I will readily admit that way back in 2005, I read the first "Twilight" book twice. Once to see what all the hype was about, and a second time to figure out if I actually liked it or not.
As a hormone-ridden middle schooler at the time, it was pretty easy to get sucked into the story. But afterward, I found that I was largely indifferent. Romance wasn't really my thing, even if it was considered sexy and mysterious.
Besides, Dracula was a way cooler vampire than a sparkly Edward Cullen.
Fast forward to my first year of high school where "Romeo and Juliet" was a required reading in English class. I went in thinking that Taylor Swift's "Love Story" gave me a good idea of what to expect in terms of sappy romance, except I knew that there was no happy ending. Simple, right?
Wrong.
My English teacher at the time showed me a whole new world of literary analysis.
Since then, I have come to think that "Romeo and Juliet" is a whirlwind of extremes and exaggerations, and when you step back and take a good look at the big picture, it makes no sense because it just looks like nobody thinks things through, whether it's by willful ignorance or optimistic naivety. Cases in point:
The Montagues and Capulets: "We should totally continue this blood feud, even though we don't know how it started in the first place."
Juliet: "It's a fantastic idea to marry you, person-I-just-met, despite our families being sworn enemies."
Friar Laurence: "Hey, instead of running away from home like any eloping teen girl would, you can just wait here and pretend to be dead. Nothing could possibly go wrong."
The Greatest Love Story of All Time™ is actually more like a reckless rebound relationship that accidentally caused a lot of people to die, including the two teenagers that had the misfortune of falling in love with each other.
What seemed like a doomed, glorious romance now becomes a pointless tragedy.
Surprisingly, the "Twilight" series can make the same genre shift. There's certainly enough similarities between the two stories: a forbidden love between two "teenagers", many stupid decisions resulting from said forbidden love, melodramatic male leads that carry much internal angst.
However, Edward Cullen is broody and controlling where Romeo is overly dramatic and carefree. These traits make Edward incredibly dangerous on top of being an immortal vampire.
By now, it's quite well-known that Bella and Edward's relationship isn't the most healthy one. Time and time again, it's been pointed out that the Twilight series seems to romanticize abuse and that Edward displays characteristics of an emotional abuser.
In bringing excitement and an unknown world to Bella in her previously dull and uneventful life, Edward has also brought about her downfall by slowly wearing her down to make her submit to his will.
In response to the statement, "Twilight taught all girls they need a man in their life or they're nothing" that was posted in an online thread, Redditor Deradius eloquently analyzed the whole of Bella's character arc in regards to her personal development and identity both before and after she met Edward. While worth the read, Deradius concluded with,
I would say that read in the proper light, [Twilight is] a powerful cautionary tale about accepting traditional gender roles and conforming to expected societal norms. Particularly with regard to male dominance (rather than partnership) in relationships.
The key phrase in the above quote is "read in the proper light." Like other art forms, literature is constantly subjected to multiple analyses that spawns multiple interpretations. In reality, there is no "right" way to read and view a story.
I am by no means saying that the "Twilight" series, "Romeo and Juliet," or any other teen romance story should not be enjoyed. After all, their original intention was for consumption and entertainment.
But it's fun to take it to the next level, to see if you can twist the plot into something unusual, something compelling.
Look harder. Think deeper. There's always something more to the story, even with one as iconic as "Romeo and Juliet" and tween-tastic as the "Twilight" series.
