Romeo & Juliet: A Timeless Classic
Every freshman at Benilde-St. Margaret’s is required to read what’s considered a classic staple of literature: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I read this during my freshman year and had a lot of fun discussing the play with my classmates and trying to find out what was happening. Even though it’s sometimes hard to read, Romeo and Juliet is a fun play and something that should continue to be read by students.
When my class was reading it, we’d take turns playing the different characters in class. We didn’t act out every scene, but the ones we did act out were fun. I played Tybalt when he killed Mercutio and then got to die dramatically when Romeo stabbed me. We had fake swords and also a crown for the king.
As well as acting out parts of the play, we watched the movie (a stage version, and then, more importantly, the Leonardo DiCaprio version) in class, which helped me understand a lot of Shakespeare’s language. Many people refuse to read Shakespeare because of the confusing figurative language, allusions, and different syntax than we have now. While I agree that it’s very hard to read just the play, that’s not how it’s supposed to be done. You’re supposed to watch it; Romeo and Juliet was written for the stage. Between watching it and talking through it with my class, I understood the play better than I could have on my own.
I also liked the theme of the play, “star-crossed lovers”, and how it was implemented throughout the story. However, the characters weren’t the smartest people that ever lived. The problem could have been solved if they took a little bit more time to communicate. However, even though Romeo and Juliet made very dumb decisions at times, I liked the story and how it could be applied to life today.
While there might not be endless lifelong family feuds (though sometimes there still are), people still hold grudges for a long time and often don’t like to forgive others. I think it can be an important lesson about communication and that staying mad at people forever won’t solve any problems.
Overall, I liked Romeo and Juliet because of its plot and relevance to our modern world, and the fun I had acting it out in English class. I think high schoolers should continue to read the play and hope they will enjoy it as much as I did.
