When I
originally read this play in the ninth grade, the main thing that was
emphasized was the suicide of Romeo and Juliet. However, after reading this
play as a college student for the second time, I was able to view this text
from a modern perspective. In essence, Romeo and Juliet’s love affair was
pretty much doomed from the start because of a generational family feud. Now,
let’s focus on the topic of “doomed love” and analyze a different perspective
from a modern point of view. However, you might have to be patient with me because
I am a proud history major.
Interracial Dating
Before the
Civil Rights era, African Americans and Whites were forbidden from getting
married. Therefore, if an African American and a white person were in love,
they most likely had to hide their feelings. In fact, more than likely, there
friends and family would have disgraced them. Also, this was against the law. So
what were their options?
Now, back
to Romeo and Juliet. So when reading this text, it was easier for me to accept
the love that Romeo and Juliet shared, but it was difficult to accept their
suicide. However, when I read this text again, I imagined that Romeo and Juliet
were an interracial couple during the 1930’s who had extremely racist parents.
Since marriage was illegal, their relationship would be essentially doomed. Think
about it! Say Romeo was African-American and Juliet was white. Under those
circumstances, Romeo would be lynched and hung, while Juliet lives and faces
ridicule and hate from her family. Essentially, this is a lose-lose scenario in
which both lovers would face a significant amount of pain.
Back to the Play
This line by
Friar Laurence stuck out to me as I read, “These violent delights have violent
ends and in their triumph die like fire and powder, which as they kiss consume”
(II. vi. 9-10). As I was reading this, it is almost like this scene is
foreshadowing what is to come: the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. In fact, before
Friar says this, Romeo says “ Do thou but close our hands with holy
words, Then love-devouring death do what he dare; It is enough
I may but call her mine” (II. vi. 6-8). Basically,
it is almost as if Romeo knows there will be a penalty that accompanies his
love for Juliet.
Was there
a need for suicide? From a logical point of view, no. However, what do you
think would have happened if they got caught? Especially considering the fact
that the Friar and Romeo have stated that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship will produce
a violent end?
Christiana,
ReplyDeleteI loved how you viewed "doomed love" through a historical point-of-view, especially it being your major! Comparing Romeo and Juliet to an interracial couple in terms of inevitable ridicule and disgrace was spot on.
However, I felt like there might've been a slim chance for Romeo and Juliet had they told their parents, or I may just be talking crazy here. Friar Lawrence, despite being seen as evil and a terrible planner, represents the few who've respected the decisions of Romeo and Juliet (the Nurse as well) and may serve as a powerful mediator to convince the Montagues and Capulets of their love. The ending scenes showed us how the Montagues and Capulets reacted towards the death of Romeo and Juliet and finally settled their feud.
Admittedly, death is probably a more powerful factor than love... Nonetheless, great post!
LA
Christiana,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post! It is interesting to read other people's perspectives and take aways form the play.
I agree there seems to be a lot of foreshadowing/hints laid on the table for Romeo that his love will end in, for lack of a better word- tragedy. I would be interested in asking if in your opinion their love was worth the death. Personally, I assume that Romeo and Juliet would not have wanted it any other way under their circumstances.
I also really enjoyed reading your connection to the Civil Rights era. I encourage you to use this example for our updating project! I would be really interested in reading your version! I can imagine a lot of the events being updated to better serve this era. Good luck!
Hannah :)
I'm glad you're a proud history major! You're comparison is accurate, culturally relevant, and worth speaking out about, especially considering the increase in outspoken white supremacy in the US.
ReplyDeleteYou could draw on this post and the story of Mildred and Richard Loving, a black woman and white man who were imprisoned for their marriage, for the paper Dr. MB talked about on Monday. It's certainly a solid foundation!
As I'm reading your post, I thought about a similar situation that I read about recently. It is a slightly different case of interracial dating but between Asian men and black women. Apparently, as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act, many Asian men were not allowed in the work force and had to find jobs doing "women's" jobs. The Asian men often worked among Black women and would find love, but the relationships were greatly looked down upon. What I read didn't really go into great detail about the results of said relationships other than the fact that they might be ridiculed and that the women could be punished, so if you're thinking about this for your rewrite, your idea might work better because of the harsher consequences, but I just thought this was another interesting connection.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your comparison with what if Romeo and Juliet were African American and White. That was like the Loving v. Virginia case. Of course this couple wasn't in their teens, but they ran away to get married legally and when they returned to Virginia their lives changed instantly. They were looked down on and held responsible for such a "bad thing". However they didn't kill themselves. They fought and fought until there was a change and then they lived their lives and built a family together. I feel like that is what's missing in this play, the fight. That's how you know they were to young to be "in love" because they just gave up and took the easy way out. Yes, there are a number of factors leading to their deaths, but it's quite obvious that there were so many other possible endings to this story.
ReplyDelete