Examples Of Figurative Language In Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet has been a part of ninth grade material for many years, however its worth in a classroom setting is controversial. Romeo and Juliet contains many aspects of Old English and many figurative language examples that are perfect for learning the terms. These things are the reasons for this old classic to be kept in the curriculum, however some say that the struggle for teens to understand and truly benefit from the writing outweighs the benefits. Romeo and Juliet should not continue to be included in ninth grade curriculum as teens struggle with the unfamiliar language structure, the unfamiliar terminology and spelling, and themes that may not be suitable to show to students as far as a scholarly setting goes. To begin to address

If Romeo and Juliet were to be kept in the ninth grade curriculum, there would be an additional lesson on Old English. Students would need to begin to understand the unusual language, even if some have a natural understanding of the mannerisms. Many, if not all, classes have lessons to span and last throughout the entirety of the year, and the addition of this inevitably tiresome and relatively uninteresting lesson would leave less time in the year for more important lessons, and overall each lesson would have to be taught in less detail to compensate for the cut time. Continuing onto the unfamiliar terminology and text structure within the writing they are another confusing aspect of this classic that students often struggle with. Words like ‘thou’, ‘thee’, and ‘thine’ are not found in modern language. As simple as these words may be, they are foreign to most readers, and combined with the already complex sentence structure discussed in a moment, the meaning of dialogue is lost to the

The meter is often lost in translation as well, and a crucial aspect of the play is lost. A lesson on iambic pentameter and other literary meters would also be necessary in order to fully understand the style and tone of Shakespeare’s writing, once again taking away from other crucial lessons and aspects of a ninth grade English course. However difficult the language may be to understand, if ninth graders were taught to read and understand Romeo and Juliet, the play itself contains themes of adolescent passion and rebellion that may not be suitable for younger readers. These ideas and events may become glorified or idealized by ninth graders, and readers may begin to desire to follow in Romeo and Juliet’s footsteps and engage in actions that may no longer be safe or healthy in modern times that may have been acceptable when the play was written. Teens may begin to desire to run away with their partners as Romeo and Juliet do towards the end of the play, which in any instance is not ideal for any adolescent, especially those of the age of 14-15 in ninth