Romeo & Juilet: A Comedy Today

'Romeo and Juliet'

To the modern reader if Romeo and Juliet were not written by Shakespeare the plot would be considered more a comedy of errors than a tragedy. Although a tragedy, ending with the suicide of the young lovers, the variety of characters, the immensely funny dialogue and the on screen antics of some of the characters make the reader want to laugh out loud.

The obscenity of the dialogue between characters from the very beginning of this story sets the tone of this play. Shakespeare is intentionally obscene to be comic. The opening scene, is a spirited exchange of vulgar jokes between servants and immediately links sex with conflict. In their bawdy quarrel, the servants' reference to 'tool' and 'naked weapon', together with repeated images of striking and thrusting, illustrate how images of love and sex are intertwined with violence and death, and will continue to be through out the play.

During the fracas that ensues between the Capulet's and the Montague's the Lord Capulet asks his wife for a sword to defend his name. Her response; “ A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?” In a very serious situation laughter is imposed. She is mocking him, he is too old to be fighting. Lord Capulet again finds himself in the midst of another comic error. He writes up a guest list to a party he wants to throw and chooses a servant, who is illiterate and can not read the names of those he must invite. This leads the servant to ask Romeo and Benvolio, Capulet's sworn enemies for help. This inadvertently sets the stage for his teenage daughter to fall in love with her Romeo.

Paris is another suitor of Juliet, we know that he is well mannered, attractive and a kinsman of the Prince. But we get the impression that he is much too old to be marrying a thirteen year old girl. Paris wants Juliet mainly because of her social status and beauty. Lord Capulet uses her youth and innocence as “selling points” to Paris rather than expressing genuine fatherly concern for protecting her from corruption of the big wide world. No sooner does he insist that Paris win Juliet’s consent than he arranges the feast where Paris may woo her more easily. This is a creepy situation but also darkly funny.

Paris himself is a strange and ridiculous character. He is so obsessed with marrying Juliet that he finds it difficult to wait more than two days after the death of her cousin Tybalt for the marriage to take place. Paris mourns the loss of Juliet outside of her tomb. Can his exaggerated mourning of her loss, the love he never had be considered anything but comic?

The Nurse, Juliet's nursemaid adds to the merriment of the play by drawing out the message from Romeo to Juliet. Juliet is forced to listen to the Nurse's ailments while trying to coax from her the news of her wedding plans. She often repeats herself and her bawdy references to the sexual aspect of love set the idealistic love of Romeo and Juliet apart from