Sharing Thoughts about Books with Others (STBO) discussion

This is one of our two optional book discussions for March 1 to March 31, 2021.

Please feel free to join in and share your thoughts, ask questions, answers, and comments in the comments section below.

If your post will have spoilers... please warn the other members on the top of your message that your thoughts/comments will have spoilers in them. Thank you and enjoy your book discussion everyone.

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This play is available to read for free online. The following links are for your easy reference:

http://learnlibrary.com/romeo-juliet/...

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juli...

https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakes...

And there are various others on Google. Just search "Free online book Romeo and Juliet" and it will list various free online text for the play.

This play is available on audiobook for free on youtube. The following link is for your easy reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4tSf...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7BNv...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enNJk...

No spoilers here! Shakespeare tells us what is going to happen in the prologue.

I’m a teacher and fun debate that’s been happening in my class is answering ‘who is to blame for the death of Romeo and Juliet?’

Some of the more common responses I’ve received are authority (parents, the prince, Friar Lawrence), fate and Romeo and Juliet themselves.

I would love to hear your views!

That’s a great question! Now you’ve got me thinking!

Renee wrote: "No spoilers here! Shakespeare tells us what is going to happen in the prologue.

I’m a teacher and fun debate that’s been happening in my class is answering ‘who is to blame for the death of Romeo..."

My teacher and I were talking about the play being a sort of 'death by patriarchy' piece. The belligerent and fragile attitudes of the men in the play prevent them from remaining peaceful. It is what is expected of them; to do anything else would seem 'effeminate', as Romeo so fluently puts. And so, when Romeo finally succumbs to what is 'manly', Romeo and Juliet's fates are sealed.

Then, when Juliet is later faced with her dead husband, she has two options: to return to a society that will not allow her freedom or to die. As she obviously opts for the latter, her death demonstrates the suffocating patriarchal demands of women.

Renee wrote: "No spoilers here! Shakespeare tells us what is going to happen in the prologue.

I’m a teacher and fun debate that’s been happening in my class is answering ‘who is to blame for the death of Romeo..."

I was going to blame "wrong timing" to blame for the death of the two lovers. It's those oh so slight wrong timing and missed chances that elevated the suspense and just brought the two closer towards their eventual death.

And if fate is to be believed here, then they were going to die early as they are just puppets with their strings being pulled by fate.

Imi wrote: "My teacher and I were talking about the play being a sort of 'death by patriarchy' piece. The belligerent and fragile attitudes of the men in ..."

That is a good answer instead of just blaming both sets of parents. It's so easy to overlook the macho culture prevalent in that era. And "effiminate-ness" is frowned upon, even if it is the correct decision.

Renee wrote: "No spoilers here! Shakespeare tells us what is going to happen in the prologue.

I’m a teacher and fun debate that’s been happening in my class is answering ‘who is to blame for the death of Romeo..."

This was actually the prompt for my Romeo and Juliet paper in class!
I have 3 answers:
1. fate
2. bad timing, chance, comedy-of-errors type moments
3. Shakespeare

I love "Romeo and Juliet" and read a lot about it and its creation. I read a lot at https://studydriver.com/romeo-and-jul... because it is important for me to know all the facts about this. I watched a lot of screenplays and theatrical productions and I like the series the most. Very good motives are portrayed by professional actors and it's nice to watch.

Hi! So I love Shakespeare plays, and R&J is one of my favorites.
To me Romeo and Juliet is a play that is all about identity, specifically gender, and how arbitrary social standards can harm generations.
The concept of love is very nuanced in the play. Whether you believe that Romeo and Juliet were in love or not, what is more important is that these two teenagers find their own identities in each other.
Long before Romeo finds out about Juliet’s “death”, even in the beginning of the play, Romeo considers suicide, supposedly due to Rosaline. Romeo is more committed to the idea of dying than he is to either of the girls, so he would have died no matter what.
When Romeo looks at Juliet, he sees a person who can devote himself to, while he is too scared to kill himself.
When Juliet looks at Romeo, she sees her freedom, her own agency. He is a boy she decides to love, he’s not someone like Paris, who she is being forced to marry.
So what does this have to do with gender? Well, I believe Renee pointed out that when Romeo dies, he dies by poison, a traditionally “feminine” death. While Juliet stabs herself, a traditionally “masculine” death, this could even possibly be a metaphor for transing your gender, and finding a way to be yourself.
I could say more, but this is just the main ideas!