Romeo and Juliet
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Why do people think this is a romantic book?!?
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Benjamin
(last edited Jun 01, 2014 04:33PM)
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rated it 4 stars
Jun 01, 2014 04:22PM
um it's a story about love and tragedy thats why they find it romantic romeo says all kinds of hella romantic things to Juliet then they off themselves because they can't live without each other it really is a romantic tragedy I don't know what else you could call it I thought it sure was moving but that's just me
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Christine wrote: "'But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.' If that is not romantic to you, then I'd like to know what you think romance is?"agreed romeo is the king of one liners I like the one where Juliet asks him to pronounce his love and he says something to the gist of by blessed moon I swear that tips all these fruit tree tops silver a j says swear not by the moon the inconstant moon that always changes in her monthly orb r what shall swear by j swear by thy gracious self whom is the god of my adultery and i'll believe thee
Alec wrote: "I don't like this book, I read it for school and it just infuriated me because of the, frankly, stupidity of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare is a wonderful writer and I'm positive i would've enjoyed ..."Maybe you just didn't understand it? I mean, yeah they're young and stupid but hey who wasn't once? It's a tragedy, and most tragedies require foolishness in some way or another. As for romance...maybe you should re-read Act I Scene 5, Act 2 Scene 2, and Act 3 Scene 5 and try to really understand the dialogue by looking online or something. :)
Benjamin wrote: "Christine wrote: "'But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.' If that is not romantic to you, then I'd like to know what you think romance is?"agr..."
Yes that was a great one also! Juliet trying to get a more concrete declaration of his love, and of course the folk lore/ symbolism of the moon was very romantic too. I really like this book.
Jen wrote: "Sam, Brooke, Eliza - can we be friends? Because I've never thought the play was romantic at all. We've got two defiant teenagers who meet and cause six deaths over the course of a holiday weekend..."
And over that weekend saw each other when they first met(for a few minutes then a few more at the balcony), at their wedding, the wedding night, and again when one of them is dead at at least one point.
That's love right there. 3 times together, about 20 minutes of conversation, and then suicide.
Some people are under the misguided (imo) impression that "romance" has to make sense, be completely rational or always end with a HEA. I don't believe that is true. Romance doesn't necessarily always have to be "good". R&J is a tragedy, but that doesn't discount or nullify any of the romantic elements of the story....and by "romantic", I mean the heightened state of emotions that R&J were ruled by. That is the element that makes the story "romantic". One can argue whether they were old enough to understand love or whether they were genuinely in love with one another or whether they acted foolishly......but within the context of the story, they believed that they were in love and their emotions were driving their actions. This is the same reason why so many regard Heathcliff from "Wuthering Heights" as a romantic hero. Yes, he devolved into a miserable wretch by the time that the novel ends.....but there is no denying that within the context of the story, he was ruled by his love for Cathy. The presence of those heightened emotions is what makes the story romantic. It's not a "good" romance at all, but it is a romance.
Alec wrote: "I don't like this book, I read it for school and it just infuriated me because of the, frankly, stupidity of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare is a wonderful writer and I'm positive i would've enjoyed ..."Is that your main concern, the age of the characters? You need to understand that during the Renaissance, teenagers were not considered adolescents. They were considered adults in every sense of the word, in that they were old enough to marry, bare children, hold property and inherit the household. Life was much shorter for people in that era, and they did not consider one's teen-age years to be part of some extended adolescence, as we tend to think nowadays.
I have a bit if a different take. I really don't feel that the story is romantic. Yes teenagers were considered adults then but at the same time there are certain things you can't really change. Like hormones. *spoilers ahead*. Lets start with Romeo. Romeo seems like the guy who thinks he is a ladies man. Not one hour before he Juliet he was all about Rosalind. He spent a big chunk of time in the beginning being depressed because the girl he "loved" wanted nothing to do with him. He whined and complained about it right up to the moment he saw Juliet. I feel like Romeo was a "love" flake, of course it never really seemed like he was feeling "love" to me, it seemed more like a whole bunch of lust. The perfect example of the is right after he and Juliet consummate their marriage and suddenly the sensible idea of leaving the the town doesn't seem so bad, when a few minutes before it seemed like the worse idea.Moving on to Juliet. Her explanation isn't as long winded. Juliet doesn't want to get married. Well dad wants her to, and to someone she isn't interested in no less. Well poor Juliet doesn't really have a choice in the matter due to the time she lives in. If her parents say marry a guy she has to. She finds this out right before the dance she meets Romeo at. For her, Romeo represents the freedom to choose that she wishes she had. Simple as that.
