Journals of Lord Malinov

the poetry of madness

little Juliet

Juliet, as I recall, is twelve years old.  Now, in olden days, girls married when they became fertile, so Juliet's talk of marriage is not condemned as such.  At this tender age, she is prepared to begin assuming her familial responsibilities.  She is, in a very real sense, grown up.

But the fact remains that she is twelve.  I have known urban women who lived rough and began interacting sexually by Juliet's age, taking, facing and enduring far more responsibility than a typical suburban twenty-something encounters in modern days.  Even so, these street-wise youths remained twelve at the age of twelve.  Their ideas are juvenile.  Their emotions are unshackled.  Hormones course their innocent veins. 

Shakespeare portrays a child, incapable of understanding the games she plays.  Notice that when Juliet considers her affection for a boy, knowing that her affection will cause trouble, she laments - in some rather nice poetics - that her problems would go away if she could simply change his name.

This is not the thought of a mature woman.  This is the analysis of a child.  Shakespeare is not trying to show us the magical beauty of love - he is showing us how ridiculous a child's conception of love is.  Recall Shakespeare's sonnet - My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun.  Shakespeare was mocking in roles that have often been taken seriously.

Put a twelve year old in the role.  See how seriously an audience takes the poetry coming from a child.

Most literary analysis ignores the writer's perspective.  Readers can't really understand where a writer comes from until they have learned to write themselves.  Every word has a reason and a feeling.

Enjoy,

M

posted by: Malinov at 11:15 | link | comments (6) |
words

Comments:

#1  28 August 2006 - 14:41

 

Romeo and Juliet is a comedy.

-Spotty Body

Mo'nonymous

#2  28 August 2006 - 16:04

 

I laughed and laughed

M

Malinov

#3  28 August 2006 - 16:32

 

minor detail, but actually as it opens, juliet is 2 weeks shy of 14.

limine

#4  28 August 2006 - 20:53

 

I'm probably twenty years since the last time I read R&J, so my details are fuzzy.

I see Juliet as a young Jackie (Mila Kunis) spoiled and silly. I am in love with Mila, but she won't return my calls. C'mon, baby, you know there isn't anyone else . . . ;)

M

Malinov

#5  28 August 2006 - 22:25

 

No really... Girl and boy meet and fall in love - the world is a happy place. Something happens and they can't be together - the world is an unhappy place. In order to solve the problem, girl pretends to be dead. Boy shows up at just the right time to find girl dead - "I can't live without you" - kills himself. Girl wakes up, sees boy dead - "I can't live without you" - kills herself. That's hilarious.

Mo'nonymous

#6  29 August 2006 - 12:00

 

I can envison an entirely different production now - semi-serious mockery - I picked up Yellowbeard the other day . . . I laughed and laughed.

I keep saying that, but I don't remember where it came from. Monotone. Hmmm.

If the hero dies, it is a tragedy.

M

Malinov

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