Romeo And Juliet Belonging Analysis

The basis of ones life naturally revolves around the urge to gain a sense of belonging, and inturn the acquirement of this sense can be a catalyst for many decisions. An individual’s perception of belonging is constantly being reshaped by personal experiences such as upbringing, family life and relationships and inevitably leads one to gain a sense of identity and acceptance of themselves and the world around them. Factors that affect ones perception of belonging are continually changing due to the circumstances and stages of their present life, however throughout these stages a number of Impediments such as family issues or traditional gender roles may provoke a sense of division or restrict their ability to develop a sense of belonging. William
Shakespeare’s Play As You Like It and Niki Caro’s film Whalerider explore in which the ways these impediments create barriers to belonging.

Throughout ones life the choice to belong to a number of groups arises, the decision coming down to an individuals’ morals and preferences. However, there are a few groups that we are unable to choose as to whether or not we want to belong, the most prominent of these being gender. Throughout history “gender stereotypes” have been developed by societies, which are often fixed, and overly simple ideas regarding the expected or socially acceptable traits, attitudes, and behaviors of males or females. Shakespeare’s Rosalind and Caro’s Paikea are both met with the challenge of overcoming the social and traditional roles of women in their societies in order to belong.
Rosalind’s choice to disguise herself as a young man named Ganymede initially permits Celia and herself to flee court safely as the presence of a man enables them to ‘pass along and never stir assailants’.
However, through disguise Rosalind is able to challenge the 16th century ideas of gender, especially that masculinity and bravery are purely inherent factors of males. Throughout her time as Ganymede, she questions this preconceived idea and concludes that masculinity is merely a role played and that the distinguishing characteristics of males and females are not so strictly instinctive but more so learned, ‘as many other mannish cowards have That do out face it with their semblances’. Rosalind’s decision to disguise her self not only provided protection and safety for their life in the forest, it enabled her to gain the freedom to explore her identity as it allowed for her to behave in ways considered socially unacceptable for a woman at the time. Without the use of disguise, the girls’ journey to the forest would have been unsuccessful as it was unacceptable for two women to travel alone. The fact that Rosalind was accepted as a man so easily by merely cross-dressing and putting on an amateur act of masculinity questions the differences we claim as the basis for the differing treatment on men and
women.
Throughout Caro’s Whale rider, the protagonist, Paikea, attempts to challenge her cultures traditions by proving herself as the next natural leader of her tribe, despite her gender.
According to Maori tradition, only a male can carry the knowledge to be a leader, however, it is blatently obvious through her natural talent and pure determination, that she is more than competent to be the leader. Her grandfathers disappointment and disapproval of her birth into the sacred blood-line is apparent from the beginning of the film where a close-up shot of his face reveals his disgust as he angrily states, ‘she has broken the male line of decent in our tribe… get her away from me.’ As Pai grows older her grandfather, Pukka, is constantly reminded of her natural suitability for the role through her successes in mastering the traditional roles of the men and being the being the only one able to retrieve the sacred whale tooth. A number of aerial long shots are used to show Pai’s seclusion from the young boys of the tribe who are being taught the traditional customs of the leaders by showing her secretly watching and practicing behind a building or wall, which also places an emphasis on the barriers to her acceptance. Pai’s struggle to be accepted by Pukka reaches a climax when blames the beaching of the whales (the tribes ancestral animal) on her as she had been meddling with the gender roles of their society. Her determination to prove herself is lastly shown through the use of
another aerial long shot of her staying behind to encourage the biggest whale back to the ocean, even after the rest of her people had given up, the shot not only shows her fortitude but again emphasizes the division and alienation she experiences throughout her innocent effort. Her success at returning the whales to the ocean on her own finally proved to Pukka that she had indeed been chosen to lead the people of her tribe despite her gender.
Throughout both texts, the gender stereotype developed by each of the societies hindered the ability of the women to easily belong in each of their chosen paths despite their natural inclinations. Both protagonists challenged these barriers and in turn revealed the insignificance of the differences we claim to be the reasoning for the different treatment and expectations of men and women.

Belonging to a family is the most primitive group, besides gender, one can belong to. Familial relationships play a huge part in ones life, from birth to death, and as easy as it is to gain a sense of identity and belonging from your family, it is just as easy to experience a sense of alienation or division, especially as one grows older. Family issues such as arguments regarding the fairness of inheritance or an individuals importance due to their gender can cause a negative effect on ones sense of self-worth or cause them to feel disconnected from their family.
The birth of Paikea and death of her twin brother, in Whalerider, breaks the male line of decent, infuriating her grandfather. For her whole life, Paikea attempts to gain the acceptance of her grandfather, but struggles, as he believes that ‘she is no use to us’ and states that ‘when she was born, that’s when things went wrong for us.’ A number of close-up shots of Paikea sitting alone on the beach at night thinking emphasize the extent of her isolation and enable the responders to empathize with her as she revels in her disconnection. Without her grandfathers acceptance, she feels as though she is unwanted, this is blatantly revealed to the audience when she states to her father, ‘he doesn’t want me’, as she chokes back tears. Pukka's refusal to accept Pai restricts her from gaining a sense of belonging from her family no matter how hard she tries to please him.
Oliver’s refusal of Orlando’s rightful inheritance of $250 and an education in As You Like It also conveys how family issues and arguments can prevent an individual from gaining a sense of belonging from their family due to feelings of division or exclusion. By disallowing Orlando his inheritance, Orlando feels as though Oliver is denying his equal hereditary origin, by claiming ‘the spirit of my father grows strong in me and I will no longer endure it’, reveals to the audience his frustration. By demanding Oliver to allow him ‘such exercises as may become gentleman’ or to give him ‘the poor alottery’ his father left him shows his pining for equality and qualifications that would allow him to be of equal stature of his brothers, minimizing the division between them. Through lack of education and money, Orlando does not possess the defining qualities of a man in his born class and therefore another sense of detachment is developed due to the social barriers.
Throughout Shakespeare’s AYLI and Caro’s Whale Rider the effect of traditional gender roles and family issues as barriers to belonging is explored. Both texts proved that although these barriers can be overcome, they temporarily prevent one from gaining a sense of acceptance, identity and belonging from the two most primitive sources of acceptance.