I, like many people, have always been of the mind that Romeo and Juliet were children who made a rash decision that ended in death based on hormones and that they really didn’t know what love is and couldn’t possible have loved each other. After reading last class, I’m not sure. Who is to say they didn’t really love each other and that they wouldn’t have been happy ever after? Maybe they didn’t. Maybe the really believed that they were in love. But, maybe they were. I think I’ve become a little bit cynical about this kind of stuff, especially in teenagers. I remember when I was 13 how I felt. I had crushes. I was totally enamored with a boy or two when I was in middle school. I wouldn’t have killed myself for any of them, but I remember how I felt. So, it’s entirely possible that Romeo and Juliet would have quickly moved on, as Romeo did with Rosaline. But, maybe not. Maybe we don’t give them enough credit. I mean, look at these faces:
(I pulled these from Google. I take no credit for these sad gifs)
Maybe they were in love. And I think that’s why Romeo and Juliet has lasted so long and is such a common first exposure to Shakespeare. It has everything: romance, fighting, angst. Some people are totally on Romeo and Juliet’s side (even though it was, what? three days that they knew each other?), and others think they’re stupid children. And, I think, that because there is a chance to have different opinions on it, it’s successful. When I was 14 or 15, I met this guy on a missions trip. I knew him for three days. And I was totally head over heels. I cried when we left. We kept in touch. He was my “boyfriend” long distance for like two months —no need to expand on how that turned out — but I really liked him! I barely knew him. So, I’m not totally surprised that Romeo and Juliet would have felt in love and wanted to get married. I did not want to marry this boy that I had just met. Don’t worry. But, I guess I kind of see where they were coming from. Who is to say they weren’t in love?
Romeo and Juliet is a forbidden romance, and that has appeal too. Keeping things like relationships a secret makes it that much more intense. It’s a fairly common occurrence in fiction, the more that I think about it. Experiencing Romeo and Juliet at 21 has definitely been different than when I was 13 or 14, and I am so glad that we did. It makes a lot more sense now. I wasn’t one of those girls who thought it was an epic love story that I wanted to play out in my own life. I see things online of people wanting to find their “Romeo” and there are always comments about how that’s not really a good thing. I thought they were really stupid for killing themselves, and I still do, but I didn’t think the entire thing was ridiculous either.
Romeo and Juliet will probably continue to be one of the most famous love stories ever written.
Then if you add something remarkably sad to go with the feelings of young and forbidden love, you have a story that draws upon some of the most frequent and strongest emotions. Not everybody kills themselves for love as you point out but most have had something not work out. So the story keeps coming back because those emotions remain much the same.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that there love may have been real; just because Juliet was a sheltered girl of her time and Romeo a man-child of some indeterminate 16-24 year-old who seemed to know so much and so little at the same time. I'm all about it. My problem comes when the love story starts to play itself out. The level of harm brought about by these star-crossed lovers is astounding, not as big a death toll as Hamlet but then, it's Hamlet. That's one of the reasons I think their story has lingered; it has one of the most obvious yet greatly crafted cause-effect plot lines to date. Instead of fairy tales and roses, there's poison and murder, fake deaths and real suicides.
ReplyDeleteThe actuality of their love only adds a sense of tension and mounting horror so I can take it or leave it. What we're left with is the tale of Juliet and her Romeo, the families who finally get their shit together, a Prince who can finally stop stressing over the bullshit and a Friar and Nurse who seemed too interested but ultimately will not take any of the blame. A great story by any means.
I feel both ways about Romeo and Juliet. From a modern perspective, I cannot help but think that these are two stupid kids making really stupid decisions. I cannot fathom how how a thirteen year old and sixteen year old can make a decision that can go so horribly wrong. However, from looking at the text, I feel that Romeo and Juliet's relationship is more understandable than Juliet and Paris. She already knows Romeo better, and he is someone she is picking for herself rather than a stranger her parents are arranging for her to marry.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people have the knee-jerk reaction to be cynical when it comes to Romeo and Juliet and it seems that a lot of people (at least in our class) seemed to reevaluate how they felt rereading it. I find myself wondering what would have happened if the tragedy and deaths hadn't happened. It could be that they eventually realized that they made a childish mistake and broke it off (or became miserable together.) But I think there's a possibility that they could have been happy. Though it's unusual, there are couples who have been together since they were teenagers. My aunt and uncle began dating in middle school and they just passed their 25th wedding anniversary last year. It makes me sad that Romeo and Juliet never got a chance to figure themselves out.
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