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12:54 pm
October 31, 2010
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Hi, guys! I know I haven't been around at all it seems like lately, and I'm going to try to get caught up on the 50 new posts that have come up since I was last signed in.
But first I need some thoughts…
I don't write much because I simply can't devote large amounts of time to it, but sometimes an idea will strike me that I like. So, the other day I was driving down the road and, for some reason, I was thinking of the play Romeo and Juliet, and I was thinking about questions that teachers ask about the play–like, Did Romeo and Juliet really love each other or was it a case of puppy-love that got seriously out of control? Those kind of things. Then I thought, “I wonder what all the other characters in Romeo and Juliet thought of what was going on”? Like many things in teenage life, lots of characters in the play knew what was going on between Romeo and Juliet except the parents. Why didn't the parents know? Ok, I know why the parents didn't know, but still…
Anyway, so I thought I might write a modernized twist on Romeo and Juliet written primarily from the POV of the other characters (and perhaps some new ones). Some of the scenes have to be written from the POV of one of the main characters (like, the balcony scene since there's really no one else around at that point).
Most of the characters have obvious purposes: Mercutio and Benvolio are friends of Romeo, Juliet's nurse is sort of her only friend throughout the whole play so I'm thinking of making her Juliet's age and doing away with the whole concept of a nurse/nanny. I don't know any high schoolers who have nannies. But I'm having difficulty casting Friar Laurence. I mean, essentially, Friar Laurence is an adult who should be trusted to perhaps steer R & J in a more sensible direction, and instead he helps lead them to their deaths (albeit, unintentionally). Who should Friar Laurence be? A well-intentioned teacher? That's the best I've got so far.
Thoughts. Feel free to critique to your heart's content. I haven't written anything yet so you won't break my heart 😀
"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"
2:23 pm
March 26, 2011
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Love the idea!
Yes, I can see why Friar Laurence is a difficult one…a well intentioned teacher could work. Or how about a kindly, slightly eccentric character known by all in the town. He could be witty, approachable, and relate well to the teenagers/young adults (such as Romeo) and perhaps be young at heart himself; and so empathises with their situation.
10:45 am
August 2, 2010
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I love it too! And I like both your and Claire-Louise's idea for Friar Laurence. If you wanted to stick to the play a bit more, I suppose you could have Juliet's nurse as a loving aunt or maybe a housekeeper or something who has been with Juliet's family since Juliet was born? Just a thought. Good luck and keep us updated!! 🙂
"Grumble all you like, this is how it's going to be"
12:11 pm
February 24, 2010
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I'm terrible at this stuff. But don't forget Tybalt. I'd love to hear his point of view. How about a coach for the part of Friar Laurence? Or a school counselor. They still have them? Do you suppose you could let these modern kids live? I guess that wouldn't be Romeo and Juliet then would it? Maybe her mother could ask her, 'what's bothering you honey.' At least have the Mom make an attempt to learn what is troubling her daughter. That would be a different twist. You could make 'nurse' a family friend or an older cousin maybe. Someone Juliet could trust. Not a girlfriend. What teenager listens to her friends when it comes to boys? Or is that just my opinion? Thank you Diana Ross…”I listened once to my friend's advice, but it's not gonna happen twice…cuz all advice ever got me was many long and sleepless nights.” I'll be singing that all day.
6:52 pm
October 31, 2010
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Thanks, ladies, for all the ideas. I will be honest and tell you that I haven't read R & J since I was a freshman in high school which would have been 16 years ago. Clearly, there's a lot of pre-writing stuff to deal with, but I think once I get the hang of the characters I'll be better able to match them up to their “new” characters. I had initially thought about assigning the Nurse as an older character, like an aunt or a close older family friend, but then it occurred to me that the Nurse is pretty aware of what Juliet is doing. It is clear in the play that her loyalty lies solely with Juliet, not necessarily with Juliet's mom or dad. I figured that in the modern world an aunt or a close family friend would be more likely to inform on Juliet to her parents, but a best friend…one of Juliet's own age…a teenager is much less likely to tell Juliet's parents what is going on. Teenagers tend to believe that they have a situation under control even if they're waaaaaay in over their head on something, and they are less likely to go ask for help from anyone with any real authority because they're afraid of getting in trouble or appearing as a failure. And a teenage friend, while she may voice her displeasure at her other friend's relationship, is probably going to remain in the picture and maintain a friendship without pressuring her friend to end a bad or unhealthy relationship. If I recall correctly (and I may not), the Nurse does, more than once, express her disapproval of Juliet's plans, but she aids her nonetheless out of, I suppose, love and a desire to see her happy. She even arranges the wedding plans!
There are some things I'm going to have to change out of necessity and, I feel, propriety. For one thing, Juliet isn't quite 14 years old (though, apparently, her birthday is July 31st), and I can't, in good conscience, write about a 13-year-old running off and getting married and committing suicide. I was thinking of bumping her age up to around 16 or so.
I had forgotten that Friar Laurence actually performs the marriage ceremony, so whatever character ultimately becomes Friar Laurence is going to be able to marry them or something. The whole marriage thing is complicated. Maybe I'll have to bump up her age to 17/18.
Anyway…I'm off to read R & J in-depth and set up my fantasy football league draft picks for tomorrow night!
Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend and to all my U.S. peeps, have a great long weekend!
"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"
