Romeo and Juliet. Thoughts?
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Lifecrafter
Member # 4682
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 14:20
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My English class has just finished reading Romeo and Juliet and all I can say is I think they're impatient, melo-dramatic kids with nothing to do. This probably has something to do with the fact that I don't believe in love at first sight and that I'd much prefer to fight people than fall in love. For me, the high points of the play were the fight scenes. What are your opinions on this piece of literature? Oh, and before people ask, I have read the play before, I have seen it performed on stage and seen one of the movies(not the newest one, the one before, I think). -------------------- Do not underestimate the power of the mechanical pencil. Join the Dark side. We have cookies. Played in: Fiddler on the Roof Bye Bye Birdie "Hey, Patrick, feel this random pipe. It's squishy"-Nils Posts: 834 | Registered: Thursday, July 8 2004 07:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6659
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 14:53
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I love Shakespeare. I studied 6 plays at high school, one of which was Romeo & Juliet. Sure, its a love story, its melo-dramatic and completely over the top but is so much more. Shakespeare just about covers every possible emotion in his complicated plots and storylines. He manages to write stories that appeal to both upper and lower classes. In this story there was no obvious lower class sub theme (like Midsummer Nights Dream for example) but it would have appealed to the masses because it was a glimpse for them into the life of the higher class and I'm sure they were comforted by the fact that they had similar problems as basic as disobedient head-strong children. Chances are even if Romeo & Juliet had got together they would have found out that its very unusual for you to actually last with your first love and the feeling would have passed in a few years. :D To be honest, I actually prefer some of Shakespeares other plays even though this is the most famous one but it has some great moments in it that leave you very frustrated. For example, it was complete chance that the priest (or messenger?? I can't remember) missed Romeo coming the other way and wasn't able to deliver the message that Juliet wasn't really dead. If I recall in the original movie, the priest was doing his business on the side of the road when Romeo galloped past on his horse....lol :D Anyways, as for love at first sight, well I'm with you...I never believed in it either until it happened to me just over 6 years ago and now I'm a believer cause I'm living it!!! :cool: Posts: 12 | Registered: Sunday, January 8 2006 08:00 |
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Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 14:53
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I'm a big Shakespeare fanboy, so take this post as you will. I like Romeo and Juliet, but Antony and Cleopatra is probably better. Romeo and Juliet suffers from the fact that every single part of it has become so cliche that it is hard to judge it on its own merits. The language of the play is very pretty, though, even if the poetry does not resound the way that some of his later plays do. I'm not sure that anybody but Marlowe had done as well on the Elizabethan stage before Romeo and Juliet, though, and the only play of Marlowe's that compares in my mind is Dido, Queen of Carthage. I'm not too familiar with Kyd, but I seriously doubt he had pulled off anything so skillful, and I doubt anybody else had, either. EDIT: By the way, it is a common misconception that Romeo and Juliet is considered one of Shakespeare's better plays. It may be his most famous, but it is certainly not his most critically well-received. That honor goes to the Great Tragedies, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Oh yeah, and one more thing: my favorite character in the play is Mercutio. [ Wednesday, January 25, 2006 14:57: Message edited by: Kelandon ] -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |
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Master
Member # 4614
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 15:21
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Yeah, I read R&J last year, and I found it to be a pretty good story, though it was my first Shakespeare play and I was still getting the gist of his writing style. The plan to get them together would've worked wonderfully had the messenger done his job. But anyway, sad ending. This year we read the first three acts of Julius Caesar, and he got killed, but it was still a story. -------------------- -ben4808 Posts: 3360 | Registered: Friday, June 25 2004 07:00 |
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E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 15:40
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Measure for Measure is my favourite Shakespeare play. R&J, well, the title characters are too immature to be likable, so I didn't really enjoy that one. -------------------- SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice. Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 27
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 15:55
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I didn't like Romeo and Juliet. I like Shakespeare but Romeo and Juliet was a little over the top. Posts: 1233 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 247
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 16:07
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All I remember about Macbeth is the insanely stupid lies my friends and I made up about it. Something along the lines of Lady Macbeth being a vampire and eating babies or something. Oh and, I hate reading plays they're meant to be seen not read. -------------------- The Knight Between Posts. Posts: 2395 | Registered: Friday, November 2 2001 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 16:17
