Romeo and Juliet
Interpretation
React: The initial rection I had to this play is that it was well written, and mostly enjoyable. I liked how the there were so many philosophical points made that kept me thinking hours after I closed the last scene of the play. The play did at some parts seem slow, and even unrealistic perhaps in the parts of Romeo and Juliet. It is hard to imagine loving someone so much that you would take your own life thinking you could be with them no longer. I also think that the reason the play seemed to drag on at parts was due to the fact of the difficult language that was used.
Describe: This play takes place during the 1500's in Europe in a city called Verona. Two families have been quarrelling for such a long time that they have forgotten the original cause of their fued, but bad blood still flows in the veins of the families. Amongst this fued are the families' most recent posterity, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. The two young adults find each other, and all rational thinking dissappears after they meet at Juliet's balcony one night and decide to be married, a mere few hours after first meeting. Romeo is a passionate, if not unruly gentleman that often acts without thinking, while Juliet is a beautiful young woman that has some rationality, but shares with her husband the tendency to make rash decisions in stressful situations. The happy union of these two lovers is brought to an abrupt halt when Tybalt, a cousin of Juliet's, kills Romeo's friend Mercutio. Romeo does what he does best, carelessly enacting his revenge without letting the law take its course, and kills Tybalt. The Prince of Verona banishes Romeo, devestating Juliet and Romeo alike. Friar Laurence, a friend to both members of the young couple and the person that wed them to begin with, makes a plan to get Juliet out of the city so she can be with Romeo for the rest of her days. He gives Juliet a vial of fake poison that will make her appear dead for 48 hours. This plan goes terribly wrong when Romeo hears word that Juliet is actually dead and not just pretending. Once again following his first instinct, Romeo buys a vial of poison and goes to the catacombs where Juliet lies, to die next to his beloved. When he arrives he finds Paris, and kills him there, then goes into the tomb. He drinks the poison and dies as Friar Laurence comes to wake Juliet. He finds Romeo dead and when Juliet awakes she takes her own life so as to make it that she will not be seperated from her love. When the patriarchs of each household hear of the news, they make peace with each other, and the longterm fued is ended, but at a cost that no one should have needed to endure.
Interpret: Romeo and Juliet is about much more than two young adults finding love, losing the same, and killing themselves for it. There lies within the scope of this story a much deeper theme, a theme relating forbidden love, hatred, grudgery, and the relationship between good and evil.
It is possible Romeo and Juliet loved each other before discovering that the other belonged their own households enemy, however this information took a flickering candle and kindled the dying light so that it engulfed everything that it touched. This left no room for anything else, especially not rational thinking. Having something be denied from a person only makes a desire grow in his/her heart and soul to acquire this taboo item. Who has not been told by their parents not to touch a hot stove, only to do this very act as soon as the speaker's back had turned? Humans, especially teenagers do not wish to abide by the rules. They would much rather rebel. This is basic human nature. However, the effect that this form of thinking had was catastrophic, costing in the end upwards of five deaths. When the couple first meets, Juliet seems almost bored with the gentleman that is standing before her. She says after kissing him twice "You kiss by the book." Whether this shows sarcasm or genuine disinterest, she has no more desire for him than she would any other boy she had just met. But when her good nurse tells her that the boy she was speaking with is the kin of her enemy, she cannot contain herself, and in the next scene is ready to give up her name just to be with Romeo. When something becomes forbidden, desire grows within at an exponential rate, tenfold what would have been achieved otherwise.
Perhaps the most ironic aspect of this story is how many instances in which the unfolding chaos could have been avoided. The cheif way to have avoided the problem would have been to not hold a grudge as the two households did. This bad blood is traced back to a point that no one can remember, and yet each house stubbornly holds onto the fued with surprising vigor. The two genuinely hate each other just for being who they are. Maybe the houses would have repented if they had heard the simple wisdom best spoken by a thirteen year old girl: "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet" This young girl understands what the two heads of the house do not; it is foolish to hate someone just because of their name. It took the death of 6 (possibly 7 but let's not get sidetract) people to open the eyes of the families.
Romeo and Juliet is still very much a valid story in today's world. People may not dress the same, but grudges are still held for meaningless causes. When taking English class one may not learn to say "thou' and "thee", but people still have a rebelious nature. Maybe if everyone took a lesson from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet then the world would be a better place. Maybe instead of focusing on worthless differences, we should look at people as people.
Judge: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is very much still a valid story to learn from in today's society. Culture has definetely changed, but human nature is still very much the same. People may not dress the same, but grudges are still held for meaningless causes. When taking English class one may not learn to say "thou' and "thee", but people still have a rebellious nature. Shakespeare's themes of lust, forbidden love, and good and evil are universal as everyone can relate to them. Two hundred years from now, a lot will have changed, but a few things will have remained constant: human nature, and human relationships.
