The Jeweler's Shop

This is one of Wojtyla's plays on marriage. I read it in one sitting. It helps in meditating on marriage. For more on marriage by St. John Paul II, you can start with Theology of the Body & Love and Responsibility.

This work gives one tremendous insight into the creativity and depth of understanding of relationships of Pope John Paul II. For those who might feel that a celibate man committed to a life of service to God can't really understand relationships and the deep interactions between men and women, think again. In combination with "Love and Responsibility" and "Theology of the Body", John Paul II has given all of us a coherent, thorough, and beautiful articulation of what it means to be a person and how we, as persons, should interact at the most intimate levels.

This play is a profound philosophical, spiritual and psychological examination of love and marriage that is also achingly human and compassionate. It is a modern drama written in monologue rather than dialogue, but easy to read and compelling. The lyricism of the poetry is soul moving, and that a celibate seems to have such a deep understanding of the various dimensions of love between a man and a woman is, very frankly, surprising. This should be required reading for everyone who is contemplating marriage, and for all those who have already made this most challenging human committment. A forty minute to one hour read that is hard to put down and that stays with the reader for a very long time.

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.

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.

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.