❤💖💕It’s Valentine’s Day – and yes, I will be going for a meal out with Mr. C. later – thanks for asking! And I was thinking about some of the great romantic figures in history and their grand gestures.
Perhaps one of the greatest doomed loves was Romeo and Juliet. One of the pivotal scenes in the play is the famous “balcony” scene where Romeo hides in Juliet’s garden and sees her on the “balcony”.
Except he doesn’t.
Be careful what you believe on TV or in the movies.
Balconies were not a thing in Shakespeare’s time. The Oxford English Dictionary has the word “balcone” first used in 1618 – 2 years AFTER Shakespeare’s death.
If you read the original test, Juliet appears at a window – which is reinforced by Romeo’s words on seeing her:- “Soft, what light from yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun!”.
He didn’t climb up the Balcony – so they weren’t close enough to whisper. Romeo had to hide in the bushes as his life would be in danger if he were seen. Therefore – you could say their public speaking skills came into play. We can surmise that they had to project their voices enough that they could be heard by the other, as Romeo talks to himself at first and Juliet doesn’t hear him.
But it is not just the projection of the voice that is important in romantic heroes – it is the words themselves. There are so many examples of the power of words in romantic fiction, but one that stands out is from Doctor Zhivago, and goes:-
“You and I, it’s as though we have been taught to kiss in heaven and sent down to earth together, to see if we know what we were taught.”
Words are powerful.
To be able to say the right things to the right people at the right time is a skill. Words create emotions, they create mental pictures, they create trust and connection between people – between you and your audience. They also create beliefs – positive or self-limiting. Be careful what you say to others, and be even more careful what you say to yourself and to your loved ones. Words can heal and words can wound – and once heard they can’t be unheard.
How many people hold onto words that were said to them as a child – positive or negative? You might have been told you were clever, or stupid. Or perhaps that you were brave, or a “cry baby”. The most powerful thing you can be told is that you were/are loved. And fortunate are the kids who knew that all their childhoods.
So – not just today on Valentine’s day – but on every day of the year – tell the people who matter to you that you love them. It’s the most powerful thing in the world. Romeo and Juliet died for their love of each other. Mothers have moved cars with their bare hands to free their trapped children.
It doesn’t need to be great prose or poetry. Most of us aren’t Shakespeare. Just – in your own words – and with feeling – tell someone you love them…..today.
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I coach people to develop their public speaking skills, their stories, and their presentations. Whether that is in a sales situation, a networking event, weddings, funerals or keynote speeches. Get in touch on cheryl@cheryl-chapman.com or follow me on Facebook or Instagram