In fair Verona, in the Veneto region of northern Italy, a famous play is set. A famous scene in the famous play figures as its main prop, a balcony on which two lovers play out their most famous and romantic scene.
Apparently the balcony was based on an actual balcony in the actual city. So the balcony's famous too.
The play is, of course, Romeo and Juliet and the balcony is Juliet's balcony to which Romeo climbs to discuss how he's blinded by the light of the under age girl he's got a crush on.
The balcony, owned once upon a time by the Cappello family (rumoured to be the real life Capulets), has just had its very own PR campaign launched. It's being billed as the perfect place to get married.
Given that most couples about to get married are hoping quite fervently not to be star crossed, one can't help but wonder why anyone would want to get married there.
Romeo and Juliet is famous for being about eternal love and for being super romantic. I've never really managed to see it that way. For the first half, it's a gigglesome comedy of thumb biting. Then a series of people make a series of bad decisions and most of them die.
In between, a short sighted, horny young couple get married but don't tell anyone — even though the very fact of their marriage could have solved a lot of problems and averted a death or three. Then they have sex, part ways for a bit, and reunite just in time to die violently at their own hands.
It's the stuff dreams are made of.
Comments (4)
haha! I see queen mab hath been with you...
Posted by yalın | June 4, 2009 1:37 AM
Posted on June 4, 2009 01:37
Sounds a bit gimmicky to me - Shakespeare wrote about Italy in a lot of his plays, but he almost certainly never visited it. Wiki doesn't say anything about him travelling overseas. (And apparently his geography is all out of whack in his foreign plays anyway.)
Posted by TimT | June 4, 2009 10:51 AM
Posted on June 4, 2009 10:51
darling one,
haha. i like your slant as it is an interesting one, however, everyone loves to view, watch and/or read a tragedy (apparently). the question is would the play be so famous if they both lived happily ever after? or is that Cinder*uckingrella (in the words of pretty woman)?
Posted by Mary-Caroline Johnson | August 11, 2009 12:56 AM
Posted on August 11, 2009 00:56
you're such a dag, MC. what are you doing up at 1am?
Posted by sarahj | August 11, 2009 10:36 AM
Posted on August 11, 2009 10:36