Introduction to Romeo and Juliet Rethinking Stereotypes

“Normative Love Story of Our Time” —Marjorie Garber Over the last 50 years the title characters are usually played by youthful actors Modern association with youth culture The play is staged in terms of inattentive parents, peer pressure, teen suicide, irrevocable decisions

Things to consider as you read the play Who is responsible for the tragic end of this play? Are Romeo and Juliet models for today’s youth? If so, why? Is the feud something that is generated by the young protagonists and their associates? Are Romeo and Juliet unified against parents who simply can’t understand their rebellious and overly idealistic children?

West Side Story (1961)

Considerations of 20th century versions of the play West Side Story (film 1961) Rewrites the family feud as a gang war between the Jets and the Sharks Romeo + Juliet (1996) Reframed as a corporate warfare between the Capulets and Montagues What do these versions imply? What kind of feud is actually presented in Shakespeare’s play?

Rethinking Romeo Romeo is a stereotype in our culture, meaning one of two very different things: A faithful lover or sweetheart A seducer or pursuer of women (sim. to Lothario) In small groups, look closely at the language used to depict Romeo and pick out a few lines that tell us who Romeo is. Try to answer the following questions: How is Romeo depicted at the start of the play? Does he fit either one of these stereotypes? What kind of woman is his first love, Rosaline? How does she spurn Romeo?

Rethinking Juliet Often, we think of Juliet’s parents as controlling, heartless, or inattentive Looking at Act One, scene two, how can we define Juliet’s father’s relationship with her? What kind of woman is her nurse? How might the nurse have impacted Juliet’s character development? What kind of daughter is Juliet?

Coming of Age In our modern age, coming of age usually means defining ourselves in opposition to our parents and peers—coming into our unique differences In the world of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, coming of age meant taking part in rites of passage that are controlled not by the youth culture, but by the patriarchy: Courtship (Juliet is seen as old enough to be wooed by Paris) Vendetta or Feud (Romeo’s mother worries that he has grown up and is involved in his family’s battles; the participation of the young men of Verona in the feud is actually a continuation of the older generation’s battle) As the play progresses, we witness the central characters entering the adult world as modeled by their parents and while they may choose to come of age differently, both are taking part in accepted cultural practices or rituals that make them adults

Early Modern Conceptions of Love Courtly Love Ideal—women are seen as beautiful “queens of the heart” whom the adoring lover must serve Love was supposed to be spiritual rather than sensual, but such a view was idealistic; in practice, love was often sexual How do Romeo and Juliet play with these conventions? How can we characterize their initial feelings for each other?

Act 2, the chorus and scene 1 How are the lovers constrained? How sympathetic is Mercutio to the idea of love? Notice how Mercutio hopes to conjure up Romeo; he uses the language of the blazon to present Rosaline as body parts rather than a whole entity and pokes fun at Romeo’s possible sexual experiences Romeo separates himself from his friends, suggesting his removal from Mercutio’s bawdy humour The characters will become increasingly isolated as the play progresses; Juliet will also strip herself of her former confidants (her Nurse, in particular)

The Balcony Scene (Act 2, Scene 2) Who is in charge in the balcony scene? What is Romeo’s motive? What is Juliet’s? Juliet’s reference to his name refer to his origins as her enemy; in a way both suggest they are developing a new identity not based on family ties Notice also that Romeo plans to ask the advice of his spiritual father, suggesting a desire to make their relationship right for their feuding families

Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film version