ipl-logo

In Defense Of Romeo And Juliet By Noah Berlatsky

809 Words4 Pages

Did you know Romeo is sixteen and Juliet is thirteen in Shakespeare's play? In Noah Berlatsky's article, "In Defense of Romeo and Juliet," published in 2013, the author explores the idea that the play, Romeo and Juliet, is about childishness and that the play is not childish. In William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, published in 1597, the author explores the idea of two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, whose parents are at war against each other; Romeo and Juliet secretly fall in love and try to hide their love for each other from both their parents. According to Noah Berlatsky, in his article, "In Defense of Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet for a mature audience because of the old/young obsession throughout the play and some scenes that may be unsuitable for youthful audiences. To begin with, in his article, "In Defense of Romeo and Juliet," Berlatsky expressed the opinion that Romeo and Juliet is childishness because the play reminds the readers that Juliet is …show more content…

Shakespeare writes about a forbidden love story with twists and turns. However, the topics in the play can be inappropriate or perhaps too strong for youthful readers; in other words, there is suicide in the story, which is not an appropriate coping method. Shakespeare wrote, "Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger/This is thy sheath. [stabs herself] There rest, and let me die" (Romeo and Juliet 5.4. 145-147). This quote is significant because Juliet killed herself due to Romeo's death, which supports the idea that the story has sensitive topics, like suicide, unsuitable for young audiences. Therefore, one may infer that Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, is more for a mature audience than a young one because of the story's sensitive

Show More
Related
393 Words | 2 Pages

Romeo and Juliet deserves to still be taught in schools today because of the literary value within the play, and its immaculate portrayal of young love and old love. In Noah Berlatsky’s argument, It’s Not Childish, It’s About Childishness, he comments on elements of the script after reading it the second time, the first when he was in high school, “That is some searingly saucy banter, there. ‘Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer’ has to be one of the archest lines in all of literature. I’m with Romeo. I’d fall in love with that,” (Berlatsky).

Read More
1145 Words | 5 Pages

Adolescent brains and young love are the most to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, ultimately leading to their demise. Even though it may seem like the rivalry between the families was the leading cause of their death, it was rather a small piece to a cornucopia of issues for these star-crossed lovers. Identifying the ages of maturity levels in Romeo and Juliet is a significant element in the story that can help us understand important themes and morals of the story. Romeo and Juliet are still children, as stated by the drama. And children are generally incapable of viewing things from the perspectives of others.

Read More
973 Words | 4 Pages

Romeo and Juliet The tragic story that unfolds in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is known all over the world. Although Shakespeare was not a teenager when he wrote the story, he seems to have a good understanding of the adolescent brain, and how it is constantly growing and developing. Nowadays, there are many studies that have been done to find out how the teenage brain works, but Romeo and Juliet shows that Shakespeare was ahead of his time in his knowledge of how teenagers think and act.

Read More
1120 Words | 5 Pages

Secondly, Romeo and Juliet are young lovers, meaning they are also irresponsible and quite childish. Lastly,

Read More
550 Words | 3 Pages

In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was a very quiet girl who followed the rules her parents gave her. But, after meeting Romeo, she started to break the rules and disobey her parents. Juliet is more mature at the beginning of the story, and even though she is more mature than Romeo throughout the book she becomes naive and stops thinking clearly. She experiences love throughout the entire book, from the moment she meets Romeo at the party to the end when she dies. Even though Juliet decided to marry Romeo and kill herself irresponsibly, they were mature decisions for someone her age.

Read More
476 Words | 2 Pages

In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet is a useful tool when demonstrating lessons on situations young adults need to consider being careful about. Therefore, it should be taught to students in their freshman year to inform them on what could happen when you’re careless. Furthermore, the play should be reevaluated in our junior/senior year to go over and strengthen their skills and

Read More
651 Words | 3 Pages

Many people consider teenage boys to be illogical young adults who make irrational decisions. This is seen in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet about the long feud between the Montague and Capulet families that tears apart the city of Verona and causes tragic results for the star-crossed lovers. Revenge, love, a secret marriage, and terrible decisions force the young lovers to grow up quickly due to their immaturity. This is a direct correlation to the immaturity caused by the age of Romeo and trauma throughout his life.

Read More
1588 Words | 7 Pages

The maturity standpoint of Romeo and Juliet throughout the play Everyone can have a different level of maturity, especially when they are young. Usually, younger people tend to be less mature. When growing up, people perceive others as being more mature because they’re older. Maturity is perceived on many different levels.

Read More
308 Words | 2 Pages

People think teens and kids really don't put in the fact that they mature in years and they will become a different person. Romeo and Juliet have got to be the same of most immature teenagers. Romeo and Juliet by “William Shakespeare” are the two main characters that I think have matured somewhat from the begging of the play. Romeo and Juliet most definitely a play on how people can mature in days and can decided whether they want to live or die for one another deciding whether you want to live or die for someone is a big deal to make. For a teen to make that one decision is difficult.

Read More
1087 Words | 5 Pages

The brain of a teen is far more susceptible than the brain of an average adult or child. Teenagers are especially prone to addiction and are subject to peer pressure. Romeo and Juliet was written by Shakespeare to depict the passionate love between two teens. They frequently make poor decisions because of their affection. Romeo and Juliet both end up committing suicide as a result of a convoluted chain of events, rash decisions, and impetuous behavior.

Read More
1056 Words | 5 Pages

On the other hand, Shakespeare did not intend to make his story based on violence, rather, it Therefore, teens are more likely to be influenced by the subjects established in twenty-first-century texts. Ultimately, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet describes few violent scenes, and with that, the play is appropriate to read in high school classrooms and will not harm any

Read More
317 Words | 2 Pages

Ben Soltau Mrs. Lebeda English 1A February 8, 2017 Rome and Juliet’s maturity In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, both characters mature very rapidly. In the beginning of the play Romeo is introduced as a young lovesick boy, and Juliet as an innocent young girl. But throughout the play they go through several stages of being a child, being in love, marry, and eventually die for each other.

Read More
1336 Words | 6 Pages

This line suggests that Romeo believes his actions were predetermined. [And, perhaps, that he had no control over the events that led to Tybalt's death.] Similarly, in Act 5, Scene 3, Juliet says, "O, happy dagger, / This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die" (Shakespeare 5.3.174-175). This line implies that Juliet sees suicide as her only option, as she feels powerless to change the circumstances that have led to her and Romeo's tragic end. These examples show how the character’s actions and choices are influenced by external factors, ultimately contributing to their

Read More
628 Words | 3 Pages

Age plays a significant role on decision-making not only in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet but also in modern times. In the play, Romeo and Juliet are only young teenagers which influences on making childish and no-thought decisions. This is shown In Act 2 where Romeo is depressed because Rosaline, who he had confessed his love to has rejected him, and refuses to crash the Capulet’s party. It’s not until his friends Mercutio and Benvolio force him to go when he lays his eyes upon Juliet and proceeds to forget about his love and fall in love with Juliet instead.

Read More
998 Words | 4 Pages

The play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare has been taught in school for many years now. Some say that we should continue to allow our teens to read this tragic love story, while many argue that this play should no longer be allowed in schools. The issues concerning this tragic love story are the inappropriate jokes, the unrealistic view of love, and the promotion of suicide. These issues will indeed prove why Romeo and Juliet is ill suited to be taught to freshmen. Ninth graders should no longer read Romeo and Juliet because it is has very inappropriate jokes that should not be associated with school.

Read More

More about In Defense Of Romeo And Juliet By Noah Berlatsky

Related Topics

Open Document