The Jeweler’s Shop
- ISBN13: 9780898704266
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II)Love is one of the greatest dramas of human existence, writes Pope John Paul II. In this illuminating three-act play–here in the only English translation authorized by the Vatican–he explores relationships between men and women, the joys–and the pain–of love and marriage. The action unfolds in two settings at once: a street in a small town, outside the local jeweler’s shop (people go to buy their wedding rings there), and the mysterious inner landscape of per
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(out of 9 reviews)
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Review by Barry E. DeWalt for The Jeweler’s Shop
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This play was written by a young man who became Pope. More particularly, it is a piece of “underground” literature written by this man of God for the Rhapsodic Theatre during the Nazi occupation.The story follows the lives of three couples and one man. The one man, Adam, is the connection between the three couples. The first couple is a young couple who is looking forward to an unknown future. They see the shadows of this future reflected in the jeweler’s shop window.The second is a couple who are in the middle years of their marriage. The wife is miserably unhappy. She takes her wedding ring to the jeweler to sell it back, but he refuses. These rings have no worth except that they be joined together. Marriage vows are not so easily broken. “Your husband must still be alive – in which case neither of your rings, taken separately, will weigh anything – only both together will register. My jeweler’s scales have this particularity that they weigh not the metal but man’s entire fate.” Ashamed, she takes the ring back.Adam takes her on a journey in the street so that she might await the bridegroom. This woman, one of the sleeping foolish virgins in the parable, finds the bridegroom in the street. The bridegroom’s face is that of her husband, Stefan. Christ has the face of her unwanted husband.The youthful couple and the unhappy couple have children. Two of these children once again set out to begin the cycle of marriage and renewal, each a product of his or her own parents’ struggles in marriage.This play does not contain dialogue between characters. It is a series of reflections, of thoughts in monologue, that reveal the characters’ intentions and desires.I enjoyed it very much. The Jeweler’s Shop is a wonderful statement about the sanctity of the marital covenant.
June 24th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Review by wanting to be a true lover for The Jeweler’s Shop
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The Jeweler’s Shop was originally written as a play for the underground Rhapsodic Theater, and the limitations of the medium made the finished product very stylized. Yet the play is incredibly easy to read and difficult to put down. This brilliant drama is an indispensible meditation on the mystery of marriage. The film did not do it justice.
June 24th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Review by Voytek (lost-and-found) for The Jeweler’s Shop
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This play, composed by a young actor and soon to be pope, carries a very clear and strong message of true love, something which has been completely stipped away from today’s society. In the geniously written play, Wojtyla touches so many issues, while never taking away the beauty from the writings. Fully recommended.
June 24th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Review by CDS for The Jeweler’s Shop
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This book is among the few plays written by the Pope which have made it into print. It deals with relationships between couples, one falling in love, one falling out of love, and various other situations. It’s beautifully written. I’m not sure how much was lost in translation, but except for a few hiccups, the writing is beautifully poetic and evocative. The Pope’s insights into relationships are quite profound, and very simply illustrated. It’s a short and enjoyable read.
June 24th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Review by Patrice Fagnant-macarthur for The Jeweler’s Shop
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“The Jeweler’s Shop” was first published in the December 1960 issue of the Catholic monthly “Znak” under the pseudonym Andrzej Jawien while Wojtyla was Bishop. It was subtitles “A Meditation on the Sacrament of Matrimony, Passing on Occasion into a Drama.” Some might wonder what a celibate man could have to say about the sacrament of Matrimony, but as with his much later “Theology of the Body” that JPII is well-known for, he does have surprising insight into the heart and the nature of human relationships. The play focuses on three couples at various stages of relationship, the last couple being the son and daughter of the first two. The first couple has just become engaged and while their love is not passionate, they have realized that they need each other and want a future with the other in it. The second couple have a love in disarray. The third is trying to embark on their future together but the woman Monica’s ability to love and trust has been harmed from witnessing her own parents’ troubled union.
The play’s style is unique in that the characters very rarely speak to each other. It is most often a series of monologues – of interior thoughts and retelling of events. At times a chorus speaks – reminiscent of Greek theater. This play was designed to be performed on a spartan set with little room for action. And yet, it is probing and insightful, offering a reflection on human love as well as on its author.
June 24th, 2010 at 12:04 pm