Add to both characters the rebellious aspect of "sleeping with the enemy" and the prospect of their relationship becomes even sweeter.
To sum it up: I think that Romeo is an emotional man whore and Juliet wants to stick it to her parents. I'm perfectly aware that I could be completely over thinking the story but that is just my take on it,
I really have a lot of problems with this play, but I just can't find out what issues I really have with it. I love the language and the themes but for some reason, I still feel furious over it.Now, I think I may understand part of the reason why. I don't like how this play is is reduced to just being a 'love story' when I think it's mere attraction than love and there are greater, deeper meanings.
Eliza wrote: "I categorize it as a tragedy. Of common sense."ahaha yes
Eliza wrote: "I categorize it as a tragedy. Of common sense."The play is already categorized as a tragedy. The play is meant to be a tragedy, not a romance. I don't believe that Shakespeare even meant it to be a romance so much as a warning against the power of feuds.
As to the fact that they are teenagers, in the time period this story was written, they were both of marriageable age. Their choices might look unintelligent but the real culprit was the families fighting over something that was probably long forgotten anyways. The rest can be cracked down to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings.
I believe that people find it romantic because they would rather die than to be apart. Love is far more potent when you're a teenager. I am sure than most of you have felt that hopelessness that comes along with losing a loved one. If a break-up is so terrible, just imagine if you discovered your lover had died and you'll never see them again. They didn't even MEAN to kill themselves at first, they were trying to escape.
When love first hits during the teenage years of life, it hits hard, and it is passionate. The world revolves around that feeling of completeness and emotional fulfillment, even though the felt emotions might not be completely real. Or is it? The emotions take over any kind of rationalization. And that is what is represented in this book.
I am mystified by some of the above comments - Romeo and Juliet's action were beyond their control seeing as they did not exist, they could not have waited a few minutes and lived happily ever after. This play is what Shakespeare intended it to be - a tragedy. As Marcy says the feuding of the families had tragic consequences.
Mochaspresso wrote: "Some people are under the misguided (imo) impression that "romance" has to make sense, be completely rational or always end with a HEA. I don't believe that is true. Romance doesn't necessarily a..."Bravo!! I agree...
When Romeo and Juliet was written there was no such thing as "Romance". There was simply Tragedy and Comedy - no other genre. Tragedy ends in death, Comedy ends in marriage. They were very normal conventions used in all playwriting of the time and they were rarely broken (and when they were it was usually in Comedy, because Tragedy was considered higher art than Comedy and not to be messed with). Romance is a genre we (mistakenly) apply to it according to modern ideals. People who are saying you consider it a tragedy, you're right, it is a tragedy. Death is unavoidable in tragedy. If you want people to end up happy together read A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Reading Romeo and Juliet and getting upset that they die is almost like reading Hamlet and getting upset that Hamlet and Ophelia don't marry. (*Spoiler alert: They die too, because it's a Tragedy!)
Alec wrote: "I don't like this book, I read it for school and it just infuriated me because of the, frankly, stupidity of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare is a wonderful writer and I'm positive i would've enjoyed ..."I love that that's your take on it, and I think you're really on to something. Donald Miller, another author on here, had this to say about it:
Romeo and Juliet isn't a love story, it's a tragedy. If anything, it's a farce that makes fun of romantic dreams and shows you just how pointless and tragic your life will be if you WORSHIP another human being exclusively. Just look at the absurdity that's woven in there (Dude, Romeo was after someone else, like, five pages ago. Also-- they missed a memo and both died? That's not heroic, that's just... silly.)
Here's the thing: Shakespeare MEANT for you to be feeling all the anger at these two dumb clucks for getting themselves offed in the most overblown manner imaginable. Romeo and Juliet is great-- not because it's a love story-- but because it's a love story that points out the folly of love.
