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A review by readingisadoingword
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Full disclosure - I LOVE Romeo and Juliet!
This was the 9th play in our #UpstartCrows2023 Shakespeare Readalong.
I had some reservations about revisiting such a long-standing favourite. I've loved this play ever since studying it at school for Higher English. I remember writing a character profile of Romeo and the English teacher commenting "remember he's not a real person"! I saw the English Shakespeare production in our local theatre in the mid 90s, I performed in our school's "Play in a Day" production, I swooned over Baz Luhrmann's extravagant interpretation and I have a full text poster of it on my bedroom wall!
I'm delighted to report therefore, that this stood up to a more mature re-reading and I loved it just as much! The language in Romeo & Juliet is exquisite and it's for good reason that so many passages are widely known and quotable. This time round it was the peripheral characters that I appreciated. Mercutio's flights of fancy - particularly his Queen Mab speech - are just wonderful and transportive to read. The Nurse's humour and bawdiness made me smile. The Prince's tried patience, emphatic warnings and measured justice caused me to admire him, and Paris (who I usually find annoying) even grew on me a little.
What I noticed this time around was Juliet's lack of agency as a young woman. Although she actively loves Romeo, it is he who needs to arrange the marriage, she then has to wait for him to come to her on their wedding night. She is disposed off by her father as if property, although she "belongs" to Romeo.
In lots of ways this was less-romantic on reading this time around, however it lost none of it's enjoyment and, I'm happy to report, I remain in love with Romeo and Juliet.
This was the 9th play in our #UpstartCrows2023 Shakespeare Readalong.
I had some reservations about revisiting such a long-standing favourite. I've loved this play ever since studying it at school for Higher English. I remember writing a character profile of Romeo and the English teacher commenting "remember he's not a real person"! I saw the English Shakespeare production in our local theatre in the mid 90s, I performed in our school's "Play in a Day" production, I swooned over Baz Luhrmann's extravagant interpretation and I have a full text poster of it on my bedroom wall!
I'm delighted to report therefore, that this stood up to a more mature re-reading and I loved it just as much! The language in Romeo & Juliet is exquisite and it's for good reason that so many passages are widely known and quotable. This time round it was the peripheral characters that I appreciated. Mercutio's flights of fancy - particularly his Queen Mab speech - are just wonderful and transportive to read. The Nurse's humour and bawdiness made me smile. The Prince's tried patience, emphatic warnings and measured justice caused me to admire him, and Paris (who I usually find annoying) even grew on me a little.
What I noticed this time around was Juliet's lack of agency as a young woman. Although she actively loves Romeo, it is he who needs to arrange the marriage, she then has to wait for him to come to her on their wedding night. She is disposed off by her father as if property, although she "belongs" to Romeo.
In lots of ways this was less-romantic on reading this time around, however it lost none of it's enjoyment and, I'm happy to report, I remain in love with Romeo and Juliet.