we read it in school it was sooo dumb!!! first of all, i couldnt understand a damn word of it! second of all, wtf was up with the timeline?!?! romeo falls in love as soon as he looked at juliet? please, thats BS!! they meet, fall in love, get married, n both ****** die in a week!!!! no, its not a tragedy, its a peice of $hit!!!! this the only shakespeare play i read, i hope they dont make us read another one in school!!!! n tell me that shakespeare's plays arent all like this!! i dunno y romeo n juliet was sucha hit, its so stupid!!!
2006-07-26 09:13:35 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
OK the thing with Shakespeare is that you need to ignore the language that it is in.
Back then, that is how people wrote. You need to look at the story lines. His stories can be used in any time and any place (The 60, The Old West, The Year 2000, etc). People do fall in love and get married quickly... it does happen. Families do fight and to the death. People do commit suicide and commit murder.
It is ok to hate the language. Read Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, All's Well That Ends Well, etc. All these stories can be placed in any time period.
2006-07-26 10:31:29 · answer #1 · answered by Meow 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The thing to remember about Shakespeare is that he was writing for the stage in a time where the magic of the movies did not exist. He was trying to show how hatred and carrying a grudge can have disasterous effects, and he had to do it in a way that would appeal to his audiences which were a motley mixture of the upper class and the common man. And you can't tell me you don't know people at school who fall head over heels in "love" with someone. Anyway, you will probably have to read more Shakespeare somewhere along the way, I would suggest you use SparkNotes to help you understand it. Good luck.
2006-07-26 21:42:31 · answer #2 · answered by gdglgrl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I didn't like it much either the first time I had to read it - but in the years since I've come to appreciate it for what it is.
It's the story of two teenagers trapped in the middle of their very first passionate love. They do stupid, irrational things. But they're a couple of kids in love. Teenagers in love do have violent moods. They're old enough to feel the intensity of emotion, but not old enough to know that "this too shall pass."
The play is also full of some of Shakespeare's best romantic poetry - as well as some of his most famed lines. It's worth studying just for that.
But don't listen to you if somebody tries to tell you Romeo and Juliet is the best love story ever written or that it is all about what love should be.
It's about a couple of dumb kids who didn't think they had anywhere to turn when their love was threatened. That's all.
2006-07-26 17:02:12 · answer #3 · answered by poohba 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I loved Romeo and Juliet when I first read it in 5th grade. However I agree that it is not Shakespeare's best, that would probably....well that is too hard to say there are just so many.
Love at first sight does happen!
2006-07-26 20:14:57 · answer #4 · answered by doc 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Criticism often says more about the author than the subject. Everyone has different tastes and Shakespeare may not be for everyone (though I think I took 3 different Shakespeare courses in school and enjoyed them all). My suggestion would be to go back and read your question and statement again before reading anything else.
Edit: I just found a Frank Zappa quote on music journalism that relates to my comment: : "Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read."
2006-07-26 16:21:25 · answer #5 · answered by deadhead1232000 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shakespeare is not for everybody. It depends if you understand the context of Elizabethan English. you are not finished with the Speare just yet... In college, I had to read Othello, Taming of the Shrew, and King Lear and write a response to a Literary criticism to all three. It just depends on how high you want to go on your level of education. In due time, it will just be a memory... the torture will only last for so long for you.
2006-07-26 16:43:45 · answer #6 · answered by SweetCoco 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally liked Julius Caesar a lot better. I feel like Romeo and Juliet didn't really get into the psyche of the characters.
2006-07-27 03:25:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have a chance see the DVD of Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio. I was never a fan of this play until I saw this movie - and usually I don't suggest movies - but this one - well you'll just have to see it.
2006-07-27 00:46:18 · answer #8 · answered by petlover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Avoid being jaded and cynical at such a young age. Ignorance, not knowing enough, is not stupidity, not being able to now enough. You are afflicted with the ignorance of youth and inexperience. At least you read the whole play! I think you might like "Hamlet" and Macbeth" better than "R and J." And don't let the language throw you. Take it slowly and appreciate it. It's quite beautiful...at times.
2006-07-26 16:52:01 · answer #9 · answered by Giraffe 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the play is great if you can understand the lingo - try watching Romeo + Juliet - fantastic acting, setting and music
once you've been in love, re-read the play, you might understand it more
2006-07-26 16:31:23 · answer #10 · answered by Little C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