EDITOR – IN – CHIEF – VICTORIA OLGUIN
ORIGINALLY PRINTED ON NOV 2, 2023
Many feelings of love, joy and friendship arise as the Valentine’s Day holiday nears this February. With chocolates, flowers and teddy bears dominating store shelves, it’s easy to feel the spirit of Valentine’s Day at every corner. The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio takes part in Valentine’s joy, shining a light on one of the greatest and most tragic love stories in history: Romeo & Juliet. The story, originally written by Shakespeare, follows young Romeo and Juliet— who belong to feuding families: the Montagues and Capulets. Despite belonging to feuding families, the two fall in love with each other. The relationship becomes a significant issue as their love is strictly forbidden, ultimately leading to their heartbreak and death.
Though Shakespeare originally wrote the story in the 16th century, the McNay Art Museum invites the public to explore art and music inspired by the play on February 16th at 6:30 pm. The performance will showcase the numerous ways this play has been reimagined and performed in both art and music, including the more modern versions of the story. Many have shared their thoughts on the play and if this story is an authentic portrayal of current love.
“I sometimes think that it resembles the idea that there is someone for everyone, like a 6th sense of the ‘one.’ However, that was in the 1900s, and that idea fit during that era. But now I think it’s an example of what not to do due to overpassing their true character. That’s why people who are taking their relationship to the next level tend to live together before committing to see how they really feel,” Christian Guerrero, St. Mary’s University alumni, said. “Also, there are so many standards and so much controversy between sexes and identity; it’s just a funny story that only the older generations would know as the status quo is changing,” Guerrero continued. With social and cultural changes, what was considered normal in the 16th century is now seen as surprising for the new generation— who see and experience love in different ways.
Currently, the story serves as a lesson of how naïveté and love at first sight could result in devastating consequences. It makes the classic love story act as a lesson or warning to those in a comparable situation, which many appreciate and learn from. For this reason, modernizing the story could remove this lesson entirely. “It is not good for [Romeo and Juliet] to be modernized as it is now an example of what not to do because it leads to depression and accumulated delusions, which lead both characters to die,” Guerrero says.
For others, modernizing the story is a positive change. However, the current portrayals can lack accuracy. “I think [Romeo and Juliet] is outdated and a terrible portrayal of love and pining,” junior communications major, Sydney Tobias said.
“I don’t think modern adaptations are really doing much better. I’m sure they’re trying, but they’re still failing into that stigma that you need to have someone in order to be happy, and if you can’t be with that one person, it’s better to be depressed or dead,” Tobias continued.
Although, the classic play has a tragic ending, many see the story as a form of strength and knowledge. For others, still, the play gives hope; maybe there is a distant ‘someone’ somewhere. To see the different portrayals of Romeo and Juliet, visit the McNay Art Museum located on 6000 N New Braunfels Ave, San Antonio, TX 78209.