i have gone 20 years saying i am not a poetry guy and find Shakespeare tedious frivolity. This stems from my first encounter being in six grade when we read Romeo & Juliet and studied it to exhaustion for longer than i remember studying any other story to that point. My mother being a librarian i was a bit of a Literary snob at a young age. i read the likes of To kill a mocking bird, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Call of the wild, Gulliver's travels, anything by Jules Verne i could find, and even many of Dickens works before i had even heard of Shakespeare i had a very precise idea of literature and Shakespeare's works were akin to something like the Grimm fairy tale. Entertaining but not serious literature. well today i stand before you (virtually anyway) as a Shakespeare convert. This was really fun. I was prepared to rip this apart here as i did in my school days. In grade school all the way up to my senior year we would study another Shakespeare play every year in lit class or at least seemed that way. And i would doggedly belittle his importance in literature. I could see his importance in entertainment but leave the storytelling to "real" authors i would say. But the truth is i really liked this. The storytelling is as good as anything i have read lately. I was inspired to read this because my love of audio dramas and my surprising enjoyment of other stories using so called poetic prose. The fact that my local libraries Libby app has several Shakespearian audio dramas/Plays means i will return to Shakespeare sooner than later.

this is my motivation to improve my communication with loved ones.

4.5 stars for the dick joke

This is one of those stories so well known that don't need any summation at all, one of those many have read in school, with varying outcomes. It wasn't different for me, I got down to reading this for a class assignment, but unlike my classmates I didn't feel it a chore. Maybe I was fortunate in dodging the most burdensome reads that haunted my contemporaries, but I recall all my compulsory school reads (with one single exception that I still remember for all the wrong reasons) as pleasant reads.

That's not to say that because I liked this play back then I was a fan of the love story of Romeo and Juliet. Quite the contrary, in truth. Even back in my school days, I thought this was an illogical romance, full of misunderstandings, adult irresponsibility, immaturity, and yes, foolishness too; an opinion that survived into adulthood and that, now after my third reread, I still maintain.

My issues with this started with Friar Lawrence agreeing to the marriage.



You see, I went to Catholic boarding school and am thus familiar with the faith, its clerics, and its teachings, and when reading that Shakespeare had the Father readily agree to marry Romeo to this underage girl called Juliet, without the consent of the parents, which was requisite by civil law, and given that Juliet is thirteen, a minor even for the period, it was incredibly irresponsible for a priest. True that he had good intentions, but with them the road to Hell is paved, and the Friar knew also that this marriage was a bad, a really bad, the baddest of all bad ideas for the simple reason that it was hasty, unreasonable, and done in a moment of euphoria: Romeo had just met Juliet the night before, and in the morning he goes to Lawrence, who first chides him weakly, and then agrees to marry them in the afternoon! All the while knowing how fickle calf love is and knowing about Romeo's instability after Rosaline. And apparently the marriage was done without witnesses too, which makes it questionable already, when only the Nurse knows but seems to not have witnessed it. And for these breaches of canon and civil law and no less for the potion plot, Friar Lawrence could've got himself defrocked. I actually discussed that point in school, too.



Then my second issue was with Angelica, nurse to Juliet, who's to me another example of gross adult irresponsibility. She was under obligation to report the marriage to Lady Capulet before it happened, no matter what she thought the parents would react like given the family feud, because Juliet is a minor and is under her care as Nurse seems to do handmaid and chaperon duties on the side now that her charge is older. Instead, she becomes complicit in this folly, even covering for the lovers, and as soon as the first serious obstacle comes up, she deserts Juliet's side when the emotionally fragile girl needs support the most, and champions Paris as her new husband instead, fully knowing that Juliet would commit bigamy this way! And it's this desertion what pushes Juliet to seek Lawrence for the potion to cause a coma, with all the awful consequences it had.



