In the class I'm teaching on cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare plays, we are spending the first half of the semester looking at adaptations of Romeo and Juliet. One of my favourite parts of the play is Romeo and Juliet's first interaction. What a smooth charmer is that Romeo! He makes out with her, kissing her twice -- three times, actually, if one counts the kiss he planted on her hand -- within quite a short time; somehow convincing her that kissing is like praying. My commentary is in italics.
ROMEO
[To JULIET] If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
Basically, he takes her by the hand and tells her that since his hands are so rough, he will pay for his indiscretion by kissing her hand.
JULIET
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.
Since they are touching hands, Juliet suggests that palms against palms (or hands in prayer) is like a kiss done by saints.
ROMEO
Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?
Seeing as they are touching hands, which Juliet suggested is like a kiss, Romeo asks why don't saints kiss with their lips instead.
JULIET
Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
Because, says Juliet, they are using their lips for praying.
ROMEO
O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.
Romeo says that their lips should do what their hands are doing -- touch each other in prayer.
JULIET
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.
Juliet, to shy to make the move, says that saints don't move.
ROMEO
Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.
Romeo assures her that she doesn't need to move, he will move, and kisses her.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.
After the kiss he explains that his sins have now been taken away by her lips.
JULIET
Then have my lips the sin that they have took.
Juliet laments that now Romeo's sins are on her lips.
ROMEO
Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.
So Romeo states that he will take his sins back, and kisses her a second time.
JULIET
You kiss by the book.
You can read a modern English translation of the text here, and watch a nice modern adaptation of this kiss scene here.
Recently I challenged readers of my blog to share with me who they think are the ten most kissable people – five women and five men. Read the challenge and then share with me your list. Here is mine:
Most Kissable Women
Monica Bellucci
Model / Actress, Monica Bellucci seems to get more beautiful the older she gets. People have likened her to a goddess; me included. She is the most voluptuous woman in the entertainment industry. When I’m asked who do I think is the most beautiful woman I immediately think of Monica Bellucci, have a blush reflex, and need to fan myself to calm my nerves. She’s the kind of “heaven” that will make me go to hell. And boy, would I like to kiss her!
Sheryl Crow
I’ve always found Sheryl Crow’s mouth outrageously sexy. It is true that she does not have the bee-stung lips usually considered appealing, like for instance Angelina Jolie’s; regardless, I love her mouth. I’m assuming that my fascination with her mouth has more to do with what proceed out of it. Her mouth is a synecdoche for her sexy voice. I’ve been listening to Sheryl Crow since 1996.
Catwoman – Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer in her shining black leather as Catwoman is a killer. I first fell in love with her in the movie Ladyhawke (1985), but like Monica Bellucci, Michelle Pfeiffer seems to become more beautiful the older she gets. Most men that saw Michelle Pfeiffer in her Catwoman outfit in Batman Returns can testify of the tremendous impact it had on our psyche. Kissing Catwoman would be like the little male spider kissing the Black Widow; there is the danger of being eaten alive. But I guess that ads to the trhill.
Claire Forlani
I first saw Claire Forlani in Meet Joe Black (1998) opposite Brad Pitt. In that movie Pitt’s presence completely overshadowed her, so I did not really take notice. But two years later she played in the movie Boys and Girls (2000) and it was quite the opposite. I left the cinema walking on clouds, completely in love with the character she played. If I could marry that character I would have done so on the spot, and when the pastor declares “You may kiss the bride” it would have been one extraordinary kiss.
Song Hye Kyo
Most female Korean celebrities look the same to me and it is not because I’m racist, it is because they literally do look the same. Many of them have plastic surgery and as this is a homogenous culture most of them have the same ideas about aesthetic ideals; hence, many of them get plastic surgery to enhance similar features. One Korean actress / model I can recognize from any throng of lookalikes is the beautiful and very kissable Song Hye Kyo.
