My Favourite Stories - Part 4: Romeo & Juliet

At this point in my blog series you’re probably experiencing a bit of whiplash trying to figure out the direction I’m taking with my selection of favourite stories. A Japanese anime? Cool. A Christopher Nolan film? Sure, fair. A Nickelodeon show? Alright.

But now a 400 year old Shakesperean tragedy? Come on, what’s next? A poem carved into a stone slab by an ancient Macedonian? Maybe...

Don’t let my erratic tastes distract you from the fact that Romeo and Juliet absolutely deserves its place in my top 12, though. Out of Shakespeare’s work, it stands out as one of his greatest diamonds among a collection of brilliant gemstones.

Now I’m sure many of you have unsavoury memories of reading R & J out loud at some point during middle or high school, befuddled by the dated vocabulary, idioms, and religious allusions. But if any of you have had the privilege of seeing a live performance of this play, I’m sure you’re aware of the magic of this story.

R & J has obviously become one of the most important archetypal love stories in the western canon, but what I find most fascinating about it is that it creates a very unromantic view of love.

The story begins with a very clear demonstration of the ecstasy one experiences when in love, and the power that it has to transcend intergenerational animosity. As an audience member, it is easy to see the passion both lovers have for one another.

This is what makes the second half of the play such a perfect gut-punch. From that blissful pinnacle, everything comes crashing down into tragedy as both families cast escalating vendettas upon one another, until most of the audience’s favourite characters are dead.

An easy interpretation of this story is that petty conflicts shouldn’t interfere with true love, but I take a different stance. I believe that fundamentally, R & J is a cautious tale about the power of love. It can be a heavenly force for good that mends ancient grudges, and can also be a turbulent, uncontrollable force of nature which destroys those it comes in contact with.

It can be a very uncomfortable idea that unbridled youthful love could have such grim consequences, but I think this is the reality which Shakespeare is warning us of. That love is beautiful and limitless, but incredibly dangerous. It mustn’t be taken lightly. And perhaps most tragically, it isn’t meant for those too young to properly temper it.

Otherwise, as Friar Lawerence foreshadows with harrowing accuracy: “These violent delights have violent ends.”