During the second semester this year, freshmen have been reading “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. I believe that the play itself tends to be boring as it is written in words that are not really used in this day and age.
The play itself has many ways that it can be perceived. Factors at play here include the wording of the play which affect how well you can understand it. Translators which make the original play more readable in terms of 21st century language are vital in this regard.
The play cannot be easily interpreted due to the language used during the 16th century. It is about two teens (Romeo and Juliet) from two different families that were in a rivalry. The two then met at a party then got secretly married before Romeo was exiled from the city for murdering somebody. The play ends with the couple ending their lives which finally ends the rivalry between the two families.
Many freshmen believe that the play could be better in some way, shape or form. This includes the play being able to be easily interpreted and to also have some pictures in order to understand the play. However, during the play I noticed that many students in my classroom tend to fall asleep while the play is being read, likely because they do not understand and thus are not engaged with the piece. Most do not understand the English spoken during the Elizabethan Era, which was during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. Usually, students do a practice document in order to understand the era. A practice document is a document assigned to students that allows them to understand the language used during the Elizabethan Era.
However, even with the help of the documents many still struggle to understand the language spoken during that era. In order to combat that, teachers also have a document with the original “Romeo and Juliet” play alongside the same play with the translations that are transcribed to fit the 21st century.
This significantly benefits students as it allows them to catch up on parts they do not understand. It also benefits the teachers as it decreases the amount of students asking them questions. This can be helpful since students do not always get their questions answered due to class ending.
The play itself is hard to understand due to the fact that it is written in Shakespearean English. It can also be boring at times as not many people care about a fictional love story so long ago. It is true translations help, they help my assignments become easier and as such lets me turn things in on time.
All in all, I believe that the play “Romeo and Juliet” is a bad play as it can be boring at times and the language can be hard to understand. However, it can also have some pros like the translator which turns the play from a boring read into something you can decipher.
