In this passage from act 2, scene 2, Juliet has just discovered that Romeo is beneath her balcony and has been listening to her private thoughts as she spoke aloud to herself moments before. She asks Romeo how he managed to get over the wall and into the Capulet orchard. Juliet also reminds Romeo that if any of her family find him there, he will surely be killed. After all, he is from the Montague family, with whom the Capulet family have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember. If Romeo is caught, then she will likely also be punished by her own family, just for communicating with him. Romeo responds to Juliet by declaring that love gave him the wings to fly over the wall and that the danger of death is worth it if it's the price he has to pay for being close to her. He says that he would find his way to her even if he had to navigate the widest ocean to do so.
If this scene were played out today, it's very likely that Romeo and Juliet would communicate instead with mobile phones. Indeed, they could communicate much more safely, with considerably less risk of being heard, by exchanging text messages.
Most teenagers seem to write text messages mostly or exclusively in lowercase letters, and most use abbreviations in order to communicate more quickly. Accordingly, translated into modern-day text messages, the exchange between Romeo and Juliet might look something like this:
Juliet: how'd u get here & why? the walls r high & you'll be killed if ne1 sees u.
Romeo: love gave me wings n i flew over the wall! i'm not scared of your fam.
Juliet: they'll kill u if they find u!
Romeo: if you're happy 2 c me, then i'll risk your fam's anger.
Juliet: i hope they don't c u!
Romeo: it's dark. anyway, idc, i'd rather die than not be loved by u.
Juliet: lol. who told you how to get here?
Romeo: love told me! btw if you were an ocean away, i would still find u! ily x
Abbreviations
u = you
r = are
ne1 = anyone
2 = to
c = see
n = and
fam = family
idc = i don't care
lol = laugh out loud
btw = by the way
ily = i love you
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Translate act 2, scene 2, lines 62–84 between Romeo and Juliet into modern-day text message language, making sure to translate some of the famous lines that will be easily recognized.
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