Have you ever seen the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet, starring Leonardo Dicaprio? As time goes on, it keeps getting modernized. Written in the 1590's, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare is still a popular play today. Leonardo is only one of the reasons why it's still popular. Romeo and Juliet is still popular today because of its immense death toll, timeless characters, and colorful language.
We as human beings are enticed by death. It's just our nature. It makes us happy to suffer mercilessly at the hands of the enemy. Romeo and Juliet fulfills that need completely. In the play one half of the characters die. Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo kills Tybalt, to avenge Mercutio's death. It puts people on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next. Paris dies at the hands of Romeo, so that Romeo can kill himself. Juliet brings the tragedy full circle by killing herself so that she can be with Romeo in heaven. Later that we discover that Lady Montague has died crying about Romeo's banishment. Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Romeo, Juliet, Lady Montague, all dead for love's sake. The surviving characters Benvolio, Nurse, Friar Lawrence, Lord and Lady Capulet, Lord Montague, and Prince are all punished with the deaths of family and friends. The Prince sums up the end with:.
Where be these enemies?- Capulet, Montague,.
See what scourge is laid upon your hate,.
That heaven finds mean to kill your joys with love.
And I for winking at your discords too,.
Have lost a brace of kinsman. All are punished.
(5.3.301-305).
Even Prince has suffered from the recent violence with the loss of Mercutio.
From the senseless antics of Mercutio, to the vengeful hate of Tybalt, to the blunt honesty of Benvolio, the play of Romeo and Juliet is full of timeless characters. Take Mercutio for instance. Think about his Queen Mab speech, in which he says:.
O, then I see that Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is a fairie's midwife, and she comes.
