Romeo and Juliet is a play that recreates themes commonly present in many people’s lives. Such themes as love, rivalry, and despair are known to many people, and have been experienced throughout the world for many ages. By reading Romeo and Juliet as part of a school curriculum, students are introduced to these themes at a young age and are able to discuss them with their teacher. Although customs have changed from when the story was made, issues presented in the play can teach lessons about problems people may face today. Human nature is a core factor in the following and creation of new customs. Based on the evolution of society’s beliefs (which stem from each individual’s nature), laws and traditions can be adopted or tabooed over time. When Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, he lived in a time where people were often segregated visually and physically based on societal importance. This stemmed from the upper class citizens’ desire to be seen as more important, which was part of their widespread egocentric …show more content…
In the current era, people are more accepting of other social classes (to an extent), and therefore Shakespeare likely not written Romeo and Juliet the same; however, humans across all time periods share many characteristics in common, including the desire to be loved, to protect one’s family, and the loyalty felt towards loved ones. While some aspects of human nature have changed, these have remained stagnant for the entirety of civilization. In Romeo and Juliet, the main conflict is between Romeo and his attempts to live happily with Juliet. He has a strong desire to be with the one he loves, which is something portrayed in many stories today. The Montagues and Capulets feel that in order to protect their children, they must choose their children’s