Romeo & Juliet: #hoodlove
In high school, reading a Shakespearean play is pretty much the norm! I mean, who hasn’t read Hamlet, Macbeth, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream? But, perhaps, the most famous of them all is Romeo & Juliet; an extraordinary story that revolves around two young lovers whose families despise one another so much so that the only way they figured they could be together was through death. Does such a love even exist today, especially in the virtual world of IMVU?
I mean, think about it. In the story of Romeo & Juliet, their families were considered rival gangs of the day. There was a never-ending feud that only escalated each time a member of each opposing family was killed by the other. In the midst of all the bloodshed, Romeo and Juliet happened to find one another and subsequently fell in love. Despite their families constantly reminding them of where their loyalty should lie, these two brave souls chose love over hatred, knowing that if either family found out about their union, they would be put to death.
Does love like this exist today?
On IMVU, at any given moment, you can find couples professing their love for another. Some even go as far as to isolate themselves from everyone else just to be together, which could be reminiscent of our Shakespearean story. However, when problems arise between the two, it’s not uncommon to see them suddenly be against one another. Name calling, “exposing” confidential information, and even sending their families to “jump” the offending partner, is how a lot of IMVU couples handle their break-ups, which makes one wonder if the love they initially spoke of was even real. Romeo and Juliet sacrificed their pride and their lives just to share love. People today cannot even swallow their pride or their egos to make such a love blossom and that is truly disheartening, BUT it is not impossible. One could learn a lot from Romeo & Juliet and how they chose to put their focus on expanding their love for another rather than to let negativity ruin them, even in choosing to die for what they wanted. True love could almost be like dying. You open yourself up and make yourself vulnerable to loving and being loved by another individual. Modern day love is just as risky as love was for Romeo & Juliet back in their day but true love is still true love… Right?