Most Kissable Men
Elvis Presley
Of the males, Elvis was the easiest guy to choose as kissable. Again, it might be a case of his voice making his mouth sexy, I don't know. But look at those lips. Definitely kissable.
Brad Pitt
When I was a teenager I had very few role models. A workaholic father and brothers thinking me weird (read “creative”), left me with little options but the popular media. It was with many of Brad Pitt’s outsider-characters that I associated, or tried to mold my teenage character around: Firstly, Tristan Ludlow in Legends of the Fall (1992); especially Louis de Pointe du Lac in Interview with a Vampire (1994); thirdly, David Mills in Se7en (1995); as well as Michael Sullivan (1996) in Sleepers. By the time two of my favourite movies, Fight Club (1999) and Snatch (2000), came out I already started to have a unique enough identity of my own, so that I did not try to follow Brad Pitt’s characters anymore. Nonetheless, his oeuvre made a strong enough impression on me to still consider him one of my favourite male actors.
Jarred Leto
It was a close call between Jarred Leto and Kurt Cobain, but in the end I settled with Jarred Leto. While I prefer Cobain’s music over Leto’s any day, I think Leto would make the better kisser. I just don’t know if I’d be able to endure the bristles while kissing. I think that smooth female skin makes for much better kissing. Would you agree or disagree? Chris Isaak
Watch the “Wicked Game” music video – ‘nough said.
Miyavi
Okay, choosing Miyavi is probably cheating since half of the time he is so androgynous that kissing him is almost like kissing a girl. I ran out of options. Regardless, he looks quite kissable -- lip rings besides.
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So that’s my list of Most Kissable People. Please share your list. If you have a blog of your own, take up the challenge and share with the world who you find most kissable – remember to send me the link. Alternatively, you can write your list as a comment to this message. Or email me your list at skryfblok at gmail dot com.
What did I learn from this exercise? For one, I noticed that for me the actual shape of the mouth had little to do with its smoochability. The person in her (or his) entirety contributed more than the lips themselves. I also noticed that singers made up half of my list, and apart from Brad Pitt the rest of my male choices are all singers. While compiling the list a number of women that did not make the final five were singers as well. Also noteworthy is that most of the women listed are older than I am, but that is not a surprise to me. I do find mature (i.e. independent) women much more attractive than the cutesy-girly-type, so common in the Far East. Lastly, while it is easy for me to find men attractive, as far as romance and kissing is concerned, I prefer female lips. How about you?
My X's very kissable lips, enjoying chocalate spread from a silver spoon.
My X told me that I kiss better than a woman. That was probably one of the best compliments I have ever received. It also says something about her kissing history. To say that I kiss better than a woman, means that she has kissed a woman before, so she can compare the two. Unlike her, I haven’t kissed any men before. Well not really kissed. In my family culture it is customary to kiss people, regardless of the gender, that are part of the family in greeting, especially if you haven’t seen them in a long time. For instance, when I return to South Africa for a visit in a couple of months I will kiss my brothers upon greeting them at the airport. But that’s not kissing, that’s greeting. So to make it clearer: I’ve never kissed a man romantically before. But what if I have to kiss a man and have a choice in the matter?
So if you had to choose 10 people to kiss, five women and five men, who would you choose? My female list is much easier to fill up, with Monica Bellucci (of course) among the top three. My male list is coming short. I’ve got Elvis so far. Once I have time to think this through I’ll post pictures of the lips I think most smoochable.
Skryfblok’s Most Kissable People Challenge
So here’s the challenge to you. Choose ten people that you would like to kiss. They need to be divided equally as five women and five men. I know some of you may be homophobic, but just pretend there’s a gun against your temple and you have to choose. Then be brave and post it on your blog and send me the link. Alternatively you can wait until I post my list of the 10 Most Kissable People and leave a message in which you reveal your smack-list. (Or if you are not brave enough to reveal the mouths you find most alluring to the whole world, then send me a message to skryfblok at google dot com.)
I’ll post my list in a couple of days and am looking forward to seeing your lists too!
