Resenha: Romeo and Juliet- William Shakespeare

RESENHA ROMEO AND JULIET- WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The immortal story

Júlia Marssola Loures

The ancient British books play an important role in our current education, once they provide a high-level of English structures and historical culture. One of its main writers was William Shakespeare, whose amazing tragedies have been read and studied all over the world. The most well-known is Romeo and Juliet, which concerns one of the most complicated situations in life: impossible love. He makes use of dramatic structures, especially effects between comedy and tragedy to heighten the tension and to embellish the story. It has been adapted various times for stage, film, musical and opera, and also have easier versions to foreign speakers and children, like this one, retold by Alistair McCallum.

Shakespeare begins the narrative presenting the main characters, two young lovers who belong to feuding families: The Montague (Romeo's family) and the Capulet (Juliet's). The Prince of Verona - where the play is set- had already declared that further breach of the peace will be punishable by death.

Paris talks to Lord Capulet about marrying his daughter, but he is wary of the request because she was only thirteen. In spite of giving an answer, he plans a ball to present them. Meanwhile, Juliet is persuaded by her mother Lady Capulet and the nurse to accept Paris's offer. Despite their infighting, Romeo went to the ball hoping to see Rosaline, but he met Juliet and they suddenly fell in love with each other. After the ball, in what is now called 'the balcony scene', he declared his love to Juliet, who advised him to stay away due to their families’ enmity, but he convinced her that they must marry. In hopes to reconcile the families through their children's union, Father Lawrence agreed to marry them secretly.

Unfortunately, Juliet's cousin discovered the presence of Romeo at the ball and they had a fight, in which Tybalt ends dead. Therefore, The Prince exiles Romeo, who went to see Juliet at last. In this part of the story, as well as in many others, it is easily to notice that Shakespeare use the contrast of light and dark when they are together to criticize the old society and show the power of love, once they see each other as light in a surrounding darkness. This contrast can be expanded to symbols contrasting love and hate, youth and age in a metaphoric way, which creates a dramatic ironic environment.

Juliet visits the priest for help, and he gives her a drug that would put her into a state like coma for about two days. The plan was: she would look like she was dead, and he would send a message to her husband so that they could rejoin at her family tomb.

The message, however, does not reach Romeo and, when he heard about her love's death, he drinks a poison and dies by her side. When she wakes up and finds him dead, she stabs herself with a knife. After this tragic episode, the peace ruled in Verona, and the Montague and Capulet turned out to be friends.

The interesting ending invites the reader to a deep reflection about the plot, carefully developed with a possible intention of release. The engaging plot can also attract us by the fact that there is no consensus on whether the characters are truly fated to die together or whether the events take place by a series of unlucky chances; and the psychological analysis made by the writer, such as Romeo’s impulsiveness.

Elegantly written, contributes significantly to the expansion of vocabulary and writing. Although the original version can be hard for foreign speakers, this adaptation provides an accessible English range of structures. Therefore, I would truly recommend it to young 10 year-old students, whose knowledge and maturity are already able to support a reading with such level of literary and cultural baggage.

Fantastic, the book is also an excellent choice for intellectual lovers of Shakespeare.