Romeo And Juliet Argumentative Essay

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” This quote is the epitome of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; It shows Juliet’s desire to be with Romeo. Romeo and Juliet has always been taught in high school since the time that it was published in 1597, for it is relatable and the two main characters are the same age as their primary audience. However, Romeo and Juliet should be discontinued from the 9th grade curriculum. The play’s characters are often misunderstood by the students that are reading it, so why teach something if it is not accurate? Romeo and Juliet pose as the main example of what a couple should be, but the truth is that they are a very unrealistic couple. Romeo sets a bad example to the teenagers reading about him by promoting lustful desires and behaviors.

Everyone interprets pieces of literature differently.

However, certain pieces of literature, like Romeo and Juliet, should always be taught in a way that everyone will interpret it in the same way. The tragedy Romeo and Juliet often goes misunderstood by the students who read it. A common misunderstanding is that Paris is forced upon Juliet when in reality, Lord Capulet wants the potential young couple to wait. “Paris tends to be seen as the guy that Juliet is having forced upon by her parents, but his conversation with Lord Capulet makes it clear that Capulet doesn’t want them to be married for at least two years.” (Tickle 10). This quote from Glen Tickle’s “You’re Reading Romeo and Juliet wrong. You’re Supposed to Hate Romeo” states that Lord Capulet would prefer for Paris and Juliet to wait another two or more years to get married. Another misconception of Romeo and Juliet is the reason that the play is considered a “tragedy”. “It’s a tragedy because of what happens to Juliet, not because their relationship doesn’t work out.” ( Tickle 1) . If a major piece of literature like Romeo and Juliet can not be taught correctly, then why is it still in the

curriculum?
People often refer to young couples as “Romeo and Juliet”, which is unrealistic, unless the guy influences the girl to kill herself, nevertheless. Romeo and Juliet is a couple that falls under many young love stereotypes, “ But, rather than romantic banter, Romeo and Juliet defaults to more lovey-dovey conversation.” (North 31). This quote from Anna North’s “Why Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s Worst Play” demonstrates what category Romeo and Juliet’s relationship falls under; “lovey-dovey”. In the play, Romeo and Juliet never fell into an argument, which is unrealistic for any couple. Many people deem Romeo and Juliet as a relatable couple, when they are quite the opposite. “ The lovers’ haste to marry credulity-it seems...like a childish fantasy of love at first sight. ” (Dizsee 19); Traditionally, couples wait to marry until they are together for a few year, unlike Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet basically invented the love-at-first-sight trope. The young couple met at a party and got married a few days afterwards. Dizsee calls the idea of love at first sight a “Childish Fantasy”, which is not a way to describe a “relatable couple”.
Romeo is notorious for having out- of- control hormones. The audience reading Romeo and Juliet are around the same age, therefore, the hormone imbalance is similar. “So Romeo, in an attempt to satisfy his lustful desires…” ( Tickle 14). Tickle describes Romeo’s actions as “lustful desires”. Romeo went from mourning over Rosaline straight to drooling over Juliet because he found her pure and visually appealing. “...he sees someone he thinks will satisfy his physical desires.” (Tickle 6). It is mentioned many times throughout the play that Romeo and certain “physical desires” that need to be fulfilled. Which technically is attempting to influence the people that are watching or reading this play. What Kind of message is Shakespeare trying to send to the young, open minded teenagers?
Even Though Romeo and Juliet is not the ideal play for the 9th grade curriculum, Shakespeare does an amazing job at portraying what life was like in the 1500s. He demonstrates what dialect they spoke. “‘ Juliet: What satisfaction canst thou have to-night Romeo: The exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine’” (Dizsee 31). Since the audience is relatively young, they may not be aware of the type of English spoken during the time that Romeo and Juliet was set in. It is good for teenagers to be exposed to that kind of language. In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet should not be taught to 9th graders, for it is not age appropriate.