Romeo and Juliet
This past weekend, I went to a performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I happen to love Shakespeare. I have performed A Midsummer Night’s dream twice and have enjoyed countless other performances of his works. However, I had never seen a performance of Romeo and Juliet. It is typically one that most theatre companies stay away from because it is so well known and it has also become a trope for terrible love stories. I happened to really enjoy this performance because of the director's vision. He told his actors that the story is not actually a tragedy from beginning to end, but rather a comedy from the start that becomes a tragedy through terrible circumstances and poor decisions. It was so evident in their performances. I laughed way more than I ever expected to during the first act and felt myself tearing up about halfway through the second. What really got to me wasn’t even the suicides but rather the family’s reactions to the suicides.
I have interacted with countless individuals who are so broken that they are thinking about taking their own life. They believe that their family doesn’t care and that their family would be happier without them. This is not, nor ever will be the case. I wish I could have videotaped this section of the performance to show people, someone’s reaction to losing a loved one via suicide. They are never happy, never relieved. It is a tragedy that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. It taints family gatherings and holidays. People always remember, and always wonder what those days would be like if their loved one had chosen to reach out and ask for help rather than take their own life.
If you are in a place of hurt or you feel numb and you feel your only option is to suicide, please, please, please, reach out to someone. Your life is beyond precious and worth keeping. Our SoulMedics are available 24/7 for a conversation or if you would like to speak voice to voice you can always call the suicide hotline number at 800-273-8255.
Written by Sharla Ball