Holly wrote: "One of the points Shakespeare is arguably making is that Romeo and Juliet had a love that was too good for this world, which is why they both had to die. I do think that too many people who haven'..."Exactly. Some people believe the two youngsters' love to have been merely teenage rebellion. It is however necessary to understand the symbolism in this play. Both Romeo and Juliet died, because their families were at war with each other and unwilling to either compromise or see past their differences. Their children died because of this stubbornness and it shows, how much of an affect the surroundings,the influence of ones parents has in not only matters of love but also in worldly matters
Alec wrote: "I don't like this book, I read it for school and it just infuriated me because of the, frankly, stupidity of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare is a wonderful writer and I'm positive i would've enjoyed ..."My husband thinks the same way. He says it's a book about two stupid teenagers who kill themselves just because they can't be together because of their families.
I was mystified when I first read this book because I couldn't believe they were so dramatic to actually kill themselves. I didn't see this as a love story either. I think the purpose of the story is to show how irrational teenagers are when it comes to the passions.
Wait a moment... Why do people keep saying that they killed themselves because they couldn't be together? Did you actually read it or at least watch an adaptation? That was incidental, even accidental!If you read it, you know Juliet's "first death" was a hoax. The objective wasn't to die, but to escape to be with Romeo. He killed himself because he believed she was dead, not because they couldn't be together. Immature as it may be to kill yourself because your girlfriend/secret wife died, it's not the same as killing yourself because you have to live apart. And, finally, Juliet killed herself because she woke up and found him dead. She understood what had happened (what sort of guilt she may have felt, being the cause, we do not know) and did it.
So, fine, the plan wasn't exactly bullet proof and they may have reacted dramatically to the loved one's death, but that doesn't mean that they killed themselves because they couldn't be together. That may have been the cause, but not their motivation. Whoever was left with that impression, has to read it again.
I think in a lot of ways it is a romantic play than it is a book.
Alec wrote: "I don't like this book, I read it for school and it just infuriated me because of the, frankly, stupidity of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare is a wonderful writer and I'm positive i would've enjoyed ..."marriage between teenagers were pretty common
Marcy - thanks for you input! Some very intelligent comments.
What's wrong with it being a romance? In my opinion ever great (fictional) romance ends with at least one person's death. (Total sarcasm) I think this is one of my favorites because it's hilarious... it has to be poking fun at romance and young love.
Laura wrote: "Wait a moment... Why do people keep saying that they killed themselves because they couldn't be together?True. Each killed themselves because they thought the other was dead. But still, a form of 'not being together', I think that is how people interpret.
Since it's written in a different time period, we have to look at it from the time's views. Teenagers now were close to adulthood or already in adulthood back then. So, when Shakespeare wrote this, he was looking at teenagers from his time just as when we write, we look at teenagers from ours. People didn't live as long, so they were considered mature at different age levels such as Romeo and Juliet were. They fell in love with one another. It was a love at first sight kind of thing which stopped them in their tracks (Basically how Shakespeare puts it). They were willing to put aside all their differences, all their problems, to be with one another. Then when the idea of them not being together, even after all they went through, they couldn't bear it. It's a romance because of what they were willing to do for one another and how far they would go to be together. They never gave up on one another. That's why it's a timeless tragic romance...they loved one another and couldn't live without the other and they didn't.
Personally, I think the poetry in Romeo and Juliet is what makes the play romantic.
Christine wrote: "But still, a form of 'not being together', I think that is how people interpret. "Well, that is extreme. Whoever makes that interpretation must have been lucky enough to never suffering from the death of a loved one, ever. And while some teenagers, in real life, in modern times, have killed themselves over a rejected love (some Goethe readers, for example), Romeo and Juliet did not.
Brittany wrote: "What's wrong with it being a romance? In my opinion ever great (fictional) romance ends with at least one person's death. (Total sarcasm) I think this is one of my favorites because it's hilarious...."No, its actually depicting the triumph of young love over opposition, petty squabbles, and the like - the whole "love conquers all" thing. To assume Shakespeare was poking fun at love with this historic play is to assume he shared our modern cynicism. In the Renaissance, romantic love was a relatively new concept, and people didn't treat it like a terrible, "done to death" cliche as we do.
