Read the fable by Aesop and the excerpt from Act 1, Scene 4 of Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. What is the purpose shared by both texts? A king had a dream that his son would be killed by a lion. Afraid the dream should prove true, he built for his son a pleasant palace and adorned its walls with life-sized animals, among which was the picture of a lion. When the young Prince saw this, his grief at being thus confined burst out afresh, and, standing near the lion, he said: “O you most detestable of animals! Through a lying dream of my father’s, I am shut up on your account in this palace!” With these words he stretched out his hands toward a thorn-tree, meaning to cut a stick from its branches so that he might beat the lion. But one of the tree’s prickles pierced his finger. A violent fever suddenly set in, from which he died not many days later. ROMEO Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace. Thou talk’st of nothing. MERCUTIO True, I talk of dreams, Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy, Which is as thin of substance as the air And more inconstant than the wind, who woos Even now the frozen bosom of the north And, being angered, puffs away from thence, Turning his side to the dew-dropping south. BENVOLIO This wind you talk of blows us from ourselves. Supper is done, and we shall come too late. ROMEO I fear too early, for my mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night’s revels, and expire the term Of a despisèd life closed in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death. (1 point) Responses t

Question

to instruct with a moral lesson to instruct with a moral lesson to entertain readers to entertain readers to describe the author’s personal experiences to describe the author’s personal experiences to elicit strong emotions

Answer 1

The shared purpose of both the fable by Aesop and the excerpt from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is to instruct with a moral lesson.

In Aesop's fable, the moral revolves around the dangers of trying to avoid fate or attempting to escape one's destiny, as the prince's effort to escape his fate leads to his unfortunate demise. Similarly, in the excerpt from Romeo and Juliet, the themes of fate and the consequences of foreboding dreams illustrate the idea that our actions can lead to inevitable outcomes, teaching a lesson about the interplay between fate and free will. Both texts ultimately highlight how attempts to control one's fate can lead to unintended and tragic consequences.