William Shakespeare
Compare and Contrast
| Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet | Similarities | Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo |
|---|---|---|
| • Both families are in constant feuding.
• There was peace outside of the two families. • Romeo had devoted his love to a previous person prior to meeting Juliet. • Romeo and Juliet plotted to kill each other to escape from the problems around them while the couple in Sarajevo was killed by rivaling forces. • Juliet, presumed naïve, had a guidance figure.
| • Both of the couples where a mix of different backgrounds and different opinions. • Both couples loved each other more than any other couple in history. • There where feuds between the backgrounds of each of the members of the couples. • The people in the couple fell in love at first site • Both of the lovers in the couples had some sort of major problem in their life. • Both Bosko and Romeo died prior to their lovers’ deaths. • In Shakespeare’s depiction of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was banished as his punishment for killing Tybalt which was not reasonable for it was justified; Bosko too was hated by others for no such reason thus both characters suffered punishments for the sake of being.
| • Both the families of Admira and Bosko were well acquainted with each other and were tolerant of their child’s relationship. They where willing to die for their children whom where in love. • The couple from Sarajevo were trying to escape from their birthplace from where they where brought up. • There was ongoing war between the Orthodox Church Serbs and Muslins while the couple was together. • Romeo wasn’t in love with someone else right before the two met. • Both of the people in the couple had known each other for a long time before they where killed.
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Maps
Verona.
Sarajevo
Romeo and Juliet Timeline
| 1984: 16 year-old Admira met Bosko at a New Years’ Eve party and became well acquainted. This correlates to Shakespeare’s depiction of how Romeo and Juliet had fallen in love at a party as well. Despite their religious differences, for Admira was Muslim and Bosko was a Serb, their parents were tolerant of their relationship. The families grew to be great friends and Admira’s father was even invited to sing at Bosko’s church. Admira’s grandmother however, did not approve of their relationship for her brother had fought the German Serbs during World War II thus she did not believe that it was well for the couple to interfere. 1989: Communism was on the brink of destruction as the reign in the Soviets was crumbling. The fall of the Berlin Wall, which had separated western and eastern Germany reign by the US and the Soviets confirmed the end to Communism in the Balkans. Such countries in the Balkans as Yugoslavia rejoiced of the event. 1991: After the fall of communism, Croatia declared its independence. War broke out among the Croatians and the federal army that forced the Serbs of Croatia to flee for their safety. The event exemplified as the mutiny, which was created by ancient grudges due to the existent of communism. The civil war was the symbol of the old hatred that rejoiced itself. April 5, 1992: Croatians, Serbs, and Muslims, filled the streets to celebrate Croatia’s victory and tolerance. Shots rang out from Bosnian Serbs, whom were loyal to the government. The violence and commotion had lasted longer than what the people had expected. The event had triggered danger towards the Orthodox Church Serbs. The Serbs were fighting the Muslims with the slogan of “We live among our people; the country must be separated now”. The battle begins to of rivaling parties such as to the Capulet and the Montague as Shakespeare had intended. Sarajevo was in destruction and chaos; Admira convinced Bosko to stay for eh would be protected by his brother’s friend whom headed a local gang. August 23 1992: Bosko and twenty other people were smuggled out of Bosnia in exchange for 3 Muslim prisoners of war.
| 1992: Sarajevo was without water energy for months after its first winter. Citizens depended on the UN’s food rations for the most part yet had to scramble for weeds when starvation kicked in for many. Bosko had worked with the army thus he often stole military items and food rations to sell on the black market. Spring 1993: In later April, a friend had agreed to drive Bosko and Admira to a wedding in Sarajevo. However, he had abandoned them without ever returning. Bosko and Admira settled themselves in Sarajevo in a small run down apartment. Like many others, Bosko waited in bread lines daily whereas others often harassed him for operating in the black market. The Western nations can see clearly of the country’s problem and was debating whether or not to interfere by sending troops to the east. May 13 1993: Admira’s mother baked a cake for Admira’s 25th birthday. The family celebrated the event formally despite the limited food rations. Little did they know that it was her last birthday. May 19th 1993: The day of Admira’s departure from Bosnia; Admira’s mother had attempted to persuade her to stay yet she rejected the concept. In late afternoon, the couple crossed “no man’s land”, which was surrounded by 4 forces, and too prohibited any sort of movements. The couple walked on the intersection on the bridge where snipers rang out, killing Bosko immediately yet Admira had survived. This scene correlates to Juliet’s awakening questioning, “Where is my Romeo?” (act V, sc. III 115)Admira and Bosko both died in each other’s arms, thus concludes the story of Romeo and Juliet for both sets of lovers were sacrificed between rivaling parties for the price of peace. “More never a story of more woe, Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” (act V, sc. III 323-324) describes the tragic love story of Bosko and Admira as the modern Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will forever continue to reinvent itself for centuries to come. May 21 1993: Two days after the couple’s death, yet the body was still positioned as it was at the time of their death on the bridge, monitored by the four forces. All had debated of the couple’s killer for they examined the position the couple laid to see where the bullets had come from. Admira and Bosko’s parents were devastated of their death, however, more infuriated that their bodies were still lying on the bridge. Admira’s father had volunteered to retrieve the bodies if the police did not wan to interfere with the situation.
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