The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe and the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare are two stories that perfectly depict love and death, also known as the name of Liebestod. Their heroes Romeo and Werther have a lot in common, apart from committing suicide in the name of love and damning their souls. They share the same reactions to a similar situation and idolize their loved one. At the beginning of the stories, Romeo and Werther are alike when it comes to solitude. Romeo's mother says that Romeo "closes his windows, blocks out the daylight, and makes artificial light for himself" (1.1. 142-43). Werther also keeps to himself and frequently goes into the forest to lie on the grass and observe the nature around him. When Romeo and Werther fall in love, they become immensely obsessed with the object of their desire. Both men have had past relationships that left them somewhat broken. Rosaline has recently rejected Romeo and Werther has lost an older woman he was in love with. Long after the unattainable, Romeo knows that he cannot have Juliet because she is the daughter of the enemy and Werther also knows that he cannot have Lotte because she belongs to another man. But the facts don't stop them from chasing girls. Both have similar feelings when they first meet their ladies, when Romeo first met Juliet at the Capulet ball he says: "For Ine'er saw true beauty until this night" (1.5.55) and when Werther describes Lotte, he says “she is perfection.” (Goethe p. 36). They are also completely captivated by the ladies; they describe them as impeccably beautiful and flawless creatures. Richard Hawley, writer and educator, says: "Like Romeo seeing Juliet for the first time in the middle of a paper... their love life, so they both end their lives with their own hands and toast their lovers. Although Romeo is not a romantic with a capital "R" and does not hope that God will forgive him for his suicide, he has many things in common with Werther. They loved with all their hearts and projected a deep passion, an obsession. and an affection and loved them so passionately and deeply that the love they thought would become their salvation became their tragic end Shakespeare, William Romeo and Juliet USA: Signet Classics, 1998. PrintGoethe, Johann Wolfgang von. Werther's Sorrows of Young Penguin Classics, 1989. Print. Hawley, Richard. “The Breakup of Boys and Men: Part Three.” .ca/2009/05/breaking-of-boys-and-men-part-three.html)