In which Romeo and Juliet die at the end **SPOILER ALERT**
Posted by Isabel on March 30th, 2009. Filed under: Addictions, I Rock.I remember seeing Romeo + Juliet in the movie theater back in the day. (According to Wikipedia, this was way back in 1996. Dude, AM OLD!)
You’ve all seen this movie, right? It used the original Shakespeare dialog, but it was in a more modern setting. Or something like that. It was confusing. But also, I loved it.
It was all back in the hey day of the Leo-crazy. So yeah, good movie.
The best part about watching this movie in the theater was when the ENTIRE audience gasped out loud at the tragic ending. As if the fact that THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END was a shock?!
Seriously, did people seriously not know? I was so shocked that they were shocked that I began laughing in the theater.
******SPOILER ALERT*******
Oh yes, Romeo and Juliet both die.
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT.
Right?
Okay, so last week we headed to the local Goodwill thrift store for our Monday night “Family Home Evening” activity. We ended up buying $12 worth of books for Babboo and me. Mostly we just got book for Babboo, but I happily paid .75 cents for a BRAND NEW copy of Phillipa Gregory’s “The Boleyn Inheritance“.
I had read and enjoyed “The Other Boleyn Girl” years and years ago and figured I’d enjoy this book too.
Just like in Romeo and Juliet we all know how “The Other Boleyn Girl” ends, right? I mean everyone knows that King Henry VIII was sort of a complete freak and had Anne Boleyn’s head chopped off, right?
So yeah, when I started reading “The Other Boleyn Girl”, I knew Anne Boleyn was going to die a tragic death. But with this new book, “The Boleyn Inheritance”, I wasn’t sure what it was going to be about and how it would end. (Plus, it was .75 cents. SCORE!)
I’ve spent that last week reading all about what happened after King Henry had Anne Boleyn killed.
Oh yeah….
*********SPOILER ALERT*********
…Ann Boleyn dies.
I’ve also watched “The Tudors” on Showtime. So, I pretty much know what becomes of Anne and how crazy (hott) King Henry was.
(Sure, maybe King Henry wasn’t hott. But Jonathan Rhys Meyers is HOTT!)
Anyway, this new book is about what happens after Anne Boleyn dies get her head chopped off. It begins even later after wife #3 (Anne was #2) dies (not so tragically, BTW). It’s all about wife #4 (another Anne) and wife #5 (another Catherine).
Basically I wasn’t sure how this book was going to end. I was pretty sure someone was going to get their head cut off. And I was pretty sure there was going to be deceit and romance. I just wasn’t sure who was going to die and who was going to deceive whom.
I’ve got about 100 pages left until I’m done with the book.
And, like an idiot, I decided to look up the books historical information on the interweb this morning.
So, um yeah, now I know how the book is going to end.
I guess I’m no smarter then the idiots at the movie who didn’t know Romeo and Juliet were going to die.
March 30th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I recently realized I needed to add the Leo version of Romeo and Juliet to our DVD collection. In 1996 I was a freshman in high school, which happens to be the year you read R&J, so I thought I was so smart and grown-up watching the movie in the original Shakespeare language. I remember listening to the soundtrack on repeat. I’m not sure where that CD has gotten to…I should maybe check that out on iTunes.
March 30th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I read The Other Boleyn girl last year & liked it. But I stayed away from the other books because I didn’t really love her style of writing (too much dialogue for me) and I thought it would be the same story over and over. But maybe I should read some more of her books.
I just realized what a pointless comment that was. Sorry. Too lazy to delete….
Good luck with knowing the last part of the book. Just so you know: I almost always look ahead in books. I can’t stand being blindsided. And I like having a foggy idea of what will happen, and watching it slowly come into focus.
March 30th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I loved The Other Boleyn Girl! I was going to read The Boleyn Inheritance, but now you’ve spoiled it for me. AND Romeo andJuliet — who knew they died at the end? Way to go, Isabel!
March 30th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Isn’t the series of wives: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived?
My only excuse is that I have an Anglophile former HS English teacher for a mother…
March 30th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
And how could I miss agreeing with you on Jonathan Rhys Meyers? LOVED him in August Rush (and he has a smokin’ voice – did all his own vocals. Sigh.)
March 30th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
After I read “The Other Boleyn Girl” I totally read-up on a ton of history. And may or may not have rented several other “period” movies to fill in the gaps. Nerd here, and proud of it.
xox
March 30th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
We were given a little rhyme to remember the fate of King Henry’s wives. Helped in my British History and Lit classes.
Divorced, Beheaded, Died,
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived
March 30th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Doh, guess Blanche already posted that
Also meant to say that 100% agree with you about Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Makes me wish we got Showtime.
March 30th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
When I saw Romeo and Juliet, I was shocked. I didn’t stop thinking about it for DAYS. I didn’t know they died at the end, but I was also in 7th grade at the time, so I hadn’t studied Shakespeare yet. I read Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade.
March 30th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Dude, I totally got the Romeo & Juliet soundtrack. Still have it, in fact. Maybe you’ll get a surprise in the mail….
March 31st, 2009 at 3:25 am
I didn’t read this post nor did I read the comments because I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AND I STILL PLAN TO READ THAT BOOK SOME DAY.
I used to be a professional babysitter/chauffeur in high school and man, it was the easiest job ever except one of the kids in my charge was a total monster. Around this time, the 3 new Star Wars movies were coming out. I was planning to see them… until this 8 year old brat tells me that Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vadar! She totally ruined the movie for me, and she’s all innocent “but everyone knows that! That’s how he’s Luke’s father!” and that’s when I had to kill her. Just kidding, but I did make her go to her room.
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:04 am
During the time this movie came out, I was loving Claire Danes as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, and I even liked Leonardo DiCaprio, but I hated that movie. HATED it. The soundtrack, though? Was a different story. And I had that bad boy ON CASSETTE. Those were the days!