Present Day Romance Tragedy: Romeo and Juliet Style

By David D E Evans PhD OAM

1993 Reports from India of parents killing their children in public because of social shame related to forbidden marriage began coming to world attention.

1993 Admira Ismi (Bosniak) and Boko Brki (Serb) were killed by sniper fire while fleeing the besieged city of Sarejevo on Vrbanja bridge, now known as the ‘Romeo and Juliet Bridge.’ Their bravery ‘became a symbol for the suffering of the people on all sides of the conflict.’

The challenge of young people for rights to options is highlighted by the phenomenon and imperative of romance tragedy within and across cultures. Globalisation brings awareness of other cultures: of their legends and real life heroic stories; of their struggles and sacrifices; and of their social progress. This study focuses on the time period from 1993 to the present time during which romance tragedy in India especially, began attracting world attention through the media.

The first pillar of Gandhi’s ‘Satyagraha’ is truth, claiming that openness to, and awareness of the greater community – the world community – is a necessity of peace, both at the family level and for the world community.

Nonviolence (the second pillar) is seen as the first step in the path of peace, using the word ‘peace’ here to equate with ‘the enjoyment of good relationships’. Principles for the attainment and maintenance of good relations apply to individuals at the local level and to states and nations at the government level. Martyrdom of romantic lovers choosing Gandhian-like self sacrifice (the third pillar) continues today.

Reflecting hugely intense joy and sorrow, storytelling of romance tragedy through the arts and media brings compelling heroism to our attention. It leaves us with a message of hope for the new generation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Jun 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781982294885

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Copyright © 2022 David D E Evans Ph D OAM.

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ISBN: 978-1-9822-9487-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9488-5 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 06/29/2022

