Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest love stories in Western Culture of all time! The Capulets and Montagues have a fierce rivalry with one another. Romeo seeks the attention of Rosaline while Juliet's fate is already decided for her when her parents wish for her to marry Paris. But at the Capulet's ball when Romeo and Juliet first lay eyes on each other, it is love at first sight. Romeo forgets about Rosaline and Juliet longs to see Romeo again. Friar Lawrence agrees to marry them in secret. Tybalt (a Capulet), still enraged that Romeo was at the Capulet's ball, challenges Romeo to a duel. Romeo having married Juliet is now one of Tybalt's kinsmen and does not want to duel him. Mercutio, a kinsman to the Prince and close friend of Romeo, steps in for Romeo and is killed. Romeo enraged by Mercutio's death kills Tybalt. The Prince of Verona declares Romeo must leave at once. Lord Capulet insists Juliet marry Paris at once. Juliet concocts a plan to fake death and be sent to Mantua, where Romeo now resides. Friar Lawrence is supposed to send the message to Romeo of the plan but all Romeo hears is that Juliet has died. Romeo sees Paris throwing flowers on Juliet's grave and kills him. Romeo drinks poison and dies. Juliet wakes moments after Romeo has died. Friar Lawrence begs Juliet to leave with him but she refuses. Juliet stabs herself and dies falling on Romeo's body. The Prince, the Capulets, and Montague walk and see what has happened. Montague declares that Lady Montague has died over grief of Romeo's exile. Montague and the Caplets agree to end their long standing feud. They raise gold statues of their children in Verona so that no one will ever forget the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

This story is one of Shakespeare's best plays. Love becomes Romeo and Juliet's ultimate demise. Once they saw each other there was no going back from there. There are certain instances where if Romeo's extreme behavior hadn't happened things may have been different. If he didn't kill Tybalt then he may not have ever been exiled. If he would have waited a day after receiving the news about Juliet, then maybe they would have lived happily ever after. But part of what makes this play so great is the timing of everything and fast pace scenario. The reader or audience feels the intensity of Romeo's emotions as he makes these irrational decisions due to his love for Juliet.

The way Juliet's character develops throughout the play is one of Shakespeare's best characterizations. Juliet isn't given many privileges, in comparison to Romeo, at the beginning due to her family upbringing. By the end, Juliet shows remarkable courage. She doesn't doubt her future with Romeo and devises the plan to be with him forever. She even refuses the advice of her Nurse, her closest confidant throughout the story, when she tells her to forget about Romeo and marry Paris after Romeo is exiled. Her death at the end requires more nerve than Romeo's when she stabs herself with a dagger. This is her final way of showing her intense infatuation with Romeo.

In the classroom there are many ideas and options available for teachers with this text. I would love to have a play having students act out scenes. This would provide students with a hands on experience with the play allowing them to get into the minds of the characters. Another option would be to take an in depth look at themes of this story. Love conquers all is one important theme in this play which I have already discussed in this blog post. The feuding of the two families is another major theme. Out of all the people in the world to fall in love with Romeo and Juliet fall in love with each other and there families hate one another. Perhaps that is some of their motivation for loving each other? Taking what you can't have. In addition, any middle school/high school student can easily put themselves in the position of Romeo or Juliet and say how they would react in that situation.