Happy Monday friends, today we shall embark on a heartwarming an heartbreaking journey through Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare. Today we will only take a look at what is to come and next Monday we will mix things up and discus the entire play:
Today we are reading:
THE PROLOGUE FROM ROMEO AND JULIET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Let's get to know William Shakespeare:
William Shakespeare (around 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) - was and English poet, playwright, actor, dramatist and best known writer in the English Literature. Through out his life he wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems. As an actor he also stared in numerous plays and even opened his out theater called Globe. His Romeo & Juliet is my all time favorite tragedy, (which we will be discussing later). Actually until he wrote this play, love wasn't viewed a good subject for plays, and after this play love became the focus of many plays. Also over the years there have been speculation that he didn't write his works but nothing was ever proven.
Prologue
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Let me just begin by saying some truths about myself. I am absolutely one hundred percent obsessed with Romeo and Juliet. This play is one of my most favorite, most re-read plays I have ever had the privilege to read. I just cannot understand how Shakespeare wrote something so beautiful yet tragic at the same time. Now I will be discussing my most inner thoughts about this tragedy next Monday but now let's talk about the prologue. I think it's chillingly good! I mean do you just feel how Shakespeare sets the stage for the reader? Let's just take look at it one more time - so if a person reads this for the first time right? He knows that this play will be about two families that are fighting and the fight is brutal and the kids from both of the families fall in love and kill themselves, and maybe just maybe this will finally end. I mean come on! Pure genius going on right there! What can be more satisfying to a reader or a play watcher then love ending in tragedy? Nothing!
And the line 'Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean' doesn't it just mean that everyone is to blame for these two young kids dying? Yes it does! And just how confused a reader becomes when you read a prologue such like this, you know that this play will end it death and you watch this beautiful love story and you feel all gushy and then you remember, oh wait - they die! Just....so....much....tears.....
'Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage' - brilliant time as well....guys I can't even handle this masterpiece, seriously :D
What did you think of THE PROLOGUE OF ROMEO AND JULIET?
