Post by NightSeeker on Jul 21, 2004 15:44:46 GMT -5
Juliet Capulet -- her love for Romeo opened her eyes to the world. She secretly married Romeo, forsaking the marriage her parents had arranged.
At any rate, her family has this hate Montagues thing to the point where the Prince is ready to kill any Capulets and Montagues unless they "Stop the Violence." In spite of all this hatred and street brawls, Juliet's love for Romeo is for him and him alone.
Juliet's feelings seem divinely inspired. Her tragic death seems strangely a fulfillment of her utterly sweet regard for the brash Montague.
Tybal -- ready to live, kill or die for Honor!
Mercutio flames Juliet's cousin Tybalt - Mercutio: "More than Prince of Cats. Oh he's the courageous Captain of Compliments. He fights as you sing prick-song -- keeps time, distance and proportion. He rests his minim rests -- one, two and the third in your bosom. The very butcher of a silk button, a duelist, a duelist! a gentleman of the very first house, of the first and second cause.... The pox of such antic, lisping, affecting fantasticoes."
Tybalt's personal side is nice enough for Juliet to genuinely mourn his loss as a friend.
For his concern with matters of honor, Tybalt can be dishonorable. And never more so than when he kills Mercutio with an underhanded blow.
Capulet his need for control destroyed his life.
Capulet has so much money, he spends freely on hospitality. His daughter gets everything she wants. Well, almost everything.
He was fair and open-minded enough to let Romeo attend his party. But out of concern for Juliet, he inadvertently commits a big mistake and forces Juliet into a marriage with Paris.
It was a father's vain thought to think he could control Juliet with threats and physical abuse, without really listening to her. His failure was a parent's worst nightmare - his anger and inflexibility condemned his beloved daughter to death.
Lady Capulet -- When it mattered, she wouldn't listen.
Things can fall apart so fast. Capulet's wife can testify to that. Having craved children and a big Capulet family, she has only Juliet. Her one child is nearly the sole joy of her existence. Well, maybe not.
She speaks to her daughter: Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word, do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.
OK, is that the right thing to say to your only child when she's on her knees begging just to speak a word?
Lady Capulet really blew it and got into a co-dependency thing while her husband abused her daughter, much to his later regret.
For Lady Capulet things fall apart so fast, and she is left bereft, empty of joy and full of self-recrimination.
Nurse: Having been the nanny since Juliet was an infant. Nurse is Juliet's most trusted friend. She is the go between Juliet and her Romeo. She therefore rates as Romeo's most important ally.
Friar: The Friar is trusted by all. Together with Juliet, they conceive the plan for her and Romeo to be together. With Romeo, the friar is a constant source of advice and safe haven. For both, the friar is the man who marries them in secret.
Prince: He upsets Juliet with his banishment of Romeo for killing Tybalt. But banishment to another city is much better than having Romeo killed as well. For Romeo, he spared his life with Exile, although exile from Juliet may have meant death.
Romeo Montague knew a good thing when he saw it in Juliet. It was love at first sight. It is only after he secretly crashes the Capulet's Masked Ball where he first sees his destiny.
Unfortuantely, the hatred between the Montagues and Capulets continues. Romeo and Juliet must be married in secret to prevent more bloodshed.
Romeo has a gentle, thoughtful, romantic side. But after Tybalt kills Mercutio, he goes on the rampage. After murdering Tybalt, he is banished to the distant city of Mantua.
Romeo never receives the Friar's message that Juliet is safe. Instead word of her death comes to Mantua, and Romeo hurries back to Verona. In the Capulet tomb, Romeo drinks a lethal poison, so that he may die with his bride.
Mercutio -- his smart, sharp tongue backfired. This quick-witted aristocrat is a relative of Prince Escalus.
His banter suggests long friendship with Romeo and can become far out -- like way out. For example: Mercutio: No I am the very pink of courtesy.
Romeo: Pink for flower?
Mercutio: Right.
Besides being a flower, he is also a center of attention. Romeo describes him as "a gentleman... that loves to hear himself talk."
If one cares to be superstitious, the ending of Romeo & Juliet can seem affected by Mercutio's curse on both the House of Montague and that of Capulet. As he dies, from Tybalt's blow, he proclaims, "A plague on both your houses!"
However ironic, his words ring true in the end.
Montague -- so rich and yet so helpless.
OK, we know he has rages, but he's been a really good father to Romeo for the most part. Unfortunately, he has no parental control as his teenage boy wrestles with his raging hormones.
Of course, we feel sorry for him at the end because he didn't get a chance to do much for his son. Romeo ends up dead anyway. The news of that takes out his old lady so, despite his wealth and power, Montague is left with nothing.
Benvolio -- in hindsight, he could have made all the difference.
Romeo's good friend has a hidden dark side. While Benvolio tries to behave above reproach, he is so ready for action that he keeps getting into trouble.
Case in point, early on, he jumps in to stop a brawl... but it is Benviolio's exposed weapon that antagonizes Tybalt into getting involved.
When Romeo battles Tybalt, Benvolio is in a position to intervene, but he chooses not to. Romeo kills Tybalt and is exiled from Verona Beach.
Mercutio makes fun of Benvolio for getting into quarrels: "Thou? -- why thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more or a hair less in his beard than thou hast.... Thy head is as full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as an egg for quarreling. Thou hast quarrel'd with a man for coughing in the street, because he hath waken'd thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun."
So guess who the ultimate survivor is? Benvolio. Future town father. Last Veronese left standing.
