It's the central theme of the play, people!!!
There are a lot of misconceptions about Shakespeare and his work. I'm no expert and I'm sure I've misquoted him at various times. Some people get angry over the misinterpretation of words and phrases. Try telling an English teacher that Juliet is just trying to find her boyfriend when she says "wherefore art thou, Romeo?". It'll hurt. A lot.
But there's one thing that bugs me more than anything else, or at least it has since I thought of it this morning. It concerns one of his most famous plays, the origin of the line above. Romeo and Juliet, that famed tale of star-crossed lovers. It's a tale of happiness and woe, love and loss that has become the archetypal love story in modern culture, defining a genre.
To this day, young men are called Romeo by joking friends as they attempt to woo the love of a beautiful woman. New couples, so very much in love, are oft compared to those erstwhile lovers. To compare a pairing to that of Romeo and his Juliet is to say that they are suited for one another, that it is destiny that they meet, fall in love and be happy for the rest of their lives.
Romeo and Juliet died.
It's no big secret. Shakespeare even says that they're going to kick the bucket in the sixth line of the play. They're lead characters in a Shakespearean tragedy, for heaven's sake. Most of the supporting cast don't make it through those things alive.
And yet everyone forgets it. Sure, there are some people who, when calling someone Romeo, do so because they honestly believe that he's going to fall in love then commit suicide in an act of tremendous stupidity and that his father is going to have a party with his girlfriend's father afterwards.
But then there are those who write adverts with little logo people scampering around saying "ye" and "wherefore" like their lives depended on it. I hate those people. I hate advert writers in general but that's a complaint for another time.
On a tangentially related note, I've finally found a use for something I learned in Higher English classes. Several months too late, but, hey, I'll take what I can get. My sister, reading a book of Poirot short stories, asked me to explain the plot of Othello, since so many references were made to it. While doing so, I got to use the quote "my ancient, a man he is of honesty and trust". I feel so proud of myself. And glad that I dropped English.
Damn it! I forgot the woodle again!
But there's one thing that bugs me more than anything else, or at least it has since I thought of it this morning. It concerns one of his most famous plays, the origin of the line above. Romeo and Juliet, that famed tale of star-crossed lovers. It's a tale of happiness and woe, love and loss that has become the archetypal love story in modern culture, defining a genre.
To this day, young men are called Romeo by joking friends as they attempt to woo the love of a beautiful woman. New couples, so very much in love, are oft compared to those erstwhile lovers. To compare a pairing to that of Romeo and his Juliet is to say that they are suited for one another, that it is destiny that they meet, fall in love and be happy for the rest of their lives.
Romeo and Juliet died.
It's no big secret. Shakespeare even says that they're going to kick the bucket in the sixth line of the play. They're lead characters in a Shakespearean tragedy, for heaven's sake. Most of the supporting cast don't make it through those things alive.
And yet everyone forgets it. Sure, there are some people who, when calling someone Romeo, do so because they honestly believe that he's going to fall in love then commit suicide in an act of tremendous stupidity and that his father is going to have a party with his girlfriend's father afterwards.
But then there are those who write adverts with little logo people scampering around saying "ye" and "wherefore" like their lives depended on it. I hate those people. I hate advert writers in general but that's a complaint for another time.
On a tangentially related note, I've finally found a use for something I learned in Higher English classes. Several months too late, but, hey, I'll take what I can get. My sister, reading a book of Poirot short stories, asked me to explain the plot of Othello, since so many references were made to it. While doing so, I got to use the quote "my ancient, a man he is of honesty and trust". I feel so proud of myself. And glad that I dropped English.
Damn it! I forgot the woodle again!
Labels: alasdair, annoyances, rant
posted by Alasdair Corbett at
10:51 PM
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home