That
is funny, Michaela.
__________________________________________
DD is working on a persuasive essay on
Romeo and Juliet.She's to assign blame for the deaths of the pair, and then spend a few pages backing it up with evidence.
Since she's a stellar debater, this is actually rather entertaining for her-- if not particularly challenging, since the entire play is definitely "old news" to her. (She first read-- and we first took her to SEE R+J at OSF when she was just seven-- this is a kid that KNOWS some Shakespeare...)
So she upped the challenge by presenting DUAL arguments-- one from the twenty-first century adolescent viewpoint... which she regards as rather trite, actually. Rather "Twilight" if you think about it, as she notes. Not particularly compelling if you happen to not
be in the midst of adolescent angst yourself. Which hardly explains the enduring popularity of the work.
The
other perspective is that of Shakespeare's audiences. That is, the perspective of the average European of ca. 1600 London. This would include the philosophy of marraige as a contract and property arrangement, not a matter of the heart, and one which was indubitably best arranged by one's elders.
In this instance, she squarely blames the two protagonists for their own fate. Basically, all would have been well if not for their "foolishness and headstrong immaturity."
Juliet, at least is a creature of
action; of course this doesn't turn out very well, and she really comes off as something of an ungrateful spoiled brat whose parents may have encouraged this by overindulging their only child...
Romeo, she characterizes as "inherently weak; his immaturity allows him to be pulled into a swirling vortex of deceit and blood" by the conniving and equally immature Juliet. After all, he's a pretty fickle guy when you get right down to it-- he goes to the party in the first place because he's looking for ONE girl that he's pining for, and winds up with one who is ripe for ANY boy that her parents don't approve of...
Their poor parents are really powerless in the face of that.
Gotta love an HG kid.
Dad even suggested a title. "Love Stinks."
He quipped that someone should write a song... ROFL....