Shakespeare were alive and writing plays today, with applicable knowledge about current society, I believe that he would be able to write a modern play based off of the themes of Romeo and Juliet. Many of the themes presented in Romeo and Juliet are still existent today, although under different circumstances. Themes such as love, suicide, and trouble with family occur as of right now, in the twenty-first century. Individuals today still enjoy plays, in one form or another. Why do people till study Shakespearean plays?
It is because the interest is not at rest. Shakespeare would be able to