• What if Romeo and Juliet (from the famous tragedy of the 16th century by W. Shakespeare) did not take the poison…?
• What if the young Werther (from Goethe`s foundational work of Literature `The Sorrows of Young Werther`) would leave Lotte and move on…?
• What if someone told the wandering miller ` from the Die schöne Müllerin` of Schubert that stalking his love interest is not a language of love?

These foundational works of literature and Art have one thing in common, their heroes take pride in their pain. Suffering is seen as an act of grace. From today’s modern perspective, this is considered dysfunctional, but that does not seem to change the fact that romanticizing the pain of romantic suffering remains a bestseller for centuries being one of the biggest money-maker themes in the entertainment industry!

Before the aforementioned pieces of art and literature were created, there were ancient Greek Tragedies like Medea, and Antigone (among others), which also demonstrated suffering, but simultaneously delivered evenly through the whole play many different messages of deep wisdom to the audience. They were complex and multilayered.

Later there is a new phenomenon making its appearance with the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet` creating a whole domino effect in the field of arts.

Among others Goethe (Literature) and Schubert (Composer) followed the new wave, as well as Rachmaninov (Composer) Prokofiev (Composer), Arthur Laurents wrote `The West Side Story` mapping Shakespeare’s story, and numerous films followed this schema up until the moderns times with the talented pop-stars Tailor Swift and Billie Eilish!

Romantic pain sells, and no one can deny it. There is a magnetism to it that did not get past the radar of singers, songwriters, and filmmakers across centuries.

Pain is real, it has to be processed. But making a permanent station there does not seem a very nice idea… Or does it? What happens when the alluring fantasy gets real?

Let`s zoom into a phenomenon in Europe called `Werther Fever` (late 18th century shortly after the novel’s publication in 1774) where Young men took their own lives in imitation of their hero Werther.

The Sorrows of Young Werther (Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is a foundational work of romantic Literature. In this novel, the protagonist takes his own life in the name of a romantic disappointment. Taking pride in suffering and idolizing pain is the main theme.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE – ROMEO AND JULIET

If you never heard about Romeo and Juliet it is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, who is considered to be one of the most renowned playwrights and poets in the English language.

Here is the plot of the tragedy in a nutshell:

The protagonists are two young innocent characters. Romeo and Juliet, who fall in love! The families of the protagonists are dealing with a Vendetta which makes Romeo and Juliet’s relationship a big scandalous secret. In the name of their love, the characters swear to stay connected forever, even if that means… the afterlife.

Shocked by the death of their children, their families wake up from their ego trip and make amends. The final scenes of the final act show how important it is to forget about rivalries in the name of peace and prosperity. This is a great message, much needed in our human societies. But rarely is the play remembered for that, understandably because the main part of the play is focused on idolizing the allure and the play between beauty and pain between the two main protagonists.

Shakespeare`s well-written script, and clever scenes with some charismatic actors, can make Romeo and Juliet“s relationship an alluring fantasy! A dangerous one!

TAILOR SWIFT- I HATE IT HERE

If you never heard about Tailor Swift. She is a very accomplished talented pop-star. Here is an example of her main theme.

Song title: TODAY

I’m lonely, but I’m good

I’m bitter, but I swear I’m fine

I’ll save all my romanticism for my

inner life and I’ll get lost on purpose

This place made me feel worthless

Lucid dreams like electricity,

the current flies through

• Would it be a time when we had collectively enough of the same old tragedy and got bored of wandering in the fantasy land of graceful suffering?
• Do you think we are processing emotions in our society or normalizing an addiction to pain?

*icon by Wickalien