sarah although maybe not quite as close as Juliet and her nurse has a very similar relationship with Sephy in Noughts and Crosses.
Another example is how noughts and crosses are perceived as such rivals. In accordance to Romeo and Juliet with the Capulet’s and Montages the same rivalry occurs. Being in love with someone from the other side is seen as unfeasible. What also is interesting is that both books/plays and both sets of main characters choose to go against this and as a consequence end up paying a harsh price for their mistakes. In more detail this means that Callum was eventually hung for his love for Sephy and because the courts were convinced he had
Noughts and Crosses is reminiscent of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Noughts & Crosses is a modern-day tale set in an alternative world where you are either a 'Cross' with dark skin or a 'nought' with white skin. It is a book about race, power and truth. In this book Sephy (Persephone) is a cross and Callum her best friend and soon to be lover Callum is a nought
In some ways the book is very similar to Romeo and Juliet. For example Sephy (Persephone) has a close relationship with her mother’s secretary Sarah. This links with Romeo and Juliet because Juliet had a close bond with her nurse and in some ways Sarah is like a nurse to her. One scene that really emphasises this is when Callum sneaks into Sephy’s room and they sleep together. In the morning Sarah covers for her by kicking Callum’s trainers under the bed and out of her mother’s sight. She generally knew what she was doing because she said “get Callum dressed and out of here”. In Romeo and Juliet the nurse covers for Juliet when the same scenario occurs in the play. Juliet's relationship with the nurse is very warm. It is the nurse who cares for Juliet when she is sick, who sits on her bed and holds her hand when Juliet is afraid, who helps her get dressed for parties. Sarah although maybe not quite as close as Juliet and her nurse has a very similar relationship with Sephy in Noughts and Crosses.
Another example is how noughts and crosses are perceived as such rivals. In accordance to Romeo and Juliet with the Capulet’s and Montages the same rivalry occurs. Being in love with someone from the other side is seen as unfeasible. What also is interesting is that both books/plays and both sets of main characters choose to go against this and as a consequence end up paying a harsh price for their mistakes. In more detail this means that Callum was eventually hung for his love for Sephy and because the courts were convinced he had