DEDICATED

TO

TOPSY EVANS

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Abstract

Preface

PART 1

Chapter 1 Romeo and Juliet Style

1. Introduction

2. Shakespeare’s Sources

3. Shakespeare’s Theme Continues

4. Legends of Romeo and Juliet Style

5. Real Life Stories Around The World

6. Critical Opinion and Discussion

Chapter 2 India and Nepal 1

1. Introduction

2. A Period in Time

3. Findings from real life stories

3.1. Legalities

3.1.1. Hindu Law – Old vs New

3.1.1.1. The Dharmastra

3.1.1.2. Caste Endogamy

3.1.1.3. Village Exogamy

3.1.1.4. Role of the Khap Panchayat

3.1.2. Khap Panchayat Edicts

3.1.2.1. Divorce or Die

3.1.2.2. Expulsion from the Village

3.1.2.3. Forced Divorce and Marriage

3.1.2.4. New Restrictive Rules for Young Women

3.1.3. Federal laws

3.1.3.1. Capital Punishment Awarded and Commuted.

3.1.3.2. Political Complacency and Law Reform

3.1.3.3. Local Police Protection

3.1.3.4. Local Police Inaction

3.2. Resolutions

3.2.1. Suicide

3.2.2. Murder

3.2.2.1. Sons do the killing

3.2.3. Expulsion

3.2.4. Leave Home

3.3. Social Dynamics

3.3.1. Social background

3.3.1.1. Community

3.3.1.2. Family

3.3.1.3. Personal

3.3.2. Social progress

3.3.2.1. Withholding of violence

3.3.2.2. Films in the making

3.3.2.2.1. Real-life to films and Films to real-life

3.3.2.3. Community Support

3.4. The Bizarre

3.4.1. AIDS and Romantic Relationships

3.4.2. Kill or be Killed

3.4.3. Survival and Prosecution

3.5. Gospel in a Nutshell - Nepal

3.5.1. An Incident – Parbati Raut and Jagadish Khadki

3.5.2. An Interview – Mamata and Prateek

3.5.3. An Opinion.

Chapter 3 India and Nepal 2

1. Hindustani Legends

1.1. Heer Ranjha

1.2. Mirza Sahiba

1.3. Sohni – Mahiwal

1.4. Sassi – Punnun

1.5. Anarkali

2. Critical Appreciation

3. Conclusion

Chapter 4 Romantic tragedy: Expression in the Arts. A Tribute to Genius

1. Introduction

2. Hinemoa

2.1. A Cantata and Early Films

3. Layla and Majnun (The Man Who Loved Too Much)

3.1. Nizami Ganjavi

3.2. Hajibeyov and Fuzuli

4. A Village Romeo and Juliet

5. Tristan and Islode

6. Conclusion

Chapter 5 Romance Tragedy and Social Theory

1. Law

1.1. Example from British law – Progress in law

2. Globalisations

3. Emancipation

Chapter 6 A Path of Progress

1. Challenging Honour and Tradition

2. Social Shame and Social pride

3. Rights to Oprions and Rights to Roots

4. Law and Social progress

5. A Path of Progress

6. A Paradigm of Hope

Chapter 7 Key Literature

1. Introduction

2. The Books

2.1. Mad Blood Stirring

2.2. The Double Flame: Love and Eroticism

2.3. Toward a New Legal Commonsense

2.4. Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race: as Furnished by their Priests and Chiefs

2.5. A Village Romeo and Juliet

2.6. The Story of Layla and Majnun

2.7. Contentious Marriages, Eloping Couples

2.8. First Love Stories

PART 2

Chapter 8 Nonkilling Local and Global

1. Introduction

2. Traditional Pacifist concepts

2.1. Gandhian Satyagraha

2.2. Hebrew Christian

2.3. Quaker Peacemaking

3. Peace Initiatives

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Center for Global Nonkilling

3.2.1. Nonkilling Korea: Six Culture Exploratory Seminar

3.3. Nobel Peace Prize Laureates

3.4. Responsibility to protect (R2P)

3.4.1. United Nations 2005 World Summit Outcome

3.4.2. The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

3.4.3. The International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect

3.4.4. UN application of R2P – Libya

3.4.5. The Responsibility To Protect: The U.N. World Summit and the Question of Unilateralism

3.4.6. Revisiting Humanitarian Intervention

3.4.7. Conclusion

3.5. Peace For Our Time

3.5.1. Introduction

3.5.2. Precarious Life

3.5.2.1. A History of Violence

3.5.3. Peace in our time.

4. Maximising Pacifism

4.1. Introduction

4.2. Peace processes

4.2.1. George Ellis: Ethics and Philosophy

4.2.2. Maarti Ahtisaari: Mediation

4.2.3. Hendrik W van der Merwe: Reconciliation and Retribution

4.2.3.1. Restitution instead of Retribution

4.2.3.2. Punishment in perspective

4.2.3.3. Rainbow Nation but not Utopia

4.2.3.4. A flawed democratic system: A poor compromise

4.2.3.4.1. Representation

4.2.3.4.2. Political compromise

4.2.3.5. Personal ideology

5. Obstacles for Pacifism

6. Law and Order

7. A Pilgrim’s Progress for Peace

7.1. Warism to Pacifism

7.2. Changes of heart

7.3. Debatable signs of progress

7.4. Significant apologies

7.5. Honour and Remembrance.

8. A Theory of Peace Local and Global Work for All

Chapter 9 Recapitualtion and Conclusion

1. a priori

1.1. The original concept

1.2. Qualititative research

1.3. A personal philosophy

2. a posteriori

2.1. The expanded concept – local and global

2.2. Local Issues

2.2.1. A moment in time.

2.2.2. Media

2.2.3. Learning from other cultures

2.2.4. The importance of storytelling

2.2.5. Mythology and Phenomenology

2.2.6. Globalisation

2.3. Local and Global Issues

2.3.1. Conflict is normal

2.3.2. Law and order

2.3.3. Time to heal

2.3.4. Peace initiatives – Peace processes and intervention

2.3.5. Public opinion – a watching brief

2.3.6. Peace Maintenance

2.3.7. Common Sense

3. Pathways to Peace

4. Conclusion

Postscript

Appendices

Appendix A Kurt Schork’s signature dispatch from the siege of Sarajevo.

