"Romeo and Juliet" is perhaps the most famous story in the world. Almost everyone knows the basic plot. "Romeo and Juliet" is a story of two star-crossed lovers living in the feuding town of Verona. In the first scene of the show, servants from the two families begin to argue. Eventually, this argument becomes an all out brawl. For centuries, the Montague's, whose only child is Romeo, and the Capulet's, whose only child is Juliet, have hated each other. The true essence of the show begins as Mercutio convinces Romeo, who is getting over his former love Rosaline, to sneak into the Capulet Ball. At this event, Romeo and Juliet first meet. They instantaneously fall in love. Tensions grow after the explosive Tybalt catches Romeo at the ball. On the very same night, they find out each other's identity with the rival family. Of course the next scene is perhaps the most famous scene in all of theater. Romeo sneaks away from his buddies as Juliet cries out in repulsion what makes Romeo, a Montague, anything so terrible. Suddenly, Romeo can not bear just to listen, and they begin to plan their marriage. Just as their world seems perfect, another clash breaks out in Verona Square. Mercutio taunts valiant Tybalt until he can not stand it any longer. Romeo tries to stop the rumble, but he only makes things worse. He actually causes Tybalt to murder the witty Mercutio. In the very same scene, Romeo is caught up with rage and slaughters Tybalt. All anarchy breaks loose, and that is just one half of this show!
After that, Romeo is sentenced by the prince to banishment in Mantua. As "brilliant" as the Capulet's are, they plan a wedding for their daughter. Without Romeo around her, Juliet is doomed to marry the nobleman Paris. She seeks Friar Lawrence's help at the church. The friar gives Juliet a poison that will keep her unconscious enough to be buried in the tomb. She will eventually awake and be able to leave Verona and all its troubles. Everything goes according to plan until Romeo catches untimely word of Juliet's death. He comes back to see her, but alas she is gone. In shock, he drinks a poison and kills himself to be with her. Just as he does that, Juliet awakes. Seeing the deceased Romeo, she stabs herself. The pair of suicides shocks both families. Since the tale ends there, only Shakespeare knows the fate of Verona.
Many characters in "Romeo and Juliet" have dual personalities. For instance, Romeo begins the play displaying a very gentle disposition. He is just getting over his breakup with Rosaline. Even as he meets Juliet, Romeo seems tranquil. Forgetting Rosaline instantly, love overcomes him. Later, Romeo snaps like a twig. Like any other youth, Romeo is lost with his emotions. He feels vengeful, but loving. He is depressed, yet joyous. In the tomb, Romeo proves that he would do anything for his love Juliet. Shakespeare's title character has a spirit that touches the human soul.
While Romeo is played as a gentle yet vicious character, Juliet is written quite differently. Juliet is more of a powerful woman stuck in the wrong time. Shakespeare does not write weak female roles. Just as Lady Macbeth had a resonant role in the play, Juliet has a brain and a voice. She had the bravery to stand up to her father, one of noblest men in Verona. Unlike the Scottish king's wife, Juliet is powerless in her world. She feels no other choice but to fake her death. She is only gentle when she is with or thinking about her beloved Romeo. Although we can credit Juliet for being powerful, she also creates her own downfall. Juliet is the one that has them marry each other.
Of all these glorious characters, Mercutio is probably my personal favorite. Mercutio is one of two comedic roles in this play that distract a reader from the true tragedy of the story. He is Romeo's comical best friend. Throughout the first two and a half acts, Mercutio teases Romeo about Rosaline. He calls him a "madman" and a "lover". Even during his last scene, Mercutio makes a mockery of the hot-tempered Tybalt. Mercutio is a joker so much to the extent that those around him think he is not really dead. They laugh and laugh until his bloody hand comes up. Mercutio is no fool. He is just one casualty that Verona has in this fight between two families.
