gone-writer

[gone-writer]

Was deep diving in my google docs and found an old play review of our school's production of Romeo and Juliet I was forced to write. I think I was 14-ish when I wrote this. Enjoy the cringe-fest

Summary

Romeo and Juliet is a melodramatic tragicomedy. Though many would disagree with me and argue it is purely a tragedy. Such crowds have not read Mercutio’s dialogue. The play opens with Romeo mourning his love, Rosaline–who is not dead, but has sworn to remain a virgin. Which, I suppose, is not far from death in Romeo’s dramatic case. Mercutio, a kinsman to the prince and dear friend of Romeo, urges him to go to the feast hosted by the Capulets. Romeo refuses because he is a Montague, and Montagues and Capulets mix like oil and fire. With a very needed smack to the head, Mercutio successfully convinces Romeo to attend. Meanwhile, Juliet tells her nurse that she does not want to attend the feast since it seems meaningless to her. The same thing basically happens with Romeo and Mercutio, with Juliet sighing and finally agreeing to go. They’re so dramatic, they’re literally a match made in heaven meant to go to heaven.

At the feast, Romeo dances and falls in love with Juliet. They have a conversation later on the Capulet balcony under the guise of night. Juliet delivers a line straight from the original script, saying that she would abandon her name–if Romeo would not–in order to wed him. Which was weird, because at this point in the play Romeo hasn’t revealed his name yet? Tiresias might’ve been Juliet in disguise this entire time, because what is this–a prophetic vision? Wrong play, man.

Alas, nobody cares for my quippy remarks. Tybalt notices a Montague has infiltrated the manor and alerts Lord Capulet, to which he dismisses it, not wanting his banquet to end in bloodshed. After knowing each other for a day, Romeo and Juliet sought Father Lawrence to wed them. Now I know the play took place in the 1500’s and couldn’t have possibly watched Frozen to know that marrying a man you’ve met is foolish, but don’t they at least have anything similar that has the same message? Do better, 1500’s Italians.

The two got married, much to nobody’s amusement. Tybalt is especially furious and sought to kill Romeo. However, Mercutio intervened, getting himself slain in the process. Nobody mentions this in this play, but in the original play, Mercutio was still joking as he’s literally dying. You don’t get that much dedication nowadays. Romeo, infuriated by the death of his friend, picks up Mercutio’s sword and begins to fight Tybalt–which he successfully kills. However, in doing so, he had gone against the Prince’s rule: The first family to strike conflict once more will have their heads taken. It kinda doesn’t matter though since Romeo was just exiled.

Juliet is heartbroken to learn of his beloved’s exile, completely glossing over his dead cousin. I would also like to add that Juliet was supposed to wed Paris, as per her mother’s request. She rejects her mother’s command and Lady Capulet disowns her, saying she is not her daughter. More on Paris later. She goes to the friar, where he informs her to drink this not so suspicious concoction that basically disguises her as a corpse. Juliet drinks it. At this point, I’d like to add Juliet and Romeo are not hopeless romantics, they’re just hopeless.

The cut plays to an unknown location where the audience gawks at Juliet’s not so very dead corpse. Where was she and why was she here? The play doesn’t explain. But in the original script, the nurse had actually witnessed her “death,” and alerted Juliet’s parents who quickly but solemnly planned the funeral. So to answer the previous question, Juliet is literally in her grave. Romeo stumbles upon her grave, somehow, and mourns her. This is the second time Romeo mourned a woman who is very much alive–but he doesn’t know Juliet’s still alive so I’ll let it slide.

Romeo, unable to handle the fact that his lovers keep ditching him, drinks poison. Right on cue, Juliet wakes up. Shocked by the sight of her dead love, she could only kiss his lips. In the original script, Juliet does this to try and drink the remaining poison on Romeo’s lips. It proved futile and Juliet resorted to stabbing herself with Romeo’s dagger, which is much more effective. The parents of the two enter the scene, mourn their children, and make peace with one another.

Now in the original Romeo and Juliet, Paris was present in this scene. Romeo was furious to find a man claiming to be the husband of Juliet so the two engage in a battle. Paris lost. He requested his body to be laid near Juliet’s to which Romeo agreed. So when Juliet revived, she quite literally ignored Paris’ death. This isn’t the first time she’d ignore a dead man.

More discrepancies I’d noticed, Lady Montague had died of grief when Romeo was exiled but was still present to mourn her son. The maternal instincts must’ve been so strong, but I do not want to put emphasis on this because I played Lady Montague.

Theme

Don’t fight with your neighbors or else your children might die. Seriously though, Romeo and Juliet details the neglect of parents, leading to their children in dangerous situations that they wouldn’t have been in, if their parents just loved them enough to actually teach them lessons.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? The two protagonists suffer from the feud, not because of hatred, but because of the lack of love. Romeo actively seeks out the love of other women, it’s almost as if he doesn’t receive enough love from home. Juliet was literally disowned by Lady Capulet when she decided to put her foot down and decided to reject her mother’s request. The story–in its most broken down form–is about two children loving each other, because who else will? To me, the real tragedy at hand is the apathy of their parents due to a senseless feud. The most recurring theme here, I think, is about making peace and not continuing petty arguments, for greater peril will soon be born from it. I do agree with it, but I urge my readers to consider my take carefully. Take candy from a child, and they will seek it from a stranger.

[gone-writer]

I have to search "topic conversation ideas" because idk what to write in this miscellaneous dialogue b4 I kill this mofo