In that after-Christmas lull, attention soon turns to the most romantic of holidays: Valentine’s Day. We find ourselves in a rose-tinted world defined by a range of choices — which chocolates or flowers to buy? What card to get a loved one? And perhaps most important of all: Who will be our Valentine?
There was, however, little debate over what play to consider in this post.
Romeo and Juliet explores romance in its most exquisite and tragic moments — a transcendent love. Amongst all of the impactful passages, one especially stands out: Juliet’s monologue in Act III, Scene 2, in which she anticipates seeing Romeo in the evening ahead. (Listen above.) For Juliet, theirs is a love that goes beyond the boundaries of mortality; even when pondering Romeo’s death, Juliet imagines that he will be “cut […] out in little stars / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / that all the world will be in love with night / And pay no worship to the garish sun.”
Knowing the fate that awaits the young lovers, these lines are especially poignant. But what makes the imagery striking in its own right is the sense that Juliet sees Romeo himself as a gift. So precious is he, so enchanting, that Juliet wants to share his spirit with the world. Deeply personal and yet totally unselfish, the experience of this kind of love is the true gift that goes beyond the Valentine’s Day flowers and chocolates that we share! Shakespeare’s lines capture the essence of something deeper that we all aspire to — and even if we may not have it this year, there is always the hope that that gift is in our future.
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