Appendix B 1993, Dalits beheaded for falling in love

Appendix C Probus Clubs – ‘I am Juliet’

Appendix D Mamata and Prateek

Appendix E Research protocol

References

Author David Evans’s Brand-New Book Love and Honour? Marriage for Peace Depicts a Harsh Reality of India

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

From the beginning, those in my social network have been interested in the concept and willing to help. My son-in-law John Allison told me about Hinemoa and Tutanekai; his sister-in-law Ingrid Allison of Layla and Majnun; my late sister Margaret’s friends from Thailand of Lilit Fra Law; Emeritus Professor Brian Coughlan of Keller’s Village Romeo and Juliet; Dr Susan Davies of the Italian history book ‘Mad Blood Stirring’. Helen Falk brought ‘First Love Stories’ and ‘The Double Flame’, to my attention. Mamata and Prateek in Nepal gave me their first hand story. However the greatest help has come from Dilawar Chetsingh in India, for keeping his eye on the current news and telling me of Prem Chowdhry’s book, ‘Contentious Marriges and Eloping Couples’. Boaventura de Sousa Santos is the inspiration for the paradigm of ‘prudent knowledge for a decent life’.

ABSTRACT

1993 Reports from India of parents killing their children in public because of social shame related to forbidden marriage began coming to world attention.

1993 Admira Ismić (Bosniak) and Boško Brkić (Serb) were killed by sniper fire while fleeing the besieged city of Sarejevo on Vrbanja bridge, now known as the ‘Romeo and Juliet Bridge.’ Their bravery ‘became a symbol for the suffering of the people on all sides of the conflict.’

The challenge of young people for rights to options is highlighted by the phenomenon and imperative of romance tragedy within and across cultures. Globalisation brings awareness of other cultures: of their legends and real life heroic stories; of their struggles and sacrifices; and of their social progress. This study focuses on the time period from 1993 to the present time during which romance tragedy in India especially, began attracting world attention through the media.

The first pillar of Gandhi’s ‘Satyagraha’ is truth, claiming that openness to, and awareness of the greater community – the world community – is a necessity of peace, both at the family level and for the world community.

Nonviolence (the second pillar) is seen as the first step in the path of peace, using the word ‘peace’ here to equate with ‘the enjoyment of good relationships’. Principles for the attainment and maintenance of good relations apply to individuals at the local level and to states and nations at the government level. Martyrdom of romantic lovers choosing Gandhian-like self sacrifice (the third pillar) continues today.

Reflecting hugely intense joy and sorrow, storytelling of romance tragedy through the arts and media brings compelling heroism to our attention. It leaves us with a message of hope for the new generation.

PREFACE

Shailendra and Pushpanjali from Patna in India, eloped in February 2006 and married.¹ They returned to seek blessing of their families, only to be dragged to the Hindu temple and beaten to death, Shailendra dying at the time, and Pushpanjali later in hospital. It was seeing a report in the early 90s, of an Indian man who hanged his son in public in front of the village temple with a crowd of onlookers that first took my attention. This was added to in 1993 by the sniper shooting of Admira Ismić, a Muslim girl and her Serb sweetheart Bosko Brkić at the time of the Balkan Wars.² Admira and Bosko attemped to leave the besieged city after receiving permission from both sides of the conflict, but together were killed by sniper fire. The bridge they were trying to cross is now colloquially called the ‘Romeo and Juliet Bridge.’ These events compelled me to ask the question ‘Why would parents kill their own children?’ and then look further into the phenomenon of romance tragedy. Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908 – 1961), in his treatise The Phenomenology of Perception³, asks us to accept phenomena as ‘realities’ of humanity; as starting points without further question or analysis. Regarding the phenomenon of romantic love one can say that Eros and Karma and other gods of love are alive and well, shooting their darts across cultural and social standings, leading to conflict or social embarrassment and in some instances, romance tragedy.

