Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, is about a forbidden love between the Capulet and Montague families. The movie challenges the notion blood is thicker than water as the two lovers are faced with a dilemma, which forces them to question what is stronger, loyalty to their families, or their love. The movie brings its viewers along in the intense emotions of love, lust, and hatred, from the beginning to the very end, where it becomes the death of the two lovers.
The two paramount families opposed each other and had an ongoing dispute, as is evident in the first scene where a brutal fight breaks out between the two families. Romeo is the son of Montague, while Juliet is the daughter of Capulet. Juliet and Romeo first met at a party hosted by the Capulet family, where Romeo fell in love with Juliet at first sight. Who could blame him? She was at a party and her most beautiful. In their first meeting, Romeo did not carelessly blurt out his undying love for Juliet. Instead, he used metaphors referring to Juliet as a holy shrine and his lips as pilgrims. At this moment, it is apparent that Juliet is captured by his words and his stare that pierce into her eyes because she lets him kiss her even though they had just met.
As one watches their love unravel so beautifully, it is easy to forget that their families are in constant dispute. They do not dwell on this issue for too long at first despite it being crucial to their being together. They, however, end up getting married despite knowing each other for a short period: this paints them as naïve and compulsive. This further shows Romeo as a slave to his emotions, especially since he managed to get himself exiled after killing Juliet’s cousin as revenge for killing his friend.
After Romeo’s exile, Juliet learns of her arranged marriage. Filled with grief since she is still in love with Romeo, she goes to the Priest who devises a plan to fake her death by ingesting a potion, which will put her in a long “death-like” sleep until Romeo comes to get her. Word of her death got to Romeo before the Priest’s letter, showing a classic example of the right love at the wrong time. On finding her “lifeless,” Romeo is filled with despair, and here the viewer watches helplessly as he decides to take his own life as he cannot be without her. Juliet awakes and, upon finding him dead, is filled with so much grief that she stabs herself and dies. It is in their deaths that the two families are brought together, a matter of too little too late.
It is a tragic love story, revolving around how much our disputes could end up leading to our loved ones getting hurt. It also portrays the power of love where, despite all the negativity and hate, Romeo and Juliet fight for their devotion to the very end. Conflicts might be inevitable, but we should strive to resolve them as soon as we can before things exacerbate, and we end up suffering even more from it.