The first step to writing your paper is to come up with your thesis. Your thesis is your statement of what you believe. A good thesis tells what you believe, sets boundaries on what you will include in your paper, and establishes an organizational order for your arguments. Read the section Developing a Thesis Statement on pp. 371–372 in The Essential Guide to Language, Writing, and Literature. You will support your thesis with examples from the text of Romeo and Juliet. Your thesis statement could be a response to any of the following questions:
Who is most responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Consider whether Fate, the families, the Friar, Romeo and Juliet, or any other characters from the play are most responsible.
What does Romeo and Juliet illustrate about the nature of love? Consider how the play portrays love between family members and love between young men and women.
If a director must cut scenes from Romeo and Juliet for performance, which scenes could be removed? How would their absence affect the play as a whole?