Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
You all know the famous tale... Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (In German Romeo und Julia, in French Romeo et Juliette). I read it in English were it contained 94 pages.
To divert their friend from his broken heart, Mercutio and Benvolio take Romeo to a forbidden party at their family's arch-enemy's house: The Capulet's. But on the party, Romeo falls irrevocably for Juliet, the daughter of the house... But the forbidden love is doomed already...
This is a very tragic story, so you wouldn't expect humour in this play. Still, there it is. In Juliet's answers to her mother's and nurse's request, in the hypocrisy of everyone… there's still always always something funny. But apart from that, the story line is tragic. It's tense, even though you know how it ends, and the characters are well done – the ideas, too.
But it's kind of disgusting they are so young! I mean, Juliet is 13! First of all it's gross that she's supposed to get married that age – which fits in that time, but it's disgusting nevertheless. Second: Seriously, how can a thirteen-year-old fall in love like that? Or did she overestimate her own feelings and more or less thought it was expected from her to kill herself because of that? If yes, it would have been nice if that could have been made clear. But to fall in love like that, for real? It seems a little unrealistic. That way, that intensity, that ending. But hey, as romantic as I may be: I don't believe in either love at first sight.
Romeo's side of all this is a little weird, too: Which 16-year-old boy falls in love with a 13-year-old girl and wants to marry her? That doesn't really fit to the differences in stage of maturity. Okay, at that time, children didn't stay children that long. But from the physical (fertility excluded) she was still a child, with childish features. She shouldn't have been that attractive to him. And they didn't know the other enough to fall for the character, for whom they really are! Plus, he was moping around because he was in love before he met her. So… he actually forgot his “immortal” love to a woman after one glance at a child. Well… not weid or anything. Additionally, I don't really understand why he killed himself. I get that she did it out of love, but mostly because she couldn't live with herself, because her actions killed the one she loves. But about him? Why is he so stupid to kill himself? I really don't understand that.
So, you have a “really romantic” love story which is actually the ideal for every tragic romance ever. But I must admit that I find the characters' actions more silly than romantic.
Now to the other characters.
Lord Capulet's cool. He changes his mind rather quickly, doesn't he? I can't understand how he and his wife can treat their daughter like that – she's mourning and instead of giving her time and a secure place, they want to rip everything away from her through marrying her off to a nearly total stranger.
But I like the nurse. She's cool. Silly, but funny and a true friend to Juliet. I like Benvolio as well, he's is a shitty position. I'm sorry for him.
In brief:
I give it stars for characters, ideas, style, content and humour. Minus one for the romance itself, because I'd have thought that it was better.