Romeo and Juliet

I think in class I made my opinion of the movie version of Romeo and Juliet pretty clear. When watching it for the assignment I had a hard time getting through it. However, knowing that I did have a strong dislike for the movie, I tried to approach this viewing with a more open mind and willingness to find the good in the movie.

To start, the bad ….

1.)The Modern Setting – I really struggle with Shakespeare’s original play set in modern time. It takes away some of the meaning to the story for me, like Juliet’s arranged marriage to Paris, and her parents control over her. If the play took place in a traditional setting then Juliet’s parent would be arranging a marriage to provide her with a stable and secure future. In the modern setting I did not feel like that motive was as clear. That changes the story for me in understanding why Juliet’s parents were trying to marry her to Paris.

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2.) The Weapon Choice- I know we talked about this in class, but the use of guns bother me in the movie. The primary reason for this is that a gun seems like a reactive weapon, while a sword requires some skill. It seems an easier weapon to use a gun (in the movies) than a sword. 

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Next, the positives ….

11 .)  The Death of Mercutio and Tybalt - One thing I liked in the movie was the death of Mercutio and Tybalt. I found this to be a really powerful scene, and I think that was because of what we talked about in class, how this was the first moment where someone’s life was lost as a consequence. I really liked the emotions that were portrayed in these sequences of events; from Mercutio’s devastation of dying, to Tybalt’s shock at killing Mercutio, to Romeo’s rage. I think this scene does a good job showing the reactions that come out of their behaviors.

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2.) Again, Weapons – I know, I said this is what I didn’t like about the movie, but in two scene, after much internal debate. I agree with the decision to use a gun. The first is Romeo killing Tybalt because I like the irrational emotionally driven response Romeo has, and I think the use of guns adds to it. Second, would be Juliet’s death. In a way her death was not as pretty as it usually is shown. It was messy and bloody, which I found to be a good ending commentary on the whole tragic story.

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Tragic

As weird as Romeo + Juliet is at times, I do have to give it credit for its portrayal of the tragic end, which by adding the little fact that they had a moment alive together kept it tragic. It seems that often today the label “tragedy” is either technical or negative when applied to entertainment. It’s a sarcastic comment for something that has so far overdramatized something sad that it’s not sad but boring or even funny.  The story of Romeo and Juliet has a reputation for fitting in this category. I had never before read or seen any adaptations of the tale and I still shook my head at references to balconies and the over used “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” (thanks to Tin-Man). Before this I had read A Midsummer Night’s Dream for a different class where Shakespeare himself makes fun of this kind of tragic scene. The clowns of the play stage a play that is uncannily like Romeo and Juliet. The lover, Pyramus, kills himself with these words:

Thus die I, thus, thus, thus.

    Now am I dead,

    Now am I fled;

My soul is in the sky.

    Tongue, lose they light

    Moon, make thy flight.

Now die, die, die, die, die. (5.1. 295-302).

At this the nobles laugh; it is so overly dramatic and badly constructed.

So I was surprised how genuinely tragic the film managed to make their deaths; I watched it over breakfast and that scene ruined all that day and half the next. Someone in class (I don’t remember who. If it’s you take credit; if not take it anyway) said that they tear up every time they see this scene. Perhaps a major part of what keeps Romeo and Juliet alive is the fact that they die. It not just about love, but it’s about a sad end to love, and sad endings things seem to stick around better than the happy ones (not in all cases I’ll grant). Sadness in love is a very common but potent feeling one that Romeo and Juliet can appeal to over and over again.

Romeo + Juliet: The Ultimate in Forbidden Romances

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.