Rebekah Hodges Wiatt P.# English 1 3 February 2023 Should Romeo and Juliet be Taught in 9th Grade? The average 9th grade class curriculum consists of two things: writing essays and reading The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. This play, written by William Shakespeare, should not be taught to students this young. The language throughout the play is confusing and it wasn’t even meant to be read. Most 9th graders struggle through this piece of literature without fully understanding the deep concepts and language. Romeo and Juliet was originally written to be performed in a theatre house just outside of London. “His words were chosen to be spoken or heard, not to be read and deadened behind a desk.” (Source 2). Shakespeare authored this tragedy with …show more content…
Mark Bayer, a literary scholar of the UTSA, states that, “The language is so dense, so rich…You have to read the lines over and over.” (Source 3). English teachers all over the U.S. have to explain to students the meaning of each and every word or phrase because the English is so old, it’s almost another language. It is a long, drawn out process that ends up confusing everyone involved. The language in Romeo and Juliet is so archaic and muddled that it is extremely difficult and painstaking for a 9th grade english teacher to teach. Some might say that Romeo and Juliet is vital to a 9th grader’s education because the themes and messages in the story still resonate with students today. Supports of this play being taught at this age say things like, “Shakespeare offers contemporary connections that open pathways to learning …” (Source 3). But, do 9th graders understand or care about these messages? “Students go into it because it is a requirement … “ Mark Bayer says (Source 3). 9th graders aren’t usually looking to understand the complex and deep themes of Shakespeare’s literary works of art, they just want to pass the class. Students won’t fully comprehend or have the desire to actually learn something from Romeo and Juliet, so there is no reason to teach it in the first year of high