ROMEO AND JULIET
An 1870 oil painting by Ford Madox Brown
depicting Romeo and Juliet's famous balcony scene
This is an excerpt which I found from Wikipedia:
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "star-cross'd lovers" whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet and Macbeth, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.
Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. Its plot is based on an Italian tale, translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562, and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter in 1582. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but, to expand the plot, developed supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris. Believed written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597. This text was of poor quality, and later editions corrected it, bringing it more in line with Shakespeare's original.
For me, I only learned about Romeo and Juliet when I was in second year highschool when I thought the story of "Florante and Laura" is a lame romantic story. (Anyway, its my own opinion... you can argue with it) and then, I saw the third years perform the play of Romeo and Juliet... and I was very intrigued. So what happened next??
I started researching about it, and even bought a book of it. I would even rehearse Juliet's lines and or, maybe even her nurse or her mother. (as long it is a female character) then, I'll voice act it out in different tones of speech. One speech that I like in particular was when Juliet was in her garden waiting for her nurse to come home after meeting up with Romeo. And then the weary nurse tells Juliet that Romeo had already arranged their marriage.
But...
What makes Romeo and Juliet a very good story?
Shakespeare must have some sources of inspiration. It is said that Romeo and Juliet borrows from a tradition of tragic love stories dating back to antiquity. One of these is Pyramus and Thisbe, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, which contains parallels to Shakespeare's story: the lovers' parents despise each other, and Pyramus falsely believes his lover Thisbe is dead. The Ephesiaca of Xenophon of Ephesus, written in the 3rd century, also contains several similarities to the play, including the separation of the lovers, and a potion that induces a deathlike sleep.
The story setting itself is dark, with only hatred which fills the atmosphere, but, against the black backdrop of the story, a light shines in the middle which I call love. It made me think, could love really exist in a world full of hate? love and hate are two completely opposite ideas, but the story of Romeo and Juliet weaves this two elements together, creating a bittersweet dramatic story.
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting in
Romeo and Juliet, 1968 film by Franco Zeffirelli
In every Romeo and Juliet story, I always noted four parts: the party scene, the balcony scene, the eloping scene and the suicide scene. If one of these four components is not present, I doubt it that the story is based on Romeo and Juliet. Even the stage adaptation entitled The West Side Story had the 4 elements. But ofcourse, the backdrop of the whole story is full of violence and hatred from one side to another, and that Romeo and Juliet defies all the rules. I also note that in the middle part of the story, a crime happens that will lead to the separation of the two lovers. (Who said Romeo and Juliet is only a romatic story? it could also be classified as a comedy, action, and tragedy) However, there was always a glimpse of hope that the two young lovers would eventually reunite and live happily ever after.
The 4 main parts:
1. The party scene- Usually it is a masked ball wherein one person from the opposite party suddenly comes uninvited. And then he/she (In Shakespeare's version, Romeo is the one who comes uninvited, while in the anime version, it was Juliet who comes uninvited). Then, they meet but they do not know each other's identity. They only learn about each other's identity after the encounter, which is said to be "too late" because they have already fallen in-love with each other.
2. The balcony scene- Romeo pursues Juliet, and follows or watches her in secret. Then, he'll over hear Juliet professing her love for the son of her family's enemy. She also swears that she should never be born as a Capulet so that she could freely love Romeo without any restrictions. Then, Romeo will suddenly respond to her, that he would forsake the name of Montague just to be with her. (sweet ^^)
3. The eloping scene- Most Romeo and Juliet plays and adaptations, make Romeo and Juliet wed in secret. (yup, that's true even in anime version). This scene follows shortly after the balcony scene, they meet, decided to leave everything behind and move forward as husband and wife. They defied everything, and got married... but something always happens, that they are separated again after their first night together (how sad.. T.T)
4. The suicide scene- In their desperation to be together again, they tried to fight their love for each other, which resulted Juliet to fake her death, and Romeo grieve on her death. With so much sadness, Romeo killed himself, and Juliet, upon waking and discovering the dead body of her lover, kills herself. The trend with this, is, the boy always die ahead. then the girl dies after. Seeing them die pains me, because both of them are so young for death to grab them, but then again, it is also sweet because of the statement "If we cannot live here peacefully, then perhaps in the other life"
After the series of sweet and unfortunate events, this is the Epilogue: With the death of the two "star-crossed lovers" the two parties who once feuded with each other, finally reconciled. (I think Shakespeare would like to stress that something good came out of their ill-fated tragedy)
Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as Maria and Tony
in "West Side Story" by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins in 1961.
ADAPTATIONS:
Since Romeo and Juliet is one of the most beloved Shakespearian play, it survived through various adaptations in movie, theater and now, even anime.
