The Power Of Emotion in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet and Herman Melvilles Moby Dick - Essay Example

The power of emotion in regards to two works of literature – William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick Throughout history, writers, philosophers, and psychologists from an ending amount of perspectives have considered human motivation. While psychologists such as Sigmund Freud have argued that human actions are motivated by unconscious impulses, several philosophers have argued that human actions are the direct result of our own internal will. In large part writers of literature have worked to capture the more engaging and interesting aspect of human motivation.

It is perhaps with this in mind that Duff Brenna stated, “all literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not the reason that motivates characters in literature.” When considering a variety of literary texts, it’s clear that this statement is largely proven accurate. 

Indeed, it has assumed a considerable place in contemporary culture, as frequent adaptations appear on cinema and television. With this in my mind, the large importance of the work to humanity is clear. The plot of Romeo and Juliet demonstrates that, indeed, the literature demonstrates the power of emotion. One of the major themes of the play is the overriding power of emotion. Consider when Romeo discovers that Juliet has seemingly died; he states, “O my love, my wife! Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath/ Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty" (Act V, scene iii).

Here Shakespeare is implementing a metaphor – ‘honey of thy breath – to demonstrate the theme of human emotion. Later in this scene, Romeo kills himself, leading the play to conclude, “For never was a story of more woe/ Than this of Juliet and her Romeo" (Act V, scene iii). Of course, the tragic irony Shakespeare implements is that Juliet was only sleeping. Ultimately, through theme, metaphor, and irony, Romeo and Juliet is a powerful example of how emotion trumps reason in literature.

Another major work of literature that demonstrates the power of emotion over reason is Herman Melville’s, Moby Dick. This novel details the adventures of Captain Ahab who has lost his arm through an encounter with a large whale deemed Moby Dick. Throughout the novel Captain Ahab goes through tremendous extremes to capture this whale, throwing aside all elements of reason, for the pure emotional thrill of revenge. Indeed, the novel’s primary theme becomes the all-consuming emotion of revenge.

Toward the novel’s conclusion, a major chase occurs, with Captain Ahab stating, “Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last, I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee” (Melville 478). Here, Melville is implementing a metaphor ‘hell’s heart,’ to indicate the extreme forms of emotion that are being implemented in the novel’s tone. Ultimately, through theme, metaphor, and tone, Moby Dick functions as a strong example of the prominence of emotion over reason in literature.

In conclusion, this essay has considered the prominence of emotion over reason within William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The essay demonstrates that through the use of a variety of literary techniques, the authors of these texts argue that emotion is the primary concern of literature. Ultimately, both works are powerful for their implementation of the all-consuming aspects of human emotion.