Romeo and Juliet: Into Blog

In my Literature and Performance class, we just started reading our first play during the school year. We are reading the play by William Shakespeare, ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ We started to read it this week and are almost done with the first act. Since we just started to read it, Mrs. G asked us to write a little about what we knew about the play before we read it and our impressions from what we read so far on our blogs for a homework assignment.

I actually read ‘Romeo and Juliet’ already. I was assigned to read it in my seventh grade English class, so I remember the whole story and all the characters. We had to memorize the prologue, which I still remember, for the most part.  We, also, actually acted some parts of the play out during class. I got to play Juliet in class, which I really enjoyed doing. I also did a monologue about "Romeo and Juliet" and love last year in acting class for our monologue assignment.

I liked "Romeo and Juliet" the first time I read it and I still like it now. I liked how it featured many complex characters and there was a lot of funny parts of it. My favorite character is Juliet, because she was somewhat sarcastic and smart, especially compares to some of the other characters. My opinion is somewhat biased, as I played her and you always have to love any character you act out.

Despite the fact that I did really enjoy the play,  I did, however, think that it was highly melodramatic at some parts. I also did not like the ending, as I thought it was too sad and would have a preferred an ending where at least half the characters lived. I also found it hard to like some of the characters, such as Romeo, because of flaws that they have in their characteristics. Despite the fact that I did not like Romeo, I HATED Paris. This was because  I was always frustrated by his presence, he did not really do anything important, besides mess everything up and bother everyone, and could not notice the fact that no one really liked him.

Using the first act, Romeo is highly pretentious. He is highly melodramatic about everything that he says or does, especially when it comes to love. He likes to all in poems. He also exaggerates his experience with "love" and Rosiland in a way that seems excessive, was shown when he said,  "Why, such is love's transgression. Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest with more of thine: this love that thou hast shown doth add more grief to too much of mine own. Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd a sea nourish'd with lovers' tears" (Act 1,  Scene 1). These are only some of Romeo's pretentious ways that are present in the part we read so far.

In the part that we read so far, Juliet has not said or done very much. Still she is presented as being  tactful, smart, and slightly sarcastic. This is shown when she somewhat defies her mother when she tells her that she has to marry Paris, despite not knowing him and being about half his age. She does this by saying, "It is an honour that I dream not of," which is probably said sarcastically (Act 1 Scene 3). These are some of the few characteristics of Juliet that come through in her short time on stage.

That's all for now, but I'm very excited to re-read 'Romeo and Juliet.' I'lol write again next week. Bye-bye for now.

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