First Draft

      Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous of Shakespeare's plays. Although the old English was difficult for me to understand, I think there is a lot you can learn from this book. It is a classic that people can relate to today and that they related to hundreds of years ago. Shakespeare's plays have had an impact on both our culture's history and the enhancement of our language. Like I said before, the old English was difficult, but for the most part this play was easy to understand. I didn't have a hard time keeping up with the story. I think that Romeo and Juliet should be taught in schools because it's relatable, it is important for people to read and Shakespeare's plays, and it is one of the easiest plays to understand.
     For starters, Romeo and Juliet stands as one of the most relatable of Shakespeare's plays. I think that youth can easily relate to it because of the young characters who play the main roles in the story. If people relate to a story, then they tend to have a much easier time understanding it. The characters in the story go through some of the same feelings that youth years ago went through, as well as youth today and youth years in the future. "'When this dance is over, I’ll see where she stands, and then I’ll touch her hand with my rough and ugly one. Did my heart ever love anyone before this moment? My eyes were liars, then, because I never saw true beauty before tonight.'"-ROMEO. The animosity that many teenagers feel towards history and history class comes from their attitude that they cannot relate to it. Romeo and Juliet has relatable topics and feelings and should be read in schools.
     In addition, the importance of reading plays by Shakespeare should never become overlooked by our schools. Shakespeare's plays involve not only historical references and teachings, but also provide difficult readings. In addition, they help us to look at things from different perspectives. "We need not in our own outlook be fatalistic to appreciate tragedies of fate; but, it seems, we must be imaginatively willing to look at the world in this way as we are responding to this type of play."- D. Douglas Walters. The ability to read Old English requires a certain skill similar to that of reading something in a foreign language. Reading Shakespeare's plays provides a challenge to most teens that they may not get from other books. It requires the ability to interpret what a person reads which remains a very important skill in today's world of law documents, contracts, and applications. Difficult readings stand prominant in our world today and should not gradually become pushed aside.
     On the contrary, most people would not argue the importance of reading a Shakespeare play, but they would probably wonder why it has to be Romeo and Juliet. "It has been seen that in several of Shakespeare's plays there is an enveloping political plot. The pelicularity of Romeo and Juliet is that the political plot does not merely form the background to the main action, but is one of its intergral eleents."- Fredrick S. Boas I believe that Romeo and Juliet is the most applicable to teenagers' lives today because it pretains to us. People typically enjoy readings that apply to themselves. I don't think Romeo and Juliet holds as the only choice, but I do think Romeo and Juliet remains as one of the best choices. Some people would also say that Romeo and Juliet teaches bad morals about what to do as a young person in love. For example,

"'Oh, noise? Then I’ll be quick. Oh, good, a knife!

My body will be your sheath.

Rust inside my body and let me die.'

(she stabs herself with ROMEO’s dagger and dies)" -JULIET I will admit that it does contain some content that one could consider inappropriate, however, it shows that actions have consequences. I do not feel that the story has content too inappropriate for a high school student to read, and infact I would encourage them to read it.

      In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet should be read by all high school students because it is relatable, it is important for people to read Shakespeare's plays, and it is one of the easiest plays to understand. Although it contains some inappropriate content and isn't the only easy Shakespeare play to read, the content would be appropriate for most mature high school students. Also, it is one of the most relatable plays for teenagers. I enjoyed reading this book, and I think others would too. This book contains historical references and also many variations of literary techniques. Shakespeare made a big impact on our language, and that is something that can't be disputed or ignored. I believe that all high schoolers should read Romeo and Juliet.