Today, my middle child, Andrew, told me he would be reading Romeo and Juliet in his freshman honor's English class. We talked about how the play is one of the most quoted of Shakespeare's plays. Because his older sister had the same class with the same teacher two years ago, he is pretty familiar with the curriculum.
Andrew and I laughed when we talked about how he and his siblings took me to Gnomeo and Juliet on my birthday. After the movie was over, they looked at me and said "Why did you want to see this? It was awful!" My daughter and I have watched the 1968 and 1996 versions of Romeo and Juliet multiple times, and as tragic as the story, how can you not get light-headed thinking of the love they shared?
Yes, references to Romeo and Juliet are so abound in popular culture, and I would like to make a CD with all the songs referring to the star-crossed lovers. Quite a few songs are already on my IPod with references to the tragic lovers.
Of course, like many romantics, my favorite scene in the play is Capulet's Orchard, but for now, I can only reflect on my one of my favorite quotes:
Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
Sigh. How can that not make your heart pitter-patter?