My Renewed Opinion on Romeo & Juliet

Every year, new freshman walk into Dakota, and unbeknownst to them they have to read the infamous Shakespeare play Romeo & Juliet. I was one of those freshman, three years ago, and my opinions towards the novel and pieces of literature were quite different than how I view them now. As much as I claimed to “despise” the five-day lovey-dovey story between an adult and a child at the time, I still had some respect for the fantastic piece written by such a renowned artist.

Despite the fact that I haven’t read Romeo & Juliet since then, my view towards literature and the play as a whole has changed drastically. With maturity and a newfound respect for classic literature, as well as the time of the year where freshman start to read the play being right around the corner, I thought that I might share my new opinion on it.

Too Much Talking?

I used to think that soliloquies were strange and unnecessary. Why would the audience need to know what a character was thinking about? Soliloquies are actually really helpful when reading. They allow the reader to get inside the characters head, allowing us to know their thoughts, feelings, ideas, intentions, etc. Nowadays, I find them really useful when reading and I loved the way Shakespeare utilized it in his play.

Didn’t Make Sense?

I will admit that I struggled to read the play because of the Old English terms, but now that I look back, I find them interesting. Romeo & Juliet was written in 15^th/16^th century London (where Shakespeare wrote the play), so it makes complete sense why some wording is aged. Keeping the true and original wording of the play allows readers to fully connect to the time and setting, as well as keeping a grip onto past artwork. Though I feel that having it translated or making a list on the meanings of Old English terms would be helpful in order to fully understand it. Not everyone knows what “doth” means. But yet again, nothing would compare to the original version.

Too Sappy?

I stand by my wording in my first article. Romeo and Juliet were not in love, they were infatuated with each other. It’s not a romantic themed play, it’s about two young adults falling in love and marrying each other and then tragically dying in the end because their families are sworn enemies, a Friar let them wed, and a shopkeeper sold poison to a minor, all under 24 hours. I don’t find that very romantic. But again, hat’s off to Shakespeare for making it really dramatic even though we know how it ends.

Many People to Blame?

Agreed. There were some people to blame, but I do believe I overdid it when blaming the families. The Capulets and the Montagues had an ancient feud and decided to continue with what their ancestors did, so I believe that the ancestors are to be partially blamed. Of course, Friar Lawrence didn’t do good by giving a young girl poison, and nor did the shopkeeper either. Tybalt Capulet was angry all the time for no reason, so I do find him at fault for killing innocent Mercutio.

I don’t remember why I disliked the book so much, but my thoughts and opinions on it have changed. I’ve grown to love classic literature so much and find the book really interesting! I suggest reading it for anyone who is interested in Shakespearian literature or books with tragedy themes. Again, this is my new opinion, I mean no harm.

If you want to read my original freshman opinion: https://thedakotaplanet.com/10088/features/my-opinion-on-romeo-juliet/