On the Capulet side, I would have to say that I like the nurse the most. She is more of a mother to Juliet than Juliet's actual mother. She tells jokes and just has this way about her that makes her seem likable. Perhaps, her long monologue about how she raised Juliet makes us chuckle. She brings light to the show. Unlike Mercutio, she does not die. Instead, she quickly changes personalities. Towards the end of the show, she can not even be on Juliet's side. The nurse betrays Juliet and later regrets it.
Since I acted in this show and am currently in production of "West Side Story", two characters are very near and dear to my heart. The first of which would be Paris. The county Paris is the man that the Capulet family intends for Juliet to marry. He reaches his most poignant point in the tomb when he confronts Romeo in a battle to the death. Honestly, Paris is a tough part to play. He is not as explosive as Romeo and Mercutio. With all things considered, I would not call him boring. Paris is very much the typical comical suitor that I have played before. On the other hand, he has his entire life turned upside when Juliet fakes her death. He is sent in deep shock. As I learned quickly, only a talented actor can play devastation well.
Playing Bernardo has also placed Tybalt in a special place in my heart. Bernardo is Tybalt's "West Side Story" parallel. Mercutio and Tybalt are almost complete opposites. While Mercutio impresses his companions with his wit and humor, Tybalt shows how poise and prominent a man he is. He does the most fighting of anyone in the show. Tybalt defeats Mercutio, has a small battle in the beginning scene, and loses to Romeo. Of course, Tybalt could also be responsible for causing the problem in this show. This rival to all Montague's sees Romeo at the Capulet Ball. Tybalt is also the one who gets Romeo banished (although he may have not totally have intended to die). With all the evidence spelled out in black and white, it seems like Tybalt may be the one behind this tragedy.
How can I even begin to criticize "Romeo and Juliet"? It themes are as timeless as time itself. Until the world is rid of disunity, this show's will still resonate into every human soul. Shakespeare pretty much shouts how terrible hatred can be. Back in November, I mentioned how there is a Jewish version of this play between an Israeli Romeo an a Palestinian Juliet. Shakespeare could only hope that his play could stop the violence of the world. In all the drama of "Capulet vs Montague", we also see how powerful love is. Clearly, Romeo and Juliet are inseparable. In the balcony scene and even at the ball, we see a side of Shakespeare that touches every human's feeling of love. His poetry in this play compare to his sonnets, which are just beautiful. These star-crossed lovers are so inseparable that they bring another concept to our attention. Death is a powerful matter. Montague and Capulet alike do not realize how meek their brawls were until they see their only children lying helplessly in the tomb. This is just what you can get from reading the show!
As an actor, "Romeo and Juliet" has a range of characters and even emotions that those characters have to portray. From the explosive, romantic Romeo to the cheerful, backstabbing Nurse, some characters travel up and down the emotional spectrum. A show with such momentum is challenging, yet so rewarding. Whether it is reading or acting, I would recommended this show to any beginner wanting to dive into Shakespeare world. Like I stated earlier, this is probably the most famous plot ever written. That basic understanding will help a reader deal with the "difficult" language Shakespeare puts in this play."I understand what is going on, but I may not understand every single word" said one parent the week of our production.
To conclude, we just have to discuss the many modern settings of this tragedy. The most famous of these would definitely be "West Side Story". Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein are ingenious for setting this drama to song and dance in 1960's New York! One of my favorite parts of performing "Romeo and Juliet" was figuring out who everybody's "West Side" parallels were. Another production I would recommend is Baz Lehrman's 1996 "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet". Lerhman creates an amazing epic using almost the exact Elizabeth vocabulary in violence-ridden Verona Beach, a fictional suburb of Los Angeles. Every aspect of the movie will blow your mind. Finally, "Gnomeo and Juliet" is probably the most recent of these modern endeavors. Although I laughed at the concept at first (and during the movie), I appreciated Elton John's attempt to bring a classic to a younger audience. I would not endorse that anybody use "Gnomeo" as their basis of knowledge for this play, but it is helpful. Thus ends this review "of Juliet and her Romeo" (V.iii.310).
Cited Sources
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. John Crowther. New York: Spark, 2003. Print.
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