Sound of Waves

The love affair between the two main characters in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet was in many ways very similar to the love affair between the two main characters in the book The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima. In both stories, the romantic couples had a relationship that was undesired amongst their families, they both had obstacles that kept them from each other, and both couples had friends that influenced the outcomes of their relationships. The complicated ramifications of two people in love are very clear and obvious in both of these stories. It is the theme that encompasses both books and makes them so much alike in content.

The relationships between Romeo and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Shinji and Hatsue in The Sound of Waves were disapproved of by both of their families. Romeo and Juliet came from different backgrounds. Romeo was a Montague and Juliet was a Capulet. The Montagues and the Capulets had been rivals for a long time. Juliet said to herself, "Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or, if thou will not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet." (p. 71) Although Hatsue's and Shinji's families were not rivals, Hatsue's father heard a rumor about his daughter and Shinji that upset him very much. He therefore banned Hatsue from having any contact from Shinji. Hatsue said to Shinji, "Last night at the bath Father heard some very bad gossip about us and became terribly angry and commanded that I must never see Shinji-san again." (p. 110) Both families, for different reasons, did everything in their power to keep the loved ones apart.