How Does Romeo And Juliet Relate To Modern Day Youth

935 Words2 Pages

How does Romeo and Juliet relate to modern day youth? Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by Shakespeare and was published in 1597. It is a timeless tale that is still relatable today; however, some argue that it should be removed from the 9th grade curriculum. The play has its ups and downs- just like any other story; nevertheless, Romeo and Juliet should be discontinued from being one of the standards in high school, for it has more weaknesses than strengths. One of the reasons is because it is being interpreted wrong; people tend to misunderstand the true purpose of Shakespeare for writing Romeo and Juliet. Not only that, but it also draws students into thinking that suicide is a normal thing to do whenever they run out of options. The play serves more as a bad influence instead of providing entertainment.
Many people think of Romeo and Juliet as a tragic love story of ¨a pair of star-crossed lovers”, but are they really interpreting the story …show more content…

There is Romeo’s “puppy love” for Rosaline, which soon vanished when he met Juliet; there is Paris who truly cared and showed affection to Juliet; and there is Romeo and Juliet. “The lovers’ haste to marry strains credulity-it seems… like a childish fantasy of love at first sight” (Dizsee). Both characters were not ready to be in a relationship, physically and mentally. “...But the play is also, and insistently, about age. The fact that Juliet is 13… is not just mentioned once” (Dizsee). Juliet, at a young age, experienced things a normal teen would not have experienced today. Moving on, Romeo changes his mind quickly, so there is no assurance that he would not do the same to Juliet. ¨Sometimes, being young means being rash and changeable, as when Romeo switches his hyperbolic affections from Rosaline to Juliet¨ (Dizsee). Romeo and Juliet’s love may be someone’s ideal type of love, but it really

Open Document