Is Shakespeare Still Relevant Today

Shakespeare is one of the most prominent playwrights to ever exist. One of Shakespeare's most famous plays is Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story about two star-crossed lovers destined for disaster. With Shakespeare being so popular his works are included in many pop culture references and it could be very helpful for teenagers to know about it. “Shakespeare was a genius wordsmith who created engaging works that spoke to the human condition, psychology, and identity.”(MCGreger 1) Shakespeare being such a popular Playwright it is crucial for teenagers to know who he is. Shakespeare was not only an amazing playwright, but he was also a brilliant wordsmith who made words such as Bandit, Critic, Lonely, and more words that

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”(Shakespeare 2.2) is a famous Shakespeare quote you probably heard before. This quote is the most popular in Romeo and Juliet. This quote is important because it is used a lot in the present day and it could be valuable for a teenager to know this quote because it can greatly benefit them in the future. “Like no other works the play heightens our desire for a tragic love story we still see in many forms in novellas, novels, films, musicals, and operas.”(Kottman 1) This shows us how Shakespeare is still relevant in modern times. People still actively read and seek out Shakespeare for his unique works. “Some regard Shakespeare lovers as victims of bad timing and accidental misfortune; others maintain that Romeo and Juliet are those of young love and come to ruin because of intemperance”(Kottman 1). Shakespeare's work Romeo and Juliet is interpreted in many ways and that shows how it is still relevant today. “Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s tragedy of star-crossed lovers is one of the most popular pieces of English literature.”(Marie 1) This shows that even though the play is classical it is still regarded as the most popular Romantic tragedies in English

The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare assists teenagers in finding their identity by seeing their flaws. In Romeo and Juliet, many themes are shown which can help teenagers find their identity. One of the themes that can help teenagers find their identity is family honor. In Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt gets blinded by family honor and kills Mercutio. “A plague on' both your houses' ' (3.1. 87) In this quote Mercutio is wishing for tragedy to strike between both the Capulets and Montagues, He's saying this because Mercutio wouldn't have died if there wasn't a feud between the two families and this is not the only time this has been a problem in this story. Another time that family honor has been brought up is when Romeo and Juliet couldn't be open about their relationship because they were star-crossed lovers who were doomed from the start. These star-crossed lovers faced many challenges because of the family