Christine wrote: "I think people have a problem with the 'love story' because it ends in suicide."I have a problem with it because they act like reckless teenagers having their rebel phase. They basically did everything they could so it would end with a tragedy. I mean a secret marriage? Yeah because that could not end badly.
Matthew wrote: "Brittany wrote: "What's wrong with it being a romance? In my opinion ever great (fictional) romance ends with at least one person's death. (Total sarcasm) I think this is one of my favorites becaus..."Thanks for pointing that out, but I didn't say it was interned that way. Also reading sarcasm is hard, I know. I was actually poking fun at what someone else said, subtly.
Hayden wrote: I have a problem with it because they act like reckless teenagers having their rebel phase.They basically did everything they could so it would end with a tragedy. I mean a secret marriage? Yeah because that could not end badly.That's why it is The TRAGEDY of Romeo and Juliet.
However, in retrospect, I bet if the Montague and Capulet parents had it to do over, they'd say 'Go 'head and get married, just don't kill yourselves.'
I am a student of A levels and yesterday during our SAT I preparation class our teacher told us that romance doesn't mean what we think now a days about it or the way we are shown or the way we show it, its VULGARITY rather, after quoting a quote " GOD IS LOVE ". And what I suppose in participating in this discourse is that the romanticism shown in the novel-cum-play ROMEO and JULIET is the deeper thoughts and a detailed picture of that time's society and culture in which they are so much affectionate in themselves are so much deeper or be it so much romantic with each others that they do not look at what others make out.
Christine wrote: "That's why it is The TRAGEDY of Romeo and Juliet."I agree that romance doesn't need to have an happy ending but i tend to agree with the person who said it's romantic only because of the good writing and images such as
"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun."
Without that Romeo and Juliet would be (is to me) only about teenagers killing themselves over a sudden (and addimetly powerful) crush that might have not last anyway. Ffs they had just met each other.
most of my life I thought this was a romantic story.Untill I read the play in school ! I didn't find it romantic at all.I also dont get why people always say I want to have a love story like R&J.Also if you pay attention to the time period while your reading it happened in 3-5 days time! (I personally wouldn't have noticed if my teacher didn't point that out )How is it possible to fall in love,get married,get exiled,and die in that short amount of time?
Refan wrote: How is it possible to fall in love,get married,get exiled,and die in that short amount of time? ..."Yeah, but see, that is like the big drama of it. Everything is so immediate. When people say they want an R&J romance, they do not think about the suicides, they think about the all consuming love, the sacrifices these two were willing to make for one another. It is idealistic, impractical, over the top.
Escortgamer wrote: "It IS a romantic book. Cite WIKIPEDIA! "...two young star-crossed lovers...""sorry to burst your bubble but.. "Romeo and Juliet is a TRAGEDY written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families." "Cite WIKIPEDIA!"
I would agree that it is a tragedy and that calling this play a love story is a bit of a shallow view of the story. Romeo and Juliet are certainly the central characters, and their relationship the pivotal point of the plot, but so many people ignore the backdrop. There is a deep hatred that is as shallow and silly as the young love that bloomed between Romeo and Juliet. I would argue that it was really the hatred between the two families that pushed Romeo and Juliet to end their lives. As was stated somewhere before, their relationship was, despite the vanity of it, pure and good, which they had not likely experienced before. They sacrificed quite a bit to pursue their relationship; they faced the ire of their own families, the violent hatred and violence of the opposing families, the deaths of their friends as a result of the violent hatred, loss of status (far more important back then) and, at the end, the loss of each other. So to say that this is a simple romance and that Romeo and Juliet killed themselves simply because of the end of their relationship is an extreme oversimplification of the text.
Holly wrote: "I think it's also important to consider it in the context of its time--most tragic plays were about large, political tragedies, and this play was special because it was a tragedy focused around som..."I am happy to see someone reference The Great Courses. I love them as much as I love reading.
As for R and J, of course, it's romantic. Everyone should see that. It's also tragic because the deaths could have been avoided so easily. The tragedy here is circumstantial, not inevitable as in a classical tragedy.
It's a tragic love story on which a lot of 'modern' love stories are based (think of West Side Story).Thwarted love, star crossed lovers...these are themes of all times.
The language and the prose makes it romantic though.
As
Christine wrote: "'But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.'