As for the protagonists themselves, they were a pair of sillies. Romeo more than Juliet. I mean, you propose to this barely-out-of-puberty girl the same night you met her at a ball? I know Romeo is himself very young and not very bright, but even his new love was wiser than him when she replied to his proposal that:

Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract tonight.
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say it lightens. Sweet, good night!

With such a confluence of irresponsibility on the part of the adults in the know, of youthful impuslivity, family hatred, and street violence, I doubt the ending surprised anyone.



In sum, I never thought this was a star-cross'd love story, I took it more along the lines of a cautionary tale. If this was supposed to be romantic, that's not what I got into my head. The reason, therefore, for giving this a high rating is that despite the plotholes, the silly romance, and the melodrama, this is one hell of a great execution from a writing perspective: excellent prose with plenty of quotable bits, well-timed narrative pace, and good secondary characters. And for Mercutio!

It was good to read this again and remember this was the first play that made me feel maybe, just maybe I could read Shakespeare. I think of Shakespeare as high art but this play spoke to me in a way that I was less baffled by the language; reading it again, especially the romantic scenes between Romeo and Juliet have a today feel about it.

Having said that, reading it again, I also see that there was so much I had previously missed. Like, I hadn’t clocked how young Juliet is; it’s not exactly hidden and yet it’s so well embedded into the text that it is easy to miss. But I’m discovering that’s Shakespeare, his texts are so rich and layered that it takes several reads for me to see the depths clearly. And when this happens it changes what I think and feel, here, discovering Juliet’s age highlights her rebellious streak; not only does she marry in secret but she defies her father further by marrying a Montague. Okay, so she’s slightly swayed by her nurse’s romantic ideals and the Friar’s plotting to bring the feud between the two families to an end – but it’s her love, so pure and innocent, that drive’s her will, where later this turn to courage to avoid marrying Paris and stay loyal to Romeo.

This time, I also realised it’s not just Juliet who cares very little about this family feud, Romeo feels the same way. Previously, I’d also missed that Rosaline is a Capulet – Rosaline the woman Romeo is attracted to before he falls in love with Juliet. Seeing this now just made the tragic more tragic.

The feud runs so deep that the servants are impacted. These are some of the comical scenes in the play and sit effortlessly alongside the exquisite poetry expressed as romance. It’s always puzzled me what’s caused this animosity – there are no clues in the text, but this time it dawned on me it’s not important, what’s important is what it costs – and for both families the cost is very high.

Romeo and Juliet is a play that I can see myself coming back to and reading again. It’s the mix of beauty and tragedy that brings home how pointless hate is.

روميو وجولييت

أصبت بحالة جفاف كتابي الأسبوع الماضي، صرت اتجنب الجلوس للكتابة، أؤجلها كل يوم إلى اليوم الذي يليه، أفسر هذه الحالة عندما تأتي بأنها قلق داخلي سببته مواقف صغيرة متفرقة، تجمعت معاً فصارت سداً أمام المزاج المؤاتي الذي يجعلك تكتب.

وها أنا الآن يوم بعد الفالانتاين – حيث يفترض أن العشاق حول العالم تبادلوا الهدايا والوعود -، أجلس لأكتب عن الحب، لأكتب عن روميو وجولييت، قصة الحب الأشهر، صحيح أنه لكل ثقافة قصة عشق تغنيها، ولكن روميو وجولييت اكتسبت القوة الدافعة للحضارة الغربية، فصارت قصة العشق الأشهر.

نادراً ما ترضيني قصة حب، اعتدت على اعتبار كل قصص الحب التي اقرؤها ناقصة أو سخيفة، ربما لكم العواطف التي تهرق فيها بطريقة اكتئابية !! ربما لأن قصص الحب تكتب كعاصفة وتنتهي كسيل جارف، وربما لأن رأسي يسقط عند أقدامي عندما اقرأ حباً، ولم أجد من يعيده إلى مكانه.

