R&JR&JR&JR&JR&JR&JR&JR&JR&J(:

       Romeo! Romeo! I just loved in the film version when Mercutio ran around yelling for Romeo, it made me smile. I was going to title this post Highlights but that would make me feel like a sports commentator or a hair stylist; neither of which I am. So, onto the highlights *smiles to self*. I really enjoyed the whole play. But I think I liked the actual idea more than the way Shakespeare expressed it. Sure, the language was beautiful, but the idea that these two teens were so engulfed in love that they would die for each other is... profound. And (warning: quick Twilight reference) I think that Shakespeare did a MUCH better job describing Romeo's and Juliet's love then Stephenie Meyer did describing Edward and Bella's love. All she did was have them constantly think about each other (which is apparently very appealing to some teen readers) while Shakespeare put their love into an intricate relationship problem that could only be solved by death! So take that Twilight(:
       Trouble... trouble... I think the thing that gave me the most trouble was understanding the humor Shakespeare used. I didn't get it at all. Well, actually, I picked up on it at times, but not very often. And when I did catch it, it was just a dry, subtle humor. It was humor that, to the untrained reader, didn't even appear funny. Now that is skill. Bravo Shakespeare, for tricking us all! So, as far as the question "If you were writing this for a middle school audience, what would you do differently?" goes, I must say that I wouldn't change the language (because I feel that no one is really fit to change and re-write the entire work of another person) but I would attempt to make the humor more pronounced so the middle-schoolers don't think 'Oh, Shakespeare was quite a dreary guy, we could really just use a laugh after everyone died.'
       As you know, from my many blog posts and my constant 'participation' in class, I had a lot of favorite lines from this play, so I don't think I'll bore you with repeating them. But, I do think I need to ramble about my favorite character for a while. For me, it wasn't Romeo, or Juliet, or even good Friar Laurence (even though he was probably the most neutral person in the play) but it was the strange canary, Mercutio. I know what you're thinking, 'Oh, how cliche of her to choose her own character!' but as I read, I paid quite a bit of attention to Mercutio (as so I could report his doings to the Facebook page). And as I went on to scenes when he wasn't there, I felt myself wondering when the fellow would reappear and say something witty. And, when he died, I was very upset. Thanks Shakespeare for getting rid of the cool guy! I mean, he kept sly Benvollio, but not Mercutio. That's just wrong.
      It was a very good play, but I'm somewhat glad to have it over. Each week I would look at the assignment sheet and see what acts we had to read and I thought, 'I wonder if this is the act where they die?' so it just feels good to have all that stress behind me. (: