Looking Ahead at Shakespeare

So I was enjoying food, drink, and conversation with my brother's girlfriend, who happens to be a genius. She was an English major at the University of Illinois- her worst collegiate grade as an A-, yes she is bronzed in their library. Anyhoo, as I maintained my bumbling idiot charisma, the conversation shifted to Shakespeare. Her mother has committed Macbeth to memory and Katie grew up with her mother spewing Shakespearian lines around the house. (Our Shakespeare conversation actually started with a line about pomegranates from Macbeth, because her mother would say pomEEEgranate, and we had just ordered pometinis, naturally). She says she has grown to like Shakespeare. I have never been a fan of Shakespeare. Maybe because I had to make a modern Romeo and Juliet rap when I was a freshman in high school. Maybe because his every other word is invented. Maybe it's because he's so popular. Maybe because I hate the most well-known portrait of him (yes, I'm shallow and I care about looks bla bla bla), he just looks gross... Or maybe I've never been mature enough to receive Shakespeare. I don't know, but I certainly hope that I'm ready for Shakespeare in a few weeks.

I'm just not captivated by Shakespeare! Does that make me less of a HUSTie? Somehow my mind needs to make a paradigm shift by the time we start reading Shakespeare so that my class contribution and papers aren't epic failures. Plus, if I'm spending my summer interning at a publishing house in London, I think some knowledge of Shakespeare is umm slightly necessary. Guess this little Juliet needs to get her butt in gear.

It is interesting, that as a child and even now, my most absolute best premier number one all time favoritest movie was/is West Side Story. Rumor has it that I was dancing and singing all the numbers before I could actually walk and talk. And don't even get started on my "Maria dress," you know the white one with the red sash that she wears when she meets Tony at the dance!!! AAAHHHH love it forever. Oh yes, I need to get back on track. Anyway it's ironic that I love that movie so much since it's based off of Romeo and Juliet and I have most often held Shakespeare in disdain. Iron.y.

So to get myself in a more Shakespearian mood, some current music is in store. I leave you with the lyrics of Taylor Swift:

"Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone...

la la la la

It's a love story baby just say YES. Oh. Oh."

Okay so I don't actually know the words at all really...

the end

The famous "Maria dress."