This study has a special focus on Northern India, especially the state of Haryana, and is conceived as a response to media attention given to the killing of eloping couples in India, reported in the general media only since 1993.⁴ A new consciousness of cultural ethics totally outside my Anglo-Judaist-Christian terms of reference motivated me to ‘look’ at romance tragedy. Short periods of work in Nepal beginning in 2001 where examples of violence, reconciliation, and of acceptance happened enriched the intrigue. The time period of reform in India theoretically dates from the adoption of a democratic constitution in India in 1950,⁵ but the selected time period is from 1993 when the issues started to come to general public attention.⁶ The social change is from ignoring constitutional human rights of individual lovers to present-day public outcry in support of the lovers, with insistence that the present government establish effective law and order. ⁷ What is strange for Westerners to understand, is the large number of peer associates in India who are considered consanguineous and for whom marriage is forbidden. It is like the brother sister relationship applying to all peer group school associates. Prem Chowdhry in her treatise ‘Contentious Marriages and Eloping Couples’⁸ emphasises the importance of village exogamy and caste endogamy in villages of northern India where rules of land ownership and inheritance are of paramount importance. Such social strictures are inconceivable to the modern Western mind. However legality of marriage issues in Western communities do remain pertinent today. In a case from Germany a brother and sister separated at birth met, married, and had children⁹. When the situation came to public attention, the father was imprisoned. The legality of gay marriages in the Western world is a current social evolutionary cause of dissention with some countries adopting new legislation that permits gay marriage with marital rights.

Shakespeare’s quintessential expression of romance tragedy of ‘Romeo and Juliet style’ in his play Romeo and Juliet, enlarges on the ‘Guilietta e Romeo’ story of Renaissance Italy and almost every day new productions of the play in modern or traditional style are announced around the Western world and in other cultures.¹⁰ The Romeo and Juliet theme is a focal point within the broader concept of romance tragedy. This paper looks backward to Shakespeare’s sources and forward to the present time, with reference to the arts, related myths and legends, and real-life stories. Vendettas in renaissance Italy are highly relevant to Shakespeare’s inspiration. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet comes to us from the Elizabethan era, at a time in British history when under the law of high treason public executions took place involving Catholic martyrs¹¹ and others who challenged the authority of the throne. It is pertinent to this study that theatrical performances (then and now) suggesting social change can be banned, and proprietors and authors excommunicated (or worse) for offending authorities.

This study of romance tragedy¹² although initiated as a response to real-life stories presented prosaically in the media, has a central focus on drama and the arts. In Western culture the Shakespearean voicing has continued with ‘A Village Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Westside Story’ and many others. In the colonial era, Westerners discovered other cultures have their own stories featuring romance tragedy, giving scope for great poets, writers, composers, storytellers and filmmakers, to lead and inspire their communities. Classic works are becoming globalised and in recent times the Western world especially is becoming more aware of great works from Arabian and Eastern cultures. The first Arab Opera Leyli and Majnun composed in 1908 by Hajibeyov¹³ is being brought to the West by the Silk Road Ensemble founded by Yo Yo Ma¹⁴. Hindustani legends have always been presented on stage and more recently by Indian filmmakers, who take up present day social issues as in the recent film Khap¹⁵ highlighting romance tragedy in Northern India. The section on arts is a tribute to the genius of eminent writers and composers, who bring us legendary stories such as ‘Hinemoa’, Leyli and Majnun’, ‘A Village Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Tristan and Isolde’, and Heer Rhanga’, through poetry, writing, theatre, and music, including opera. Legendary stories are a necessary part of the study. Classic romantic legends are intertwined with stories of creation. A selection of these are presented by famed storyteller Diane Wolkstein (1942 - 2013) in her book, ‘The First Love Stories - from - Isis and Osiris to Tristan and Iseult’.¹⁶ Her selection of mythological and legendary love stories is ‘Isis and Osiris’ (Egyptian), ‘Inanna and Dumuzi’ (Sumerian), ‘Shiva and Sati’ (Hindu), ‘The Song of Songs’ (Hebrew), ‘Psyche and Eros’ (Greek-Roman), ‘Layla and Majnun’ (Arabic-Persian), and, ‘Tristan and Iseult’ (Celtic-European). There are many love legends within Hindustani folklore. Four popular romance tragedies in the Punjabi tradition of India and Pakistan are, ‘Heer Ranjha’, ‘Mirza Sahiba’, ‘Sohni Mahiwal’, and, ‘Sassi Punnun’.¹⁷ ‘Anarkali’¹⁸ is a possibly true real-life legendary story from the lineage of Mogul Emperors.

