Blog Post #14: Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a staple in any high school English class. Most students read this as their first introduction to Shakespeare. Most of the time, this play is taught as a tragic love story of young and dumb love. However, I would teach this completely different. Instead, I would have students examine the familial bonds between the characters and how that influences their actions and reactions. For example, we could have a discussion or essay about whether or not the two lovers were only "in love" because their family hated each other so much. They probably would not have died if their families were not so controlling. We could also discuss what would have happened if Juliet would have just married Paris instead of going against her father's wishes. These discussions could all lead into students considering their own families, and how they function and interact. We could examine whether or not Juliet's maid was responsible. Their final essay for the unit could be argumentative; the students would choose a character in the book who was the most responsible for the multitude of deaths in the book. It could be the friar, for marrying two young teens, the Capulets or Montagues, Romeo, or Juliet. Before the essay, students could have a mock trial, putting all of the characters on trial for murder and seeing what argument held up the best. This would be a really fun play to act out (in some selected scenes by the teacher). Students would enjoy this play if it was taught in an entertaining and engaging way. There is love, violence, suspense, within the play. All of these things are present in modern day works, and could easily be connected to each other. There are also many renditions of the play that could be used as supplements for students. I would definitely read this play in class with students, and within reading groups.