The Earthquake in Chile

by Heinrich von Kleist

Start Free Trial

Compare and Contrast "The Earthquake in Chile" to "Romeo and Juliet"

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles
The story "The Earthquake in Chile" is about young lovers who have had their love rejected by society, as in Romeo and Juliet.  While both are suffering as the story opens, they have already been separated.  Josephine is scheduled to be beheaded for having a baby, because her father sent her to a convent to keep her away from Jeronimo.  Jeronimo is in prison about the hang himself because of Josephine with the Earthquake hits.  Thus, there is an ending for the lovers planned similar to that in "Romeo and Juliet" but the earthquake interrupts it, and the lovers escape. Unfortunately their desire to forgive those who condemned them does not work out, and in the end they meet a tragic fate after all.

See eNotes Ad-Free

Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial Team