If that is not romantic to you, then I'd like to know what you think romance is?"
I totally agree.
Brooke wrote: "Alec wrote: "I don't like this book, I read it for school and it just infuriated me because of the, frankly, stupidity of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare is a wonderful writer and I'm positive i woul..."One could argue otherwise with sufficient textual evidence.
There is always some romance to tragedy. This play has heaps of romance.
Yessss! You guys understand!!! Everybody thinks its "such a romantic book" and a "timeless romance". I'm all for romance stuff. I mean, the amount of love-y dove-y stories that I've read, dear god. What I know for a fact though is that Romeo & Juliet is not a romance. There may be a little romance in it, but 99% of it is just sexual attraction, horniness, and teenage rebellion. I mean seriously. I get that during that time, you marry young. I get the argument that they'd rather die than live without the other. But SERIOUSLY? They meet, think the other is attractive, decide to get married (because pre-marital sex is illegal), do the do, and the die. IN LESS THAN A WEEK. There's no romance at all, just rushed decisions and sexual attraction. The only reason its famous is because Shakespeare wrote it.
this book is not romantic. i mean seriously, double suicide? just no....
Marci wrote: "I thought the same way, but I think it's about how the very heart of the story (distrubing or obnoxious details aside) is that love is the strongest force and cannot be defeated, although victory i..."Actually, it's about bad parenting...
Remember that a romantic novel isn't necessarily about love. Romanticism focuses on strong feelings. A character may be extremely happy, or very depressed. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a good example of this, though it has the added Gothic view.In the beginning of the play, Romeo is heart-broken. He goes from hopeless, to madly in love with someone he doesn't know. This is the romantic part, according to classic Romanticism. The love helps, but it's the emotion that creates the genera, not the relationship of two lovers. Everything needs to be dramatic, high-staked and heartfelt in these stories, love isn't a requirement.
Maryann wrote: Actually, it's about bad parenting..."
HA!! Good one. But how about, "It's about teenage rebellion"?
I just got that idea from an episode of "Daria" where somebody (probably Daria) summed it up that way.
In fact... now my rabid imagination has started running wild... How about a new, "contemporary" movie (per)version about a couple of "Emo Kids" (or ?) who suicide in order to piss their parents off? Not even unlikely in this day and age.
You could write the script... Maybe they'd be Goth types into "Vampires" or something? Why would the parents be objecting to their "Romance"? Who would play the lead characters now that Christian Slater and Winona Rider are (way) too old? (PLEASE don't suggest one of those sniveling wooden wimps from the Hunger Games...)
I wanna see blood though... None of this lame-ass "Poison" crap
Niknesha wrote: "I think many people consider this play a love story because these teens would rather die together than to live separately. But I think the bigger message is Love is Love which can definitely be app..."
You understand it way better than others do. I hate it when people say Romeo and Juliet sucks because they died in
the end and that the story was basically about being blinded and fooled by false love. I mean, that's sick. We all have
different lives, and love plays different roles in your life and mine. Yeah, Romeo and Juliet fell in love with each other
the first time they met, but so what? Do you think your mother spit at you the first time she held you? But hey, you're
father dated your mother three years before they got married. Love's all different in different forms and in different
ways. The point is it's all about caring for each other and staying beside each other for the next century no matter what
the hurricanes and drizzles. What people don't see in love is its versatility in all kinds of people, places, whatsoever.
It doesn't damn matter if Romeo and Juliet had feuding parents. It damn don't matter if they fell for each other the first
time they met. You know what matters most? It's their faith in each other that they see a future for them that exists.
What comes before won't matter. What comes beyond will matter. Oh, and about the double suicide? Let's just say that's how far love took them.
And if you say one more time that this story sucks, that would say more about you than it would about this book.
It's not. IT IS A TRAGEDY.
Well, first of all, it's not a book. It's a play. And until you've seen it performed, you really haven't experienced the story. Shakespeare's plays were never meant to be read (like a book). It drives me crazy that teachers ruin Shakespeare for their students by making them read the plays rather than SEE the plays.
Charmaine wrote: "Well, first of all, it's not a book. It's a play. And until you've seen it performed, you really haven't experienced the story. Shakespeare's plays were never meant to be read (like a book). It dri..."Agreed
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