(Foto by Henri Cartier-Bresson)
These last few months everything reminds me of
Shakespeare…
Last week I posted a picture a friend of mine sent me. There was
a challenge attached to it, i.e., to be able to write something about it. As
soon I’d laid my eyes on it what immediately came to mind was Romeo and Juliet,
namely Mercutio's death scene.
Mercutio's death is public and ostentatiously
violent with booming sounds ending “s” with "a plague on both your
houses", without forgiveness.
The deaths of Romeo and Juliet is in a church
with a candled environment, private and solemn,
holy in its light and setting, with the commission of unholy acts of
suicide. The close up of Juliet
awakening is suspenseful, the viewer wants Romeo to see that Juliet lives. The music is sad and moving.
Several things struck me about Mercutio's death
scene. Throughout the scene was we see more and more onlookers. More and more
arrive on the scene. Then, when Mercutio dies no one wants to see anything anymore
and everyone leaves fast. One person even encloses himself in a large
pineapple.
The other thing that struck me was the large
stage with the big hole in the middle. It looks like an eye.
Mercutio's death probably means different
things to the different onlookers depending on when they arrived. The guy in
the pineapple probably does not what to even think about what Mercutio's death
means.
In contrast the dead of Romeo meant only one
thing to Juliet. She had to take her own life.
Having
watched Luhrmann’s film version recently and looking at the picture prompt me to
write this little poem:
Onlookers and Witnesses
Onlookers
Lookers on
Lookyloos
In for the
Sport of it
the thrill
of it
to report
it
to say
I was there
I can
gossip
My 15
minutes
To hurriedly
leave the
scene.
of the
accident
of the hit
and run
Witnesses
Tell it
How it was
What
happened
How it felt
How did it
happen
Who was
there
Who did
what
When
Where
And why
Brave
witnesses
Stay to
report it
To testify
to stand up
To be
counted
To call for
help
To
ad/minister assistance
The good
Samaritan
Writing this poem made me see what Baz Luhrmann
was doing. "It" leaps out from the poem. What is it that we are
seeing? It means “getting it”.
Do we get
Shakespeare or are we lookyloos in
for the sport of it?
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