Is Romeo And Juliet Still Relevant Today Essay

As a well renowned author, playwright, and poet that holds a position in history that is as relevant still today as past presidents and monarchs, William Shakespeare solidifies his presence in literary culture through his ever important themes of love and fate. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare dives deep into the emotions that young adults face through their relationships and through the course of their adolescence. However, the main themes of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet are often agreed upon to be love and fate, two very real things every human still experiences today. On Juliet's balcony she and Romeo share an intimate moment that can be depicted as an example of love. Before that in the beginning of the play Romeo

Author Cindy Tumiel supports this idea and further elaborates on it in her article, “Why do we Still Care About Shakespeare?”. She talks to Alan Craven and Mark Bayer, two credible professors, on their opinion on the matter. Many critics claim that the play isn’t relevant in today's society due to its extreme approach on simple ideas and the complex language that is outdated, however, the relevance of his words still remain through his applicable themes of love and fate, which readers around the world experience. No matter who someone is, there are certain feelings we all encounter, one of which is love. Whether it’s a family member, significant other, or a friend, all humans experience the feeling of caring about someone so strongly. William Shakespear knew this feeling very well, and when writing The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet he intended for his characters to feel it too. The morning after they got married it was time for Romeo to leave, Juliet expresses annoyance with the Morning Larks because they are the ones signifying it is morning and Romeo has to go. When he

There are many examples of fate in Romeo and Juliet but the most notable is in the very beginning of the play. Before Romeo even meets Juliet he has a bad feeling towards entering her family's party. As they make their way to the Capulet home he says to his friends, “Of a despised life, closed in my breast, By some vile forfeit of untimely death” ( Romeo II.iii.110-111). Although the idea of this quote is hard to retain at first, he’s saying how his gut feeling, or instinct, is that the party will expedite his death. We learn this to be true at the end of the story after his suicide by Juliet. Although in day-to-day experience humans don’t always have a gut feeling on such extreme matters, there are many times that we instinctively know that the result of the action we are just about to do can, more often than not, lead to consequences. If Romeo had chosen to listen to his gut feeling, the timing of his death would have probably been at a more reasonable time, and for a much less grave reason. In Cindy Tumiel article, Alan Craven says, “Humans still experience love, loss, betrayal, war, humor, and tragedy which gives Shakespeare a foothold in modern times”. Although it is vague in regards to the theme of fate, his thoughts still apply to it. At the core of the story the basic themes of Romeo and Juliet are very easy for audiences to relate to. They were when Shakespeare