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The long ago high point in my Thespian career was playing Mercutio in an in-class performance of his death scene. That was fun. My Dad made us stage rapiers out of some quite strong old curtain rods, so we could hack away with loud clashes. Forget Method: fake swordfighting is the soul of theatah. But I find Romeo and Juliet infuriating, because I keep wanting to just slap some basic sense into most of the characters. Perhaps if I shared their Zeitgeist I would feel the inevitability of the tragedy more, but as it is it just seems too much like one of those modern absurdist tragedies in which the tragedy is arbitrary and stupid. I much prefer Lear and the Scottish Play, or Hamlet. Othello drives me nuts in much the same way as R & J, though. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Councilor
Member # 6600
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 16:19
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In both movies of Romeo and Juliet I have seen, the Count doesn't die, only Mercutio. But the prince says "...I have lost a brace of kinsmen..." in both of the movies. But a brace means two and the Prince only loses one. It's the funniest moment of the whole movie. Dikiyoba hates the nudity in one of the movie too. Given that female roles were played by boys, there probably wouldn't have been much undressing in the play... Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 5701
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 16:22
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I thought the ending was rather fitting. Posts: 64 | Registered: Tuesday, April 12 2005 07:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 16:34
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quote:Too bad Mercutio wasn't there to comment; he'd have zung him good. That's tragedy for you. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6689
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 17:09
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R&J are clearly emo; they both end up cutting in the end. :P -------------------- --Dachnaz Posts: 50 | Registered: Saturday, January 14 2006 08:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 1768
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 17:15
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quote:^funny I'm woth (yes, woth) the R/J-are-stupid crowd, in general. I think they should have ran away first. -------------------- "Oh, North Wind, why frighten others? In Nature's family all are brothers. Puff and blow and wheeze and hiss; You can't frighten Shingebiss. Bring your frost and ice and snow; I'm still free to come and go. You can never frighten me, One who never fears is FREE!" -Shingebiss, the mighty duck Posts: 830 | Registered: Tuesday, August 20 2002 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 17:25
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Personally, I prefer the Reduced Shakespeare Company's interpretation of the play... and they raise an excellent question: why don't the idiots just get married via the friar and leave town?! Seriously, I think R & J was a pretty good play, but not as good as Hamlet. Midsummer Night is also pretty fun, but the last time I was near a production of it, it looked like it had been hallucinated via an impressive group of illegal substances. [ Wednesday, January 25, 2006 17:26: Message edited by: Ephesos ] -------------------- Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 6700
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 18:18
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Wasn't R & J some sort of a political commentary? I dunno... I heard that in AP english, I think. The way I learned it was that R & J was based off of the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, which was some sort of traditional Greco-Roman theme in which a couple are so in love that they can't live without each other. Supposedly, Shakepeare adapted that to fit a form of the political situation of the day. I don't think it makes much sense, but most things that my english teachers came up with made much sense. What I do know is that R & J does not fit Aristotle's form of Tragedy, which is followed rather closely by most of the rest of Shakespeare's tragedys. This form has quite a few aspects, but the most important is that the main character becomes a victim of the world and dies trying to fix everything. Romeo and Juliet both simply gave up. About love at first sight: I don't think the sereotyped idea actually exists; but speaking from experience, I do believe that some sort of a "compatibility link" may form between a pair of people, once they are exposed to each other. Just falling in love by seeing someone is more infatuation than love, Romeo. Anyway, if you want some seriously good Shakespeare, I'd steer you to Hamlet and King Lear: two very deep and controversial plays that require a little thinking to understand, and that will both give some great laughs along the way. quote:lol, Ephesos. I have a friend who wrote a parody on aMND. She called it "High on Opium". -------------------- The Silent Assassin is quoting his favorite line of Shakespeare. It comes from Hamlet, Act II, scene 2. "Then came each actor on his ass..." [ Wednesday, January 25, 2006 18:21: Message edited by: Lenar Labs ] -------------------- -Lenar Labs What's Your Destiny? Ushmushmeifa: Lenar's power is almighty and ineffable. All hail lord Noric, god of... well, something important, I'm sure. Posts: 735 | Registered: Monday, January 16 2006 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 4239
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 18:31
