Suggested Outline

A Useless Tragedy

 

I.        Introduction: state your opinion, author, title

II.      Show that R & J didn’t truly love each other and therefore dying for each other was an empty act

A.    Topic sentence

B.     Specific example or quotation

C.    Reflection

III.    Second piece of evidence that they only had a superficial love

A.    Topic sentence

B.     Specific example or quotation

C.    Reflection

IV.   Show another option that R & J had (i.e. they could have run away together or Juliet could have told her father the truth)

A.    Topic sentence

B.     Specific example or quotation

C.    Reflection

 

V.     Show how R & J’s marriage, not their deaths, could have brought the two families together and ended the feuding

A.    Topic sentence

B.     Specific example or quotation

C.    Reflection

 

 

VI. Conclusion

 


Suggested Outline

Not A Useless Tragedy

 

I.       Introduction: state your opinion

II.      Explain and show the benefit of R & J’s deaths: they brought peace

A.    Topic sentence

B.     Specific example or quotation

C.    Reflection

III.    Show that R & J truly loved each other and needed to be together

A.    Topic sentence

B.     Specific example or quotation

C.    Reflection

 

IV.   Show that Juliet could not tell her parents the truth

A.    Topic sentence

B.     Specific example or quotation (Lady Cap’s reaction to Tybalt’s death & Lord Cap’s reaction to Juliet’s refusal to marry Paris)

C.    Reflection

 

V.     Show that R & J had no other options than faking death (show how other options would fail)

A.    Topic sentence

B.     Specific example or quotation

C.    Reflection

 

VI.   Show how R & J’s deaths prevented more fighting

 

VII. Conclusion