When one thinks of classic love stories, it is a given that one of the first to come to mind is William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This play has been adapted into several films and inspired many shows as well since its publication in 1597. Despite being about a sixteen-year-old (Romeo Montague) and a thirteen-year-old Juliet Capulet, it tells the story of how true love is worth more than anything else--even your own life.
Rival groups (think West Side Story, The Outsiders…) the Capulets and Montagues are constantly fighting with one another. Of course, Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight (literally) after meeting at a party. After helping a Capulet messenger read, Romeo gets invited to the Capulet’s party since the messenger did not know that he was a Montague. His friends encourage him to attend the party since Romeo was upset about the fact that the girl he claimed he loved, Rosaline, did not feel the same way about him. Once he arrives at the party, Romeo sees Juliet and instantly forgets about Rosaline, now in love with Juliet.
This time for Romeo, the feeling of love is mutual. Juliet is sad about the fact that her father is making her marry a wealthy kinsman named Count Paris. She realized that if she married this new guy she just met and fell in love with, Romeo, she would not have to worry about marriage to Paris. The two secretly meet each other at night in the following days and decide to get married.
Friar Lawernce, a priest, believed the marriage of a Capulet and Montague would fix the tension between the two groups, so he agreed to marry the two. Shortly after their marriage, Romeo killed his new cousin-in-law, Tybalt, after he killed Romeo’s best friend Mercutio. This resulted in Romeo getting exiled, and intense sadness for the two newlyweds. Juliet still had to marry Paris and turned to Friar Lawerence for help. Friar Lawerence not only works as a priest but also makes concoctions on the side--including one that could kill you for 42 hours but then bring you back alive, as if you were taking a nap. This time meant that Juliet could skip the wedding. Juliet agreed to this plan, which meant she would take the potion on the night before her wedding, get buried in the family tomb instead of getting married, and wait for Romeo to save her so they could live the rest of their lives together in happiness.
Romeo, however, does not know this is going on. Friar Lawerence sent a messenger to give him a note explaining the plan, but it was not received in time. All Romeo learned was that his wife died--forever--and returned to the place he was exiled from to see her one last time. As he comes to visit her, he killed Paris. The sadness of losing his wife was too much for Romeo, so he poisons himself and dies. If only he waited a little bit longer to see his wife wake up, maybe the two could have lived the life they wanted together. Juliet is heartbroken at the fact that Romeo is dead, so she commited suicide as well, showing the people watching how strong the division between Capulets and Montagues was.
This story was short and simple to read if one understands Shakespeare (If not, I recommend reading No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet). I enjoyed its message about what one would do for love and I can understand its long-lasting impact on readers today. I would rate Romeo and Juliet a 7.5/10!

Check out Romeo and Juliet from NBPL!