Inside Shakespeare's mind: Romeo and Juliet
The whole literary world believe Romeo and Juliet to be the young
lovers who loved each other unto death. They indulged in the purity of
unstained affection in the very short span of meeting each other and
sacrificed their love to prove it.
But was Romeo so chaste as Juliet?
Is this what Shakespeare intended? Or is it what was in his mind?
Probably yes or probably not. If not what was in his mind to have
brought Juliet's cousin, Rosaline to the scene as Romeo's first lover
before he met the young Capulet. It was not first love for Romeo. His
friends, Mercutio and Benvolio made fun at Rosalin but Romeo was serious
about Rosalin according to Friar Lawrence.
Let's look at the proof... (Enter Romeo)
Romeo: Good morrow, father.
Friar Lawrence Benedict: What early tongue so sweet salute me?
Young son, it argues a distempered head. So soon to bid good morrow,
to they bed. Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye and where care
lodges sleep will never lie. But where unbruised youth with unstuff'd
rain doth couch limbs,there golden sleep doth reign. Therefore they
earliest doth me assure. Thou art uprous'd with some distemp'ature. Of
if not then here I hit it right. Our Romeo hath not been in bed tonight.
R: That last is true, the sweeter rest was mine.
Fri: Good pardon sin. Was thou with Rosalin?
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Juliet – ‘Tis almost morning. I would
have thee gone’. Act 1 Sce II |
R: With Rosalin, my ghostly father. No. I have forgot that name's
woe.
Fri: That's my good son, but where hast thou been?
R: I'll tell thee ere thou ask it me again...
Act 2 Sce III
Overtaken by his sudden rush of love for Juliet, Romeo tells the
friar how he met her and what followed at the ball when later how he
confessed his love for her ready to take her hand immediately. Gone were
the infatuations for Rosaline. The tender Romeo pleads with the friar to
join them in holy matrimony whatever the consequence be. Where the
couple aware what marriage meant. Shakespeare should have pondered about
or was he bitter how at eighteen he wedded Anne Hathaway who was eight
years older than him?
Romeo's urgency is visible and though young in years, the friar takes
it upon himself to comply.
Here again we see Shakespeare starting a chain of irregular events
that finally lead the young couple to death. Was marriage necessary at
that point. Juliet who was not yet fourteen and the teenaged Romeo was
too immature to think of marriage but in their innocence, they could
have runaway from the House of Capulet. Pausing behind to tie the knot
by an old friar was not in keeping. He could have used his influence on
their parents to do so. Then the story ends. For that matter the parents
should refuse and the feud to ignite again between the Capulets and
Montagues.
Introducing Rosalin was way out. Some directors have placed her even
at the ball. What was going in Shakespeare's mind to so do?
Going back to Romeo's confession to Friar Lawrence, it is evident
that Romeo took the holy man by surprise by his fickle nature.
Romeo: Then plainly know that my heart's dear love is set on the fair
daughter of rich Capulet. As mine on hers, so hers is set on me. And all
combined save what thou must combine by holy marriage. When and where
and how. We met, we woo'd and made exchange of vows. I'll tell thee as
we pass, but his I pray that thou consent to marry us today.
Fri: Holy Saint Francis, What a change is here. Is Rosaline, that
thou did'st love so dear so soon forsaken? Young men's love, then lies
not truly in their hearts but in their eyes. Jesus Maria, what a deal of
brine hath washed thy shallow cheeks for Rosaline.
How much salt water thrown away in waste... Women may fall, when
there's no strength in men.
R: Thou child'st me for loving Rosalin.
Act II Sc III
Elsewhere his friends, Benvolio and Mercutio search for him.
Mercutio: Where the devil should this Romeo be? Came he not home
tonight.
Benvolio: Not to his father's. I spoke with his man.
Mer: Why, that same pale hard-hearted wench, that Rosalin torments
him so that he will sure run mad.
Synopsis
Two households both alike in dignity, the Montague and the Capulets
are at each other all the time. After a brawl between the two families,
the Prince warns anyone who disturbs the streets again with death.
Romeo, masked at a Capulet's ball, becomes infatuated with Julia and
avow to make her his bride. She stands on the balcony and their love
scenes are enacted after dark ad the last guest has gone. Romeo refuses
the fight with Tybalt because he is cousin by marriage after the friar
tied the knot between him and Juliet. The gallant Mercuttio takes the
challenge himself and is killed accidentally. The enraged Romeo kills
Tybalt and the Prince banishes him. When her father forces Juliet to
marry a young nobleman called Paris, she refuses. Her mother and nurse
gives her so support and they are not aware that Juliet is already
married. Juliet runs to the friar for help and he gives her an opiate to
put her in a death-like trance for forty hours after which Romeo will
come and take her away. But the message does not reach Romeo and when he
comes to the vault and find Juliet dead, he kills himself. Juliet awakes
from the trance and finding Romeo dead, she too kills herself. Over
their bodies the Capulets and Montagues leave behind their differences
and are reconciled.
In performance
No one for any director to mount a drama among Shakespeare's plays.
The immortal lovers have been brought to the stage and screen as well as
to TV in a big way. There is no one who do not know this much loved
tragedy of the Bard and no love story is considered equal to it. Few
plays have been acted so often. All great thespians over the centuries
have portrayed the title roles. For instance, in 1784, David Garrick
played Romeo for 11 years with great success.
Revived over and over again, the play has featured the main players
getting younger and younger in new production which should be so.
However none of Romeo and Juliet films has been much lasting value.
Hollywood's version in which Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard featured
had been a great film. A British Italian version had Renato Castellini
in 1954 and a second version by Franco Zeffirelli with two very young
lovers in Leonard Whiting at sixteen as Romeo and Juliet with the
fifteen year old Olivia Hussey. Tchaikovsky scored for a version 1880
and Delius in 1839.
Even Serge Prokofiev scored for Romeo and Juliet in 1957. There were
two silly 'modernized' versions of this play in the last decade with
Romeo driving a sports car and in the other version, Shakespeare acting
as Romeo to feed the dialogue into the original version. With lot of
fanfare, Shakespeare in Love was not a success as I wished. No
Shakespeare play must ever be 'modernised'. They have to retain the old
order, the dialogue must be the same as well as the costumes of the era.
Nothing ever must change.
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