Romeo, Juliet, and me.

     Romeo and Juliet is quite different from what I expected. I foresaw the byzantine yet beautiful dialogue, yet the relatability and humor of the story caught me rather off-guard. I am not speaking of Romeo; I cannot find anything in his instantly shifting lovesickness, nor in his long, somewhat confusing dialogue that resembles me. Well, perhaps the dialogue, but not entirely. Juliet is slightly more relatable, with her obedience but subliminal resistance to the will of her parents, but although I can empathize, I cannot relate to her closed-off, lonely world of parentally-determined destiny. The character I relate most to is, somewhat ironically, Mercutio, more specifically his response to hearing of Romeo's dreamed premonition. Like Mercutio, I am often somewhat cynical, ill-inclined to believe in the words of others without checking them first, particularly if they sound implausible. As an additional facet of this cynicism, I do not put up well with romantics. I have no faith in "love at first sight," believing it to be somewhat of a biological reaction, and if the two people are actually compatible, I pronounce them extremely lucky. Likewise, Mercutio turns a bit of a level head to Romeo's talk of finding his perfect woman, balancing him somewhat. In addition, I, like Mercutio, can easily be accused of liking the sound of my own voice. I recognize that I have a tendency to talk a lot, although probably not at the scale that Mercutio does during his "Queen Mab" speech. Additionally, I can often make up somewhat consistent stories on command, in this fashion.

     I am learning to understand Shakespeare, word by painstaking word. In the beginning, I had to read the first scene twice until I understood it, but now I can comprehend the story somewhat better. I am only using the book and the incredibly helpful words on the opposite pages to understand the story at home. Reading in class, especially aloud and with Mrs. Gilman's analysis to help, I don't think I would have understood many of the references. Certainly the jokes, anyway. This dual reading is ensuring I understand the novel beyond its surface.