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I read R&J my freshman year of high school and thought it sucked. They're both stupid fools and the play requires too much suspension of disbelief for me. Othello, on the other hand, I found to be quite good. I recognize the similarities between the two, but passionate love that's broken by jealousy and lack of trust is just more believable to me. Probably the fact that half my R&J class were juniors and seniors who'd previously failed frosh English colored my experience a bit, though. -------------------- There are two kinds of game players...those who are newbies, and those who were. Posts: 322 | Registered: Monday, April 12 2004 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 6489
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 18:50
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R&J is one of the only Shakespeare plays that i don't care for. I much prefer Julius Caesar and Two Gentlemen of Verona. -------------------- "You're drinking liquor because you're thirsty? How nasty is your freaking water?" —Lazarus Spiderweb Chat Room Avernum RP • Summaries • OoC • Roster Shadow Vale - My site, home of the Spiderweb Chat Database, BoA Scenario Database, & the A1 Quest List, among other things. Posts: 1556 | Registered: Sunday, November 20 2005 08:00 |
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Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Wednesday, January 25 2006 21:13
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Personally, I like Troilus and Cressida. It's a shame that no one ever reads it anymore. Much Ado About Nothing is also uproariously funny, and The Tempest is just awesome. The Winter's Tale is also pretty spectacular, especially the ending. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 4682
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written Thursday, January 26 2006 04:35
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quote:Actually, in the play, the other friar said there was a plague in Mantua that everyone was afraid of and they wouldn't go. Friar Laurence had planned to hide Juliet in his cell until he could contact Romeo. I have read other Shakespeare plays and I have found that my favorites are invariably the ones about people who go insane and end up dying(yeah, I have weird taste). I don't believe in love at first sight. I believe in infatuation that may or may not turn into love as the two people get to know each other. It's also not usually a good idea to kill yourself over someone you've only known for a week. I really think this could have been a good story, but it was finished too soon, before it was really worked out. -------------------- Do not underestimate the power of the mechanical pencil. Join the Dark side. We have cookies. Played in: Fiddler on the Roof Bye Bye Birdie "Hey, Patrick, feel this random pipe. It's squishy"-Nils Posts: 834 | Registered: Thursday, July 8 2004 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6234
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written Thursday, January 26 2006 08:29
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I'm not really keen on R&J. It's too sweat in a way, but it is important literature. I liked the end, nice and tragic, i hate happy endings. Anyway, it doesn't change the fact that the story is stolen from an ancient Greek mythe. That's a bit cheap. -------------------- There are 400 words in the dictionary that begin with "self" and only 8 that begin with "fellow". When in doubt. . . mumble. Posts: 150 | Registered: Saturday, August 20 2005 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, January 26 2006 10:44
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Most of Shakespeare's material is stolen. That doesn't make it less compelling. —Alorael, who prefers Much Ado and Macbeth. One is clean, wholesome fun with a stretch of clean and wholesome, and the other is what a tragedy should be: excessive gore, witches, betrayal, suicide, and slaughter. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Councilor
Member # 6600
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written Thursday, January 26 2006 11:19
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Just about every idea is a repeat now because after so many years with so many people with so many ideas, almost everything has been thought of at least once. Dikiyoba. ----------------------- There are only two ways to be original: come up with something entirely new or use something old in an entirely new way. Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00 |
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E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
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written Thursday, January 26 2006 11:19
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R&J is Shakespeare's Titanic. :P -------------------- SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice. Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00 |
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Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
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written Thursday, January 26 2006 14:32
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I'm a big fan of Titus Andronicus. And Hamlet. Apparently, I like the bloody ones... -------------------- Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00 |
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Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Thursday, January 26 2006 15:16
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Troilus and Cressida certainly is no worse for wear for being lifted directly out of The Iliad. I kind of liked Marlowe's Dido, Queen of Carthage, even though it was basically scene-for-scene stolen from The Aeneid. Measure For Measure was an old story that Shakespeare re-wrote, but his version is so much more compelling than the older versions that there's no comparison. There are many ways of being original, and having a new plot is only one of them. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |