Romeo And Juliet Relevant Today Essay

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Is ‘Romeo and Juliet’ relevant for modern-day teenagers? Discuss. The 16th-century tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is still considered relevant today. This is because, the major themes contained in the tale – such as love, death, teenage rebellion, family feud and conflict, merely to name a few - can still be related to today's society. How many times in this day and age has someone been in love with someone else, but the feelings are not returned? Romeo was infatuated with Rosaline - his love for her was childish, quick and one-sided - and grieves over the unrequited love. An example of this is in act 1 scene 1: “Well in that hit you miss: she’ll not be hit with Cupid’s arrow, she hath Dian wit.” Additionally in the 21st century it is very common for someone to be afraid of telling another how they feel. This is exactly how Romeo and Juliet felt … over 500 years ago. However, as soon as Romeo realised that the feelings that he had for Juliet were reciprocated he did not hide the fact of how much he loved her. It was blatantly obvious. “Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.” This was just…show more content…
When emotions ensue, adrenaline begins to rush through the veins and can cause aggression. How many fights have occurred in schools because students reacted based on emotions and not facts? In ‘Romeo and Juliet’ this was certainly an issue as seen at the beginning of the drama with Mercutio and Tybalt: “thou art a villain!” When teenagers make decisions based on emotion, it can result in dire consequences. Each year teens take their lives when they are focused on the negative emotions they are feeling. At the end of Romeo and Juliet, both the main characters end up killing themselves needlessly based on emotional decisions: “That unsubstantial Death (Paris) is amorous … for fear of that I will stay with thee”. These emotional decisions, without a doubt, lead to poor

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