قصة الحب الأجمل لم تكتب بعد، سنقرأ مئات قصص الحب المتشابهة، سنذوق ملوحة الدموع، وسنقاسي برد الليالي المسهدة، سنفتن بمشاهد الوصال التي يبدع الكتاب في سبكها على مشهد القمر، أو تحت وابل المطر، أو حتى في مقبرة موحشة، فحرارة الحب تطرد الحزن والخوف، تلغي المشهد الخارجي لتفجر عالماً داخل��اً لا يسهل رصده.

ترد إلى ذهني الآن وأنا اكتب على غير هدى، قصة حب شعبية، من القصص التي كان العرب يتداولونها رواية وشعراً، والتي كان مسرحها الأعظم خيامهم الباهتة اللون، في تلك القصة يلتقي حبيب بحبيبته بعدما شارفا على الموت، حتى تدخل صديق العاشق ودبر لهما لقاءً، وليشغل وجوه القبيلة عن الرجل الذي تسلل لملاقاة فتاتهم، وفد الصديق على القوم وجعل يشاغلهم بالقصص والحكايات، وفي الطرف الآخر البعيد من الخيمة، كانا العاشقان يتحدثان همساً، يضعان في لحظة كل اللحظات الماضية والتي ستأتي، وكانت العاشقة من فرط الحب والخوف، تتحدث بيديها ملوحة مع كلمة لتمنحها في الظلام صدقاً أكبر، فتصدر خلاخيلها صوت لا ينفذ إلى سمع العاشقين المذهول، ولكن نسائم الصيف تحمله إلى الرجال المتجمعين حول النار والحكايات، فبدأ والد الفتاة يتقلقل ويفكر بالذهاب إلى الداخل لإسكات هذه الخلاخل التي اقتحمت مجلس الرجال، عندها انتبه الصديق للكارثة القادمة، فافتتح حكاية جديدة بأن سألهم هل تعرفون فلان، وسمى لهم صديقه العاشق، قالوا نعم، وامتدحوه بما يعرفونه، فقال الصديق كانت لي مع فلان حكاية طريفة، تسابقنا أنا وإياه مرة على فرسين، فكاد أن يسبقني، ولكني تحايلت عليه فجعلت أصرخ "يدها يا فلان، يدها يافلان"، فظن أن يد فرسه قد علقت بشيء، فتوقف وكسبت أنا السباق، ضحك القوم، أما صوت الخلاخيل فتوقف، فيد العاشق امتدت وأمسكت يد معشوقته، بعدما وصله الإنذار الصارخ، بأنه قد لا يخسر السباق هذه المرة وإنما رأسه.

وهكذا يبدو أن قصة الحب لا تكون عظيمة، إلا عندما يحيط بها ألف رجل متحفز، بسيوف وبنادق تكفي لاحتلال مدينة، ولكنها لا تكفي لترد عاشقاً، قصة الحب كما يعرف كل من يريد كتابتها، لا يمكن أن تأتي مباشرة، حب النظرة الأولى يبدو أنه سينقرض، ليأتي مكانه كره النظرة الأولى الذي ينقلب عشقاً فيما بعد كما حدث لبينيت ودارسي في (كبرياء وتحامل)، بل حتى من يلجئون لحب النظرة الأولى صاروا يعقدونه بإضفاء ماضٍ من النساء للعاشق، يتخلص منه عندما تغزو قلبه فتاة مختلفة.

في هذه المسرحية استخدم شكسبير هذه الحيلة، فروميو يفتتح المسرحية بتأوهات عشق، لا لجولييت، فهو لا يعرفها بعد، وإنما لقريبة لها تدعى (روزالين)، إن من لا يعرف القصة ويقرأ كلمات روميو العشقية، يشعر بأنه لا يمكن أن يتزحزح عن هذا الحب، ويحلل الدكتور عناني في مقدمته لهذا العمل – وقراءة هذه المسرحية بترجمة غير ترجمة عناني هي ببساطة خطأ لا يغتفر – كلمات وأسلوب روميو في المسرحية قبل لقائه بجولييت، وكلماته وأسلوبه بعدها ليخلص إلى أن الحب الحقيقي الذي شعر به تجاه جولييت غيره تماماً، لقد نسخه وأعاده رجلاً جديداً.

