Reread the fable and the excerpt from Romeo and Juliet. What overall message is suggested in 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
I dreamt a dream tonight.
MERCUTIO And so did I.
ROMEO Well, what was yours?
MERCUTIO That dreamers often lie.
ROMEO In bed asleep while they do dream things true.
. . .
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
Dreams can influence how we feel and act.
Dreams can influence how we feel and act.
Dreams are only the products of our imagination.
Dreams are only the products of our imagination.
You should always follow your dreams for success.
You should always follow your dreams for success.
Our dreams never reveal the truth.
Our dreams never reveal the truth.
3 answers
The overall message suggested in both texts is: Dreams can influence how we feel and act.
In the fable, the prince's actions, motivated by his father's dream, lead to his tragic fate. Similarly, in the excerpt from "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo expresses a sense of foreboding based on his fears and dreams, culminating in an acknowledgment that his emotions and actions are impacted by these visions. Both texts highlight the power of dreams and their impact on our decisions and feelings.