Unfortunately, I'll mention 3 of my favorite adaptations:
1. Romeo and Juliet by Franco Zeffirelli, 1968.
> I guess, this my first film I've ever watched about Romeo and Juliet. I was in my third year of high school when our teacher let us watched the movie. And for the first time, I saw nude. The film is very beautiful, that it retained in my head for weeks. I even borrowed a copy and re-watched it again at home. Every time I've watched it, it only sends butterflies to my stomach (for some unknown reason... maybe it is what you call the anxiety of being in-love with love)
>With my stupid obsession with it, I even started to rehearse Juliet's exact lines, borrowed a thick book from our library about Romeo and Juliet, tried to play "A time for us" in the piano, and a whole lot of stupid things... ^^ anyways, I would really like you all to watch this film, except some little warning regarding nudity and sex. (yup, I was kinda traumatized, I was 14 when I watched the whole film)
> here's a link on the film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdweOem_MBE
> I think Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting would always be my ideal image of Romeo and Juliet. Since they are both teenagers in this film, it makes the whole thing realistic. I really loved Olivia, she is so beautiful, and I once thought that Leonard is so handsome, until one day, somebody mentioned "OMG! Leonard looks like ZAC EFRON!!!!" I was like... What the---
2. The West Side Story, by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961.
>To be honest, I am really an avid fan of musicals, thanks to my father who watch them so much that it influenced me. Although the main characters are named as Tony and Maria, the plot of the story is very similar to that of a classic Romeo and Juliet. Instead of Feuding families in Verona, the setting takes place in New York, wherein the two opposing sides (or gangs rather) are called the "Jets" (American gang) and the "Sharks" (Puertorican Gang). Tony is from the Jets, while Maria is from the Sharks.
> What made this film nice, was the Songs, the dance, the production... Everything!!! it really made me want to dance and sing at the same time. You'll be really impressed. And Just like Romeo and Juliet, their story is a desperate one, and Tony dies when he and Maria is about to elope in secret. (My relief is, Maria didn't kill herself when Chino kills Tony). Instead, Maria makes a speech, then the two gangs finally reconcile.
>If there are really songs that I liked, it was when Tony sang "Maria" (It's so romantic, that i hope my name was Maria), when Tony and Maria sang "Tonight" (it is their alternative version for the balcony scene) and "Somewhere"
3. RomeoXJuliet by Gonzo, 2007
>I was glad, although kinda skeptical at first with the Romeo and Juliet version of the anime. I thought it would turn out to be so cheesy, but I am glad it is not. Although in the anime, the events that happened are opposite of Shakespeare's version. In here, Romeo's family plays a big part, and that Romeo's dad becomes the one of the antagonists of the story (which contradicts, the original story wherein it was Juliet's father who plays a big role). In here, Juliet is the one who unexpectedly enters the Montague household, and there, she met him.
>The character's names haven't changed much, but some additional characters are added and some of the character's personalities are changed from the original. In here, Romeo and Juliet are both fighters. (^^, something which I liked in the story)
>The setting in the anime is more of a fantasy setting, but, like what I've said, it has the 4 main parts of a classic Romeo and Juliet story. As stated: In the fantastical aeropolis of Neo Verona, the noble house of Capulet had ruled peacefully for generations - until fourteen years ago, when the ancient grudge held by the rival house of Montague led to a mutiny, and the Capulets were deposed and all wiped out in a bloody coup. Now, as Neo Verona suffers under the thrall of its new masters, the fates of two star crossed lovers are about to become tragically entwined... As the citizens of the city suffer, the Capulet clan struggles to strike a blow against their enemies, and the Montagues tighten their grasp on power, an unlikely love blossoms between Romeo and Juliet - but in the face of such adversity, this ill-fated love may be doomed from the outset. Triumph or tragedy; only fate knows what awaits Romeo and Juliet...
>Here's the link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rlcpVz1ez8
> I really adore this anime, even if it had a lot of changes from the original version of the play. It showed more character depth, and it shows that nobody is really perfect. I really would like you to watch it.
>I would like to share to you a music piece from RomeoXJuliet, it is entitled "Kimi no Iru Sekai", (I was listening to it while writing this post)
>I would really like to talk much about this one because it really very interesting and different. It is a different view of what we know is Romeo and Juliet. You'll really ask: why do they have to die?? or... If they haven't known each other then they'll not die... I even tried to draw my own version of RomeoxJuliet, and learned how to draw an Iris and a Rose intertwined with each other.
Romeo x Juliet released by Gonzo in 2007
"For never was a story of more woe,
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
-Prince Escalus
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