تدور أحداث القصة في مدينة فيرونا، حيث عائلتي مونتاجيو وكابيوليت المتصارعتين، روميو ابن لمونتاجيو، وجولييت بنت لكابيوليت، يتسلل روميو مع صديقيه ذات ليلة إلى حفلة تقام في منزله غرمائه، عله يرى حبيبته (روزالين) – وحتى لا نشعر بالأسف عليها، يجب أن نعرف أنها لا تهتم بروميو، ربما لأنها لا تشعر بصدق مشاعره نحوها -، ولكنه يرى بدلاً منها جولييت، وهنا تحدث لحظة الحب بينهما، يغادر روميو الحفل ولكنه يعود في ذات الليلة إلى منزل كابيوليت ليقف تحت شرفة جولييت في المشهد الشهير الذي استنسخ مراراً، يتواعد الاثنان على الحب والزواج، وبالفعل يتزوجان سراً في اليوم التالي، يزوجهما القس لورنس عل هذا الزواج يصلح ما بين العائلتين.

تيبالت – ابن عم جولييت - الغاضب دائماً يبحث عن روميو ليقاتله، بعدما رآه متسللاً إلى حفل الكابيوليت في الليلة الفائتة، ولكن روميو المنتشي بالحب يرفض مقاتلة تيبالت لأنه صار صهره ولو لم يكن يعلم، عندها يتدخل صديق روميو ويقاتل تيبالت، يحاول روميو وقف القتال ولكنه بالخطأ يمنح تيبالت فرصة يطعن بها صديق روميو طعنة قاتلة، عندها ينتقم روميو بقتل تيبالت.

ينفى روميو من فيرونا، فيغادرها بعدما يودع جولييت التي تواجه إلى جانب فراق الحبيب، ضغطاً قاسياً من والدها لتزويجها للدوق باريس أحد أقاربهم، تحاول جولييت مقاومة هذا الزواج بشتى الطرق، ولكن والدها ينفجر غضباً، فتذهب للقس ليساعدها، فيعطيها مخدراً لتتناوله ليلة الزفاف بحيث يجعلها تبدو كالميتة لعدة ساعات، ويعدها بأنه سيرسل رسولاً إلى روميو ليستدعيها بحيث أنها عندما تستيقظ ستجد روميو عندها.

تتناول جولييت المخدر ليلة الزواج، وتجري الأمور كما خطط لها، لولا أن الرسول لم يصل إلى روميو، وإنما وصله خبر وفاة حبيبته، يجن روميو عندها فيشتري سماً ويعود إلى فيرونا، وفي المقبرة حيث ذهب ليتجرع السم على تابوت حبيبته وليموت معها تحدث المأساة، فباريس العريس المكسور القلب يظن أن روميو متعدٍ على القبور جاء ليدنس قبر عروسه، فيتقاتلان ليموت باريس، يتناول بعدها روميو السم ويموت، لتصحو جولييت من موتتها الوهمية، فتجد من حولها الخراب والجثث، عندها تطعن نفسها بخنجر وتموت، هكذا يسدل الستار على كل هذا الموت، لم يعش الحب في هذه القصة طويلاً، ولكنه جاء عاصفاً، له رائحة الموت، ومشهد الدماء، ليست كل قصص الحب بهذه الدموية، ولكن يبدو أن قصص الحب التي لا يموت أبطالها، يموت ذكرها.

image:

لوحة فريدريك لايتون (1855)

i prefer love story by taylor swift.