Around the world every culture has its own legendary and real life stories. The phrase ‘Romeo and Juliet style’ has worked well for me as a focal point in initiating conversation. On meeting a senior Thai government servant I posed the question, ‘Do you have any Romeo and Juliet stories in your culture?’ His response was immediate, saying, ‘Yes, of course we do, but the West does not know about it’! He was referring to the story of ‘Lilit Phra Law’. Lilit Phra Law is a Thai epic poem, and, in common with other stories presented is likened to Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. It involves romance between royal families in kingdoms previously at war. The enmity of a senior widowed Queen whose husband was killed in battle leads to the murder of the lovers. Not all the stories are tragic. The legendary real life Maori story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai tells how they lived happily ever after, because her chieftain father belatedly accepted the situation. Hinemoa eloped, swimming three kilometers at night to Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua answering the flute call of her lover. The acceptance by her father led to a remarkable period of peace between these two Maori tribes. For Aboriginal Australians, family relationships are referred to by the term ‘skin colour’. ‘Ngurrumilmarrmiriyu’ [Wrong Skin] is Indigenous theatre first performed in 2010 by ‘The Chooky Dancers’. It explores the challenges for Aboriginal youth exposed to Western Culture. ‘The story of this work is a re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet on Elcho Island where "the complex laws of ‘skin’ and clan define all relationships and to love someone outside these relationships is forbidden’. ¹⁹ Following a presentation given to a seniors group in Adelaide, South Australia, the writer was pleased to receive an anonymous three page letter entitled, ‘I am Juliet’. It told of two English families who used to holiday together leading to a powerful romance beginning when the lovers were too young. They kept it to themselves thinking their families would regard them as being silly. Many years later when they announced their engagement, her mother, feeling the secret had been kept from her, took offense and did not speak to them for 10 years. They were eventually reconciled.

Can this study of romance tragedy, detailing a path of progress in realizing human rights (in the context of social requirements and basic human nature), contribute anything to social theory, or help facilitate necessary social change? The way forward related to forbidden love, is from preventive coercion by family and/or local authority – to persecution if the relationship proceeds – to nonviolence with estrangement – to reconciliation – to acceptance with reservations – to unreserved welcome and celebration. Law, globalization, and emancipation, are all highly relevant to the study. Boaventura de Sousa Santos, in his book, Toward a New Legal Common Sense: Law, Globalization, and Emancipation. 2nd Ed. 2002,²⁰ provides considerable help in this regard. Santos examines, ‘the paradigmatic transition between the paradigms of modernity, and a new emerging time which may not be paradigmatic at all.’ Santos depicts an epistemological transition occuring between the dominant paradigms of modern science and an emergent paradigm that he calls ‘prudent knowledge for a decent life.’ He also depicts a sociopolitical transition occuring between a background of global capitalism and, the signs of a different future contained in the alternatives to this paradigm, which are emerging variously in various fields of social activity.

Change comes slowly as younger generations challenge life long attitudes of their elders. However, a recent social phenomenon of stories going ‘viral’ (e.g. Kony 2012²¹) provides opportunity for the wider world, the global community, to express opinion and embarrass traditional authorities. This gives opportunity for acceleration of human rights processes and relevant legal changes to be made, even if attitudinal elements in parts of the community are not changed. The way forward is to make realities plain for all to see. A necessity for compromise becomes apparent, emphasizing the role of responsible community leaders in finding a way forward.

What is Progress?

‘What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend’.

