Wm. Shakespeare v. Taylor Swift

If you know me, and I know you do dear reader, you know that I have an unreasoning weakness for a well-crafted pop song. And true to my caddish male nature, that goes double for one sung by a cute girl. So, for better or worse, I was bound to be a sucker for "Love Story" by Taylor Swift.



The song is interesting though, because for 85% of it, it's a pretty faithful retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, including Juliet's moment of doubt towards the end. Taylor sings:

I got tired of waiting,
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading,

But instead of the tragic ending Shakespeare wrote, Juliet's forbidden love arrives:

When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you but you never come
Is this in my head, I don't know what to think
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said

Marry me Juliet, you'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby, just say yes

Nice enough, sure. But this rewrite of the story leads me to wonder, "Does a pop song have to have a happy ending?" And if Taylor Swift wanted a song with a happy ending, why pick Romeo and Juliet at all? Maybe it's a statement that even the most famous of star-crossed lovers deserve a happy ending, suggesting that Taylor believes that Shakespeare treated his most famous characters poorly.

Or maybe ... it's just a pop song.