Romeo and Juliette?

Question

I want to read it but i'm only 13. But i read like a book a day and about 30 a month so I think I can and might be able to. But is their a easeir edition to it but the same story??

Answer 1

Well, buying the book would mean buying the play, but I'm sure there is a book out there that puts it into story form, and would be the modern day version, so would have more understandable language.

Answer 2

Shakespeare is Shakespeare - no short-cuts or easy ways out!!! To really appreciate the story, you should preferably read the original version. R & J is intrinsically a teenage love story and thus was written for younger readers (who perhaps wouldn't yet understand the finer nuances with more adult overtones which the more adult mind would perceive!) Elizabethan English is like a total new language in many ways, yet once you get the grasp of it, it becomes as easy to read as normal English (pratice makes perfect!!) At 13 you should be able to identify easily with love-struck Juliet. If you are still a bit afraid of tackling R&J, why not see one of the many movies made of the story (perhaps the more modern version with Leonardo Heart-throb De Caprio starring as Romeo is a good way as an introduction!). Having seen te movie(s) perhaps you'll grasp the story easier. Have fun!!!

Answer 3

REALLY GOOD EDITION RECOMMENDATION

I read that book when I was 12 (part of school), if you read that much you'll be able to. I'm sure you can find an easier edition, but it is worth it to read Shakespeare. The edition they had us read had the play only on the right-hand pages, and word and general explanatory notes were on the left-hand pages, so it's the original language on the right-hand pages, but on the left-hand ones, it explains the words most people wouldn't understand. It has a mostly pink cover, It's the Washington Square Press New Folger Edition c1992. Ask for it that way at customer service in almost any bookstore and I'm sure they'll be able to help you out. It's paperback, only 4.99, and if they don't have it in the store they should be able to order it for in-store pickup at no extra cost to you. They will have an edition, guaranteed, but I think it's REALLY worth it to try and find this edition.

Answer 4

When I was your age, I was in an advanced English class and we read Romeo and Juliette. However, the editions had the original text on the left page, and a "translated" modern English version on the right. That way, if you didn't understand something, you could just go to the adjoining page and see it in lay terms. If you go to your local bookstore you may be able to find a version like this where they keep the copies of Romeo and Juliette, or you can just ask one of the workers and they may be able to help you find what you're looking for. Good luck!

Answer 5

There are many easier editions. I have "No Fear Shakespeare" Which has the original words and then the vernacular next to it. I would try getting something simliar if you think it might be a bit complicated. Oh and I'm only 14, and I've read it, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Odyssey, The Illiad, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, Death of A Salesman, The Crucible, Lord of the Flies, etc. So don't worry about being to young to read anything.

Answer 6

Dane is right.

If you really want to appreciate Romeo and Juliet fully, you should read it as it was written by Shakespeare.

You will miss all the beautiful language if you read a prose translation and, at 13, you are definitely old enough to appreciate it. (Juliet was probably the same age as you !) If you read a book a day, I'm also sure that you're well read enough to understand most of it, but use Sparknotes or something similar to help you with some of the more obscure bits of language.

If you do decide that the original is beyond you, the link below will take you to a children's version............but you're not a child are you?

PS. Watch the film by all means but if, as I think you are, a proper reader, then please persevere with the play - it will reward you. If you want to read it, I'm sure you won't find it "boring" like one of your other answerers.

Answer 7

Shakespeare is no harder to read when your 13 than when your 21. The language can be difficult for anyone to understand; I would go to amazon.com and see if there's a version that has the original and translated text but one that is reviewed positively. There's a lot of garbage out there.

When I was in high school I read Shakespeare this way and it was beneficial. I have read all of his work since then. Good luck.

Answer 8

If you go to most bookstores you can find editions of Shakespeare's works that have the original on one side of the page and a modern translation on the opposite side. If you are really ambitious, get a Folger's edition, it has the original on one side and on the other a detailed explanation of what the various archaic terms mean, it's really very easy to understand. The Folger's editions also have a summary of each scene to aid in understanding.

Answer 9

spark notes has that No Fear Shakespeare thing goiong on, and they've published Romeo and Juliet. It's basically a summary of the book scene by scene. It's pretty detalied so it's not like you'd be missing any of the story, but you would be missing the language that makes the story beautiful. Go here to read it online.
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/

Answer 10

Romeo did not take an same potion as Juliette. She drank the dozing potion which made her seem useless. He took a poison that killed him. even as Juliette awakened, Romeo had only taken the potion.