shakespeare walked so ao3 could run

n  n    Reviewn  n
As I looked over my previously read books and searched for one that was missing a review, Romeo and Juliet stood out to me. But then I thought about it... who doesn't know about this play? Who hasn't read it in school sometime in the past? Who hasn't watched a movie version or seen some sort of take on the classic tortured romance story? And why on earth would anyone care to read another review, let alone my review, on it? Exactly. So... don't look for much here as I'm sure most everyone has read it already. And I'm not that funny to even make reading my opinions worth it. That said... a few shared thoughts about what I've learned from this play:



1. Parents exist to torture their children. It's a simple fact. If your child wants X, it is your responsibility to keep X away from him/her.



2. Love will always end in disaster. Don't attempt it without proper back-up.



3. Even though someone looks dead, they probably aren't. Kill them again just to be sure.



4. Your bros or girls don't always have your back.



5. Magic powders are the cure for everything. Always trust what you don't understand. And just inhale it like the world is about to end.



In all sincerity, I do like the play a lot. I've enjoyed countless interpretations. I think parts of it are brilliant and parts of it are pure illogical nonsense. Every TV show and movie has their own re-appropriation to tell. Not everything can be perfect when it comes to love. But this play certainly teaches a lot of lessons and provides a lot of bumps. And this reader still goes along for the ride...



n  n    About Men  n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.

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In an era of divisiveness (political, religious, racial, ethnic, Coke v. Pepsi, people who like dogs v. people who don't like dogs, etc.), which, let's be honest, is every single era in history, William Shakespeare's "Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet" will always be relevant.

This is still, probably, my favorite play of the Bard, and I've read all of them, numerous times.* I learned long ago not to view this as a love story. It's not. Hint: the title gives it away. (And before you scratch your head in confusion after looking at the title, keep in mind that Shakespeare's original and lengthier title was "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet", not "The Romantic Love Story of Romeo and Juliet", nor "The Hilarious Romantic Comedic Misadventures of Romeo and Juliet" ) If anything, this is a tragic story of the deadly consequences that divisiveness of any kind has upon subsequent generations.

Romeo and Juliet were just two likable teenagers who, unfortunately for them, ended up in a relationship with the only two people that they should not have ended up in a relationship with. And it killed them.

I also learned long ago that it's stupid and pointless to judge these two based on the fact that they were stupid teenagers who weren't so much in love as in lust. It's true, but it doesn't make their story any less tragic.

*Not necessarily a true statement. I've read a lot of the Bard's plays, but I can't honestly say I've read them all. That's just braggadocio.

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father refuse thy name, thou art thyself thou not a Montegue, what is Montegue? tis nor hand nor foot nor any other part belonging to a man

What is in a name?

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,

So Romeo would were he not Romeo called retain such dear perfection to which he owes without that title,

Romeo, Doth thy name!

And for that name which is no part of thee, take all thyself.”

Shakespeare’s template for star-crossed lovers has become THE template in literature ever since. Believed to have been written in the early 1590s, this has remained a fan favorite for romantic drama.

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Also a bloody tale of vendetta and vengeance, this part of the play would also be influential on writers and audiences ever since. The idea of a lasting feud between families, though, is likely timeless.

“Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.”

Interestingly, this could be seen as something else besides a romance - Shakespeare could have made this into a dark comedy, a devilishly cautionary tale about the hollowness of generational vendetta.

I'd like to see this in a film directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Reading Shakespeare is up there with cooking cutlets. It is work but worth it in the end. Romeo and Juliet is no exception. The language is such a bother. Look up too much and its pleasures wear thin. Too thin and, like cutlets, readers get burnt. They don't want to try again. This would be a shame.

Like some other first times, it's worth another go. That language will still be there, same as the steering wheel and seat belts getting in the way of high school passions. The compact car won't turn into a van for our pleasure. But with practice we can become more adept with our kisses.

Keep telling yourself what really matters. It is all about love and two kids.