Be Immersed in the Love Story of Romeo and Juliet

Every one of us has our own definition of love. But there is one kind of love that we all have a strong desire for: the love between Romeo and Juliet. And since 2016 is the 400^th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare –one of the greatest dramatists of the world–a spectacular performance was held on the evening of December 17^th in Yunshan Hall on the North Campus.

Stepping into the hall, I heard a peal of soft and beautiful music. There was a full house in the hall and the audience was waiting for the start quietly. At around 7:30 pm the lights dimmed and the music stopped and changed–the drama began. Every one of us was immersed in the love story of the tragic couple: Romeo and Juliet. Although the story has been performed countless times over the past 400 hundred years, it can still make us feel the power of love. The audience all concentrated on the drama, holding their breath when the plot came to a thrilling moment.

“I think the most impressive scene was the dancing part. Romeo thought that Juliet had died, so he was extremely grief-stricken. He held Juliet in his arms, beginning to dance painfully. The tragedy was interpreted perfectly through the dance, along with the beautiful background music,”Stella ZHENG, a student present said. “Romeo and Juliet’s love, whichis the distillation of all love, goes far beyond their individual existence. They both devoted themselves selflessly, which is precious,”she added.

For about two hours, the audience’s eyes were glued to the stage. Their constantly thunderous applause at the end was the best affirmation to the several months’endeavor of the performers.

What made the performance so attractive? One of the reasons was that the performers recited the long lyrics fluently and emotionally. “We practiced the lyrics over and over again. This was a difficult part, for the lyrics are hard to pronounce. We were still reciting them just before the performance. The same efforts were made as for the tacit understanding among the actors,”said WU Lidong, who played the role of Romeo.

When asked about his opinion about this drama, WU said, “Ithink it was really a pity that Romeo and Juliet both died. The tragedy could’ve perhapsbe avoided.”He also expressed his appreciation for Romeo, thinking that he was a well-educated gentleman, who was gallant and would help his friends bravely.

This wonderful drama performance was given by the English Drama Society from the Faculty of English Language and Culture. The diligent team went through lots of meaningful and unforgettable days when they got together and practiced the great drama. Now the beautiful love story has come to the end, with a lingering melody singing in our mind.

Brief introduction about "Remeo and Juliet" :  It is one of the most famous dramatic masterpieces of Shakespeare. It describes a loyal couple, Romeo and Juliet who pursued true and permanent love, but suffered a lot due to the long-standing hatred between their families, ending up with a tragedy –the couple chose to die to defend their love. This story is now well-known all over the world.