Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet, the 9th
grade standard. It is the romanticized marriage and subsequent suicide of two
infatuated, hormonal teenagers; the star-crossed lovers who will make most
people of the modern day think “wherefore” means “where” and not “why?” I love
this play, but only for the comedic value it has. There are many more plays by
Shakespeare that I think substitute in nicely and work just as well as a
replacement. I feel as though most High School teachers I had took Shakespeare
way too seriously, and taught him seriously, when they really should have
monopolized on his excellent sense of humor.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, but it is
treated like a romance when it should really, truly be handled as a comedy.
Romeo and Juliet are painted by pop-culture as the quintessential romantic
couple, an ideal to strive for. So many songs sing about Romeo and Juliet, and
so many television shows reference the young couple. You would think that it
wasn’t the 9th grade standard given how few people seem to know the real
story. I would love to teach a Romeo and Juliet unit that handles it comically,
perhaps going so far as having students act the parts with over-dramatization.
I have no doubt in my mind that Shakespeare thought the whole idea was funny as
he wrote it, mostly due to the fact that he has such a keen understanding of
human nature and human behavior that he almost always wielded it for humor’s
sake.
All
this aside, I think that Romeo and Juliet is important to teach. It is a part
of our cultural canon, and gives us all something to relate to and understand
because we all learned it as freshmen. I can’t imagine it not being a part of
High School curriculum, it’s just so ingrained.
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