I know the title sucks, but I sat here for ten minutes trying to come up with something clever and I'm drawing a blank, so I'm just gonna slap something on and get to writing. They can't all be winners, y'know.
So to begin with, I should probably mention I've never actually read Romeo & Juliet. Crazy, right? It's amazing how little Shakespeare I've had to read throughout my life, but Hood's english department is out to fix that it seems. I also have to admit I wasn't particularly looking forward to reading something that is often hailed as one of the greatest love stories of all time, especially when it's totally not a love story.
And, honestly, I'm enjoying it about as much as I expected.
Now, I may not be an expert in love, but boy do I think it's ridiculous that Romeo and Juliet fall in love pretty much instantly and decide to get married without even getting to know each other. News flash, kids; if you marry someone within like two days of first meeting them, chances are you aren't gonna have a very happy marriage. But then again, this is a time period when people marry their fourteen year old daughters off to some guy and they don't even get a say in it, so I guess at least she's choosing for herself...
In addition to that, it's kind of painful to read all the romantic banter between the two. For most of you, I'm sure that's not the case, but that sort of thing has always made me want to gag. I'm not about to spoil the ending for anyone who, like me, never actually read this play in the first place, but let's just say I'm looking forward to getting closer to the ending, when things aren't gonna be quite as sappy and 'I love you, but I just met you, you're so beautiful, blah blah blah'. There's a reason the play is a Tragedy and not a Romance, to give you a hint.
Also, is it just me, or has it not yet been stated what exactly the Montagues and Capulets are at each other's throats about? Maybe I just misunderstood since I don't speak Shakespeare very well, but I'm still at a loss as to why they hate each other so much. I guess the knowledge of what the feud is ABOUT isn't as important to the plot as knowing that the feud EXISTS and is what's forcing them to hide their love, but I'd still really like to know.
Sean! First and foremost add your name as a label! Don't lose points!
ReplyDeleteSecond, while I have read enough Shakespeare over the years through school, I also have no idea what the two families are fighting about! It's possibly also my lack of being fluent in Shakespeare but I really do think it’s like a Hatfield's and McCoy's type of situation, where the feud is over power (or perceived power) or has been so long forgotten that they don't know what they're fighting over, aside from being able to fight.
I also appreciate that you aren't spoiling the results for anyone who hasn't read the whole story yet, which is really kind of you.
I completely agree with the overkill on the mushy banter! It would be sweet if it wasnt laid on so thick. Plus, how can you think this highly of a person you just met!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the first read through R&J! I'm sure all the pop culture references to it you've been bombarded with over life completely spoiled this play that has existed for hundreds of years.
ReplyDeleteI'll forgive the sucky title (this time) because I agree with a lot of what you're saying. It's nice that Juliet gets something resembling autonomy in her decision to marry Romeo (even though he blows through her slight misgivings and pressures her into accepting him), but their maudlin banter is absolutely painful to me. Juliet deserved better.