The theory of the love at first sight in Romeo and Juliet first reminded me of the relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan in F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel, The Great Gatsby. Gatsby like Romeo fell in love with his significant other at a young age. Gatsby moved away form Daisy and became a very successful business man. Although the story plot has its differences, the love connection between the two couples is completely parallel. I am a firm believer in love at first sight. Although very rare, I believe that it is possible to deeply love and care for a certain person by simply seeing them. Love has no boundaries, not even death.
Before reading this play for myself all I knew was that the two loved each other and committed suicide as the only form of being together after life. After reading the play I now see how to pressure from the two family ultimately led the two to their suicide. I think that no matter what the two could do there was no way the two could be together peacefully with there family difficulties. The suicide of the two reminded me of the Hunger Games. As Katniss and Peeta were the last to survive. Knowing that only one could survive and the other dead they agreed it would be better both dead than to live without the other. In both cases suicide isn't the logical answer. I think that Romeo and Juliet knew that if they were both dead was the only way to insure that they would forever be together.
I like the comparison to the Great Gatsby, as I feel R&J and Gatsby are excellent representations as unhealthy relationships and obsession. It's been some time since I read Gatsby, but I do believe his fixation with Daisy was inevitably his downfall (or maybe I'm misremembering? I know it wasn't a happy ending.) much like Romeo & Juliet's rapid, lovestruck obsession with each other ended in their demise.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you compared Romeo and Juliet to The Hunger Games, it's something I never could have come up with. Although Romeo and Juliet don't live in a dystopian society, there are definitely some prominent issues with how marriage is supposed to work in Romeo and Juliet's time, and I found it interesting that you were able to compare that to Katniss and Peeta.
ReplyDeleteLook at first sight has always seemed to be an appealing thing. That is probably why people still stories based similar or like that. That part about "love has no boundaries", is indeed something I do believe in. I doesn't really matter how different two people are, love can be found and lived if the two find the right one that is made for them. I guess that is part of the reason why Romeo and Juliet is still a story/play that people keep talking and reading about to this day. Though I don't like the story for it's tragedy, I do appropriate what lessons it can teach it's audience/readers.
ReplyDeleteSo, I have read this play before and seen a production (maybe two, but only one sticks out). It was back in middle school when I saw the production, so over a decade, but I distinctly remember loving Mercutio and Tybalt, or at least their portrayals. They still spoke with Shakespeare's words, but their clothes were modern, a bit of camo (which made me think that camo looked really good, like Daaaaaamn Mercutio), and for some reason a bunch of bars they could climb on (not that I'm complaining, because visually, quite delicious). Anyway, long story short, I would absolutely say go see a production of R&J. Maybe other Shakespeare plays as well, because you never know what you'll end up with (saw a production of Measure for Measure and there was all sorts of tripping visuals and dancing going on - loved it).
ReplyDeleteAs for love at first sight, if you think that such a thing exists, then I won't stop you, but me personally, I don't think it exists. I like the idea of it, of finding your soulmate by just one glance and knowing, but in reality, I feel like it's more lust at first sight. :/