Archetype Analysis Project Proposal
Student Name: Jane Doe
Topic: Outcast: Romeo Montague from Romeo and Juliet and Mari Djata from Sundiata
Students are expected to maintain current information in the proposal.
I. Executive Summary: (Provide a brief summary of your critique. Be sure to include the two
authors and the two works selected.)
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and D.T Niane’s from Sundiata both have characters who
are outcasts. Romeo Montague and Mari Djata are vastly different characters; however, they share
common experiences as the outcast in their respective stories. Romeo Montague is an outcast
because he is from a rival family, falls in love with the daughter of his enemy, kills her cousin, and is
exiled from Verona, his hometown. Mari Djata, a weak young boy with a huge head cannot stand
upright. Because of this, his family is ridiculed and Mari Djata is mocked on a regular basis. Even
his mother takes her anger out on her son because she is mocked, thus bringing shame to the
family, too. Both of these young men are outcasts in the areas in which they reside.
II. Statement of Impact: (Clearly identify and explain the impact of the common cultural archetype
on the literary works.)
Romeo Montague’s role as the outcast in Romeo and Juliet is critical. The Prince tells both families,
the Montagues and the Capulets, that if anyone else is caught fighting they will be banished from
Verona. Romeo, at this point, is deeply in love with Juliet and they are now man and wife. Because
Romeo gets in a brawl with Juliet’s cousin Tybalt and kills him, the Prince makes good on his
promise to banish those involved in this continuous fighting. Romeo is banished, Juliet is slated to
marry Paris in a few days, and she looks to the Friar for help. Because Romeo is banished, Friar
Lawrence plans to send him a letter in Mantua to tell him the plan for Juliet and the potion that will
make her seem dead. The letter never reaches Romeo; he secretly comes home, finds Juliet “dead,”
and decides he cannot live without her. She awakens to find Romeo has killed himself and she does
follows suit and does the same. If Romeo had not been an outcast, perhaps the resolution would
have been different.
In the excerpt from Sundiata, Mari Djata’s role as an outcast in the story is paramount. Mari Djata, a
weak boy with a large head, cannot stand upright. During this same time, the Mali kingdom is in
need of a strong leader. Mari Djata, the king’s son, is slow to develop and is a rather awkward child.
He is mocked by many. One day, Mari Djata’s mother is ridiculed for having a son so weak and
helpless to the point that he cannot even pick up leaves for his mother. Hearing this and knowing
that her son is infirm, she gets angry, taking her frustration out on her son. Mari Djata is so upset
by his mother’s reaction that he suddenly gets superhuman strength, stands tall, uproots a tree, and
brings it to his mother. Because of Mari Djata’s weakness and inability to do common tasks, he is an
outcast. Without his role in the story, there would be no epic hero; Mari Djata is the one who,
because of being marked by the gods, must suffer from special burdens. He has to be the outcast
and suffer; it is his fate.
Archetype Analysis Project Proposal
III. Justification: (Briefly explain how the two authors depict the same common cultural archetype
in varying and intriguing ways.)
Shakespeare sets Romeo up as the outcast from the beginning of the play. Because he is a member
of the Montagues, he is rejected by the Capulets and anyone having close ties to the Capulets (with
the exception of Juliet, the Nurse, and the Friar). As an outcast, Shakespeare makes Romeo a
sympathetic character, despite the fact that he is involved in brawls and ends up killing Tybalt
when his kinsman, Mercutio, is in trouble. Shakespeare also adds to the outcast label by making
Romeo very emotional with the need to have some alone time to think about things. Despite having
close friends and a wife, Shakespeare gives Romeo a lot of alone time in the play which makes him
an outcast on a variety of levels.
Similarly, Mari Djata from Sundiata is an outcast and rejected by others because of his weakness
and inability to do simple tasks such as pick leaves for his mother. He and his family are mocked for
his “awkward” nature. Like Romeo, the readers have sympathy for this character because he is so
highly scrutinized, and unlike Romeo, he is born with physical ailments beyond his control. The
author spends a great deal of time going in to detail about his physical ailments and how he is
different from other children. Unlike Romeo, he is an outcast who is made fun of, rejected for his
lack of physical strength and normalcy.
Although Romeo and Mari Djata are both outcasts, D.T. Niane’s depiction of Mari Djata focuses more
on his status as an outcast because of his physical limitations. Shakespeare focuses on Romeo’s
choices , actions, and relationships to exemplify his role as an outcast.