Responding to Shakespeare’ challenge is the theme of the study. It takes us backwards and forward in time, intertwines Eastern, Western, and Pacific cultures. It gives us a paradigm of hope.

PART 1

CHAPTER 1

Romeo and Juliet Style

1 1 Introduction

This consideration of romance tragedy was initially conceived as a study of Potentially Tragic Events of Romeo and Juliet Style Happening in the World Today and Mythological.²² Critically appraising the Romeo and Juliet phenomenon, it is a study in Qualitative Research establishing grounded theory for a path of progress toward answering the mandate given by Shakespeare in the prologue to his tragic play Romeo and Juliet where he says, ‘what here shall miss our toil shall strive to mend.’

The Romeo and Juliet theme is a focal point within the broader concept of romance tragedy and is a phenomenon in its own right. We look backward to Shakespeare’s sources and forward to the present time, with reference to the arts, related myths and legends, and real-life stories. Vendettas in Renaissance Italy are highly relevant to Shakespeare’s inspiration. Keller’s Village Romeo and Juliet adapted to opera by Delius, and Bernstein’s Westside Story illustrate the development of the theme afterwards in literature and the arts. Real life stories emphasise the phenomenon, and its realism is examined.

2 Shakespeare’s Sources

Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet is the central point of reference for the study. The play takes place in the Elizabethan era, at a time in British history when under the law of high treason public executions took place, involving Catholic martyrs²³ and others who challenged the authority of the throne. It is pertinent to the study that theatrical performances (and nowadays films) suggesting social change can be banned, and proprietors and authors excommunicated (or worse) for offending authorities. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born during the reign of Elizabeth I (1533 – 1603) when England was in a state of religious turmoil. Elizabeth I banned performances of religious plays and stories (except in Church) to help stop violence over religion.²⁴ Medieval ‘cycle and mystery plays’²⁵, were quite popular but could not be performed, and playwrights concentrated on secular stories.²⁶

The first performance of Romeo and Juliet is believed to have occurred in 1594 or 1595, along with ‘Richard 11’, and, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Although William Shakespeare never published any of his plays, unauthorised versions were published during his lifetime in quarto editions.²⁷

Today Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is performed around the world by schools and theatrical groups perhaps more frequently in the westernising and globalizing world than any other play. Browsing the net for Romeo and Juliet brings multiple references to new performances and related topics every day.

Original texts of the story of Romeo and Juliet, by Masuccio Salernitano (1410–1475), Luigi Da Porto (1485 –1529), Matteo Bandello (1485–1561), and William Shakespeare (1564–1616) are presented together in a book entitled ‘Romeo and Juliet’ compiled by Adolph Caso. ²⁸

Masuccio Salernitano (1410–1475), was an Italian poet best known today for Il Novellino, a collection of 50 ‘novelle’ or short stories. The 33rd story is that of Mariotto and Giannozza, which was apparently adapted by Luigi da Porto (1485–1529) first as Giulietta e Romeo and later as Historia novellamente ritrovata di due nobili amanti (Newly retrieved story of two noble lovers). These three stories, plus another later version by Matteo Bandello (c. 1480 – 1562) and the English translation by Arthur Brooke (d 1563) in the poem Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562) appear to be the sources for Shakespeare’s famous play Romeo and Juliet.

Of special interest to the writer, is the novella of Luigi da Porto ‘Guilietta e Romeo’. Da Porto suggests there is evidence for a real life story around the time of the Italian poet Dante (c1265-1321)

The circumstances of Luigi da Porto’s novella is told in the award winning book, ‘Mad Blood Stirring: Vendetta in Renaissance Italy’ by Edward Wallace Muir Jr. (born 1946),²⁹ a historical study featuring ritual and feuding in northern Italy. Muir draws our attention to an event early in the life of da Porto, when as a young soldier, at the time of the ‘Cruel Carnival of Udine’ in 1511 he felt instant love, but at a time when circumstances prohibited realization of that love. Later in life, retired from military service due to severe injuries, Da Porto wrote ‘Guilietta e Romeo’ and