Friday evening I took two of my grandchildren to the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern to see Romeo and Juliet. More than 400 years since that play was first performed, and it’s still wringing tears from audiences.
Every time I see it, I hear at least two or three lines I could swear I’d never heard before.
I’ve noticed a change over the years, though. When I was in my twenties and thirties, I got caught up in the tragedy of the story.
In my forties and fifties, I studied the emotional makeup of the various characters.
Now that I’m in my sixties, I want to take those two youngsters and shake them.
“Tell your father, Juliet. He likes Romeo; he’ll holler a bit, and then he’ll say okay.”
“Romeo, listen to the Friar, for heaven’s sake. ‘A pack of blessings light upon your head.’ Juliet’s alive, you’re alive, you’ve been banished when you could have been executed. All will be well.”
Or, all would have been well, if Romeo hadn’t gone nuts with useless grief and killed himself.
Of course, if those two teenagers had listened to the voice of reason, we wouldn’t have had a play that lasted 400 years.
I guess it’s just as well.
BEEattitude for Day #494:
Blessed are those who write well, for they shall live long through their words.
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