Social force per unit area frequently compels people to make things against their ain will. The function of the male in a society is based on a stereotyped figure which represents what all existent work forces should be like. In Romeo and Juliet. the supporter is an emasculate version of the males in his society. As a consequence. he is down and feels left out. Perversely. Mercutio is a manlier and more provocative male which portrays the alpha male and all his duties and duty that comes along in his society.
In Brokeback Mountain. Jack and Ennis portray the image of American cowpunchers. but finally are unable to keep this image due to their desire for each other. In Romeo and Juliet and Brokeback Mountain. the term maleness differs depending on the clip frame and restrains the function of the male in the society in which they live in. Masculinity works otherwise in Romeo and Juliet and Brokeback Mountain as it can be represented as an duty. a frontage or a restraint due to societal force per unit area. In Romeo and Juliet. maleness is regarded as a function that the male is obligated to take in order to fulfill the societal concept of his clip.
Romeo is forced into existent society and he feels that he does non hold any option in his life. Consequently. he is down and hopes for person that could liberate him of this despair. Juliet serves as a accelerator in Romeo’s life as she convinces him to be who he is. Unfortunately. his function of the alpha male takes precedence as his best friend. Mercutio dies: “My really friend. hath got this mortal hurt… O Sweet Juliet. / Thy beauty hath made me effeminate. / And in my pique softened valour’s steel” ( Shakespeare act 3. 1. 110-15 ) .
Even though Romeo does non desire to contend. he is forced to make so or else he would be seen as a coward who let his best friend dice in vain. To dissemble his ain failing. he finds the alibi that Juliet’s beauty blinded his opinion. Furthermore. the rough world of the societal concept is straight reflected through the household feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. For case. Tybalt is portrayed as a ruthless hood powered merely by his hate of the Montagues. As such. he is convinced that “ [ Romeo ] art a villain” ( Shakespeare act 3. 1. 60 ) .
Romeo represents the complete antonym of the function of the male in his society. He is portrayed as an effeminate adult male driven by poesy and love affair. In contrast. Tybalt plays the function of the consecutive frontward stereotyped male of his clip and shows that Romeo’s universe is purely based on responsibility. Shakspere shows that maleness reflects all males in a peculiar society and that it is displayed otherwise depending on societal concept. In Brokeback Mountain. Jack and Ennis use a masculine frontage to quash their ain gender. but finally. their love for each other prove to be stronger.
The narrative takes topographic point in the Bible Belt. a topographic point where gender and races are oppressed. Due to this scene. the two lovers are unable to show their fondness for each other with normal agencies. In fact. the bogus individualities that they create finally lead them to destruction. Jack and Ennis are unable to show their true feelings and this restricts them to make the felicity that they strive. For case. after their separation. “Within a stat mi Ennis iron [ els ] like person [ is ] drawing his backbones out… [ Ennis ] iron [ els ] about every bit bad as he of all time had” ( Proulx 18 ) .
Unconsciously. Ennis pours his feelings out for Jack and feels that he has lost person really of import. Even though their world does non let their brotherhood. the desire that they have for each other is existent and their bond can non be broken easy. Furthermore. the relationship between them is particular ; they are unconditionally attracted to each other and show this fond regard with contact. In fact after four old ages non seeing each other. Jack and Ennis “seiz [ vitamin E ] each other by the shoulders. clinch [ s ] mightily… their oral cavities came together. and hard” ( Proulx 21 ) .
As they do non cognize how else to show their feelings. the best manner for them to demo their love is by actions. Jack and Ennis’ forbidden love prove to be hard. but their strong desire for each other proves to be stronger than the image of maleness that they forged. In both plants. maleness is an unsurmountable wall that constrains the characters to travel out of their comfort zones. In Romeo and Juliet. the function of the alpha male plays an of import portion in the narrative chiefly because it is a stimulation which makes the narrative advancement. For case. Mercutio’s oral cavity can non rest and this frequently puts him into hard state of affairss.
Mercutio’s self-importance is bigger than he can exert and this reflects in his actions in the difference between him and Tybalt: “Men’s eyes were made to look. and allow them stare / I will non stir for no man’s pleasure” ( Shakespeare act 3. 1. 53-4 ) . Mercutio is ready to contend till the really terminal for his ain beliefs ; he is stubborn and ne’er dorsums down. This show how small options the alpha male or males in general in this society have as they have to contend every minute for their beliefs since it is the lone manner for them to experience that they are free. In Brokeback Mountain. Jack and Ennis are engulfed in a universe where males are judged by their gender.
Jack and Ennis are engulfed in a universe where love is one dimensional. The out love that the two experience is something that they can non understand and as such. they try to conceal its really being. In fact. even after many sexual intercourses. Ennis still claims that: “‘I’m no fagot. ’ and Jack [ besides adds ] in with ‘Me neither. A one-shot thing. Nobody’s concern but ours’ ” ( Proulx 15 ) . By populating in this oppressing environment. the two lovers are unable to show their true feelings as there are no words to show what they truly experience for each other.
Jack and Ennis are afraid of the boundary that exceeds what they already know as such. they want to remain inside what they already know about love and refuses to believe that their relationship is more than physical. In both plants. the stereotyped male function dictates the men’ duties and therefore creates a dystopia where work forces are unable to come across this boundary that they set for themselves. In decision. maleness is an of all time altering facet of a society. It is something that defines the really being of the male in his environment.
The adult male in a peculiar society holds duties that he can non get away nor conceal from where force and ferociousness is at its extremum. In Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio abides to his function as the alpha male. but merely receive heartache and bad luck. In Brokeback Mountain. Jack and Ennis seek to conceal their love by moving masculine. but finally can non defy to their enticements. As maleness evolves throughout societies. the term remains straightforward and stereotyped where there is no flight and where calamity ensues.
