Shreesh Koirala Mrs. McIntosh English 13 Mar 2024 Who cares about Romeo and Juliet? Romeo and Juliet is a legendary play written 500 years ago by the English poet and author William Shakespeare. It is one of the most well-known tragedies people read in schools worldwide. Why should students read Romeo & Juliet? How does what some writers said hundreds of years ago affect people today? These are all questions every student has asked themselves. There are three reasons to read Romeo & Juliet despite its old age. However, some people argue a book this old has no literary merit. Still, it teaches the reader about the consequences of impulsiveness, the destructive nature of hate, and the difference between lust and love. One lesson people can take …show more content…
In Act 2, the Friar declares, "These violent delights have violent ends. Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow” (Shakespeare 2, 6, 9-15). The reader sees the consequence of their impulsive marriage, which caused the death of 6 people. Their marriage indirectly caused the deaths of Mercutio, Tybalt, Lady Montague, Paris, Romeo, and Juliet. The reader can reflect and learn from Romeo & Juliet, and it causes them to stop and think more about the possible consequences of their actions instead of doing things out of impulse. Furthermore, readers can see the destructive nature of hate and how it leads to everyone losing. The feud between the two families takes the happiness away from Romeo and Juliet; this is evident in Act 5 when the Prince says, "This letter doth... be punished" (Shakespeare 5, 3, 286-295). The Prince was speaking about the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets. He said the hatred between the two families caused numerous losses for everyone and that hate was the reason for Romeo and Juliet ending their lives and wreaking havoc in Verona and …show more content…
Romeo is disheartened because she refuses to marry him, and later on in the story, readers see Romeo’s lust for Rosaline die. The reader can see this in Act 1 when Romeo states, “O, she doth teach the. till this night” (Shakespeare 1, 5, 43-52). Romeo gets obsessed and falls in love with Juliet right after he meets her. Readers can observe how Romeo's lust for Rosaline is temporary. On the other hand, his love for Juliet lasted till the end. The reader can learn from Romeo and recognize the difference between love and lust. Although Romeo & Juliet is 400 years old, its lessons still resonate with people today. The play talks about the consequences of impulsiveness and shows that doing things without thinking leads to bad things. It also shows the destructive nature of hate and how when people hate each other, no one wins. Finally, the play makes a distinction between love and lust and how lust is temporary while love is forever. In conclusion, readers can learn and improve from the seemingly simple play. Not only does the reader learn lessons, but they also learn Shakespearean English and have fun