Le Sabot Post-Moderne

Romeo's family. It was definitely because their were more guys bantering around, whereas the guys on Juliet's side came off to me as asinine.

gender identification - as a woman, I side with Juliette's family.
I once LOL when I saw a graffiti scrawled on the side of a discarded white colored fridge which said - Romeo and Juliette could have used a cell phone.

I side with the Montagues, but probably not because of gender identification. The problem is that the Capulets are VERY BAD. (No offense to Tulipgirl. I have not seen the opera, so maybe it is different.) There are few more chilling moments in Shakespeare than the scene in which Juliet's father chews her up one side and down the other (but we expect fathers of teenage girls to be stupid in Shakespeare--that's not the kicker). Then her mother says, "I agree with Dad; do what we say or die." THEN THE NURSE--Juliet's only friend in the play; Romeo has many--says "Well, under the circumstances, it would be prudent to marry the dipstick Paris." Really, it gives me chills every time I read it.
Then there's Tybalt, Juliet's hothead cousin, who is something like the villain.

That being said, I think that Juliet is a much more interesting, more appealing, and more complex character than Romeo. Romeo is still mooning over Rosalind at the beginning of the play; he's a silly lovesick boy. Juliet seems to outdo Romeo in constancy, in language, and in tragedy. It's the plot for her "resurrection" that brings hope to the play, and thus the failure of which is most touching. The last line of the epilogue summarizes the play as one of "Juliet and her Romeo." It's Juliet's play; Romeo is there to move the plot along.

I guess that's enough for now. Don't get me started!

All things being equal, are men and women tribal about their gender?

This isn't about Romeo and Juliet - I haven't seen it since high school. But to your question above, for me that answer is "no." There are simply some jobs I feel more confident trusting a man to. Likewise ,there are other jobs I am more confident in women. I'm not saying my confidence couldn't be swayed depending upon the person and the job, but all things being otherwise equal I will not always go with the woman.

No, not at all tribal in my case - in fact, I find it really difficult to get enthusiastic when, for example, in party games someone organises a 'boys v. girls' contest. I much prefer it when the sides are random - I really like having a team to root for which is a totally random group of people that will only exist for that one game...

As far as Montagues and Capulets are concerned - neither. Isn't the point supposed to be that it's an ancient grudge, so it's a general indictment of the clannish mentality?

The Montagues, not for gender identification unless my Romeo and Juliet character virtue meter counts me as tribally guy.

Romeo and Juliet are of course of equal value and thus count each other out.

The wormy dorks in Montague are the thumb-biters at the beginning that provoke everything. Minus one to Montagues. Tybal is a jerk. Minus one to the Capulets. Romeo kills Tybal, minus one to the Montagues. That buddy of Romeo that dies is associated with Montagues and in the innocent victim roll. He is loyal and helpful and trying to stop the fighting. He is killed by Tybal, so minus one to the Capulets, but he is super cool, so he gets a plus one for Montague's house as well, despite cursing both sides.

Victory Montagues in an unsympathetic contest.

The Montagues or the Capulets? I would have liked to knock all of their heads together, Romeo and Juliette too. So much pride, anger, and vengfulness to go around. A little bit of truth, humility, and forgiveness sprinkled here and there could have spared those lids. But then it wouldn't have been a tragedy would it?

When it comes right down to it, the play is not a model of good behavior. What about Friar Lawrence, with his duplicitous and dangerous scheme to put Juliet in a tomb? Well, if only the blasted letter hadn't been lost...

Then, he runs out of the tomb at the end when he hears someone coming. Doh!

Let's not forget, though, that the feud is finally buried with R & J. A bit of comitragic twist.