How Is Honour the Driving Force with the Texts the...

How is honour the driving force with the texts The Godfather and Romeo Juliet? The Godfather and Romeo Juliet are complex texts which the readers of them barely see pass their superficial meanings. The Godfather on the surface is about the mafia underworld in the Italian American underworld, however underneath the facade it is also a fantastical tale of many types of honour. Romeo and Juliet is superficially a tale of two lovers whose families are torn apart by hatred for one another, but it too is a tale of honour. The four main types of honour in these texts are family, enemy, female and community honour. 95 In The Godfather, family honour is one of the main themes of the text. The don says to his son Sonny when the family talk†¦show more content†¦Connie is incapable of defending her honour against Carlo, so Sonny must do it. In Romeo Juliet, female honour is an important theme. Juliet keeps honour, a females honour in those times was staying a virgin until marriage. Juliet maintains her honour by waiting until she has married Romeo. Juliets other honour was staying faithful to her marriage with Romeo. Her father arranges her to marry Paris but she loves Romeo. Juliet can not stand up to her father, so the friar gives her a potion to make her look as if she is dead. We see like in The Godfather, how a woman can not defend her honour by themselves. Lastly, honour to the community is another important theme in the Godfather. When the heads of all the mafia families meet to discuss the drug business, some display their honour to the community. The Kansas city Don when talking ab out his opposition to drugs says I want it to keep it respectable, I dont want it near schools, I dont want it sold to kids. These words were said by a man with great audacity, he displayed his morals and stuck by them and thus keeping his honour to the community. In Romeo Juliet too is honour to the community very important. Prince Escalus after much violence from the Capulets and Montagues, decides to take matters into his own hands. He tells them that if they fight again that the heads of the families would be killed. Prince Escalus says If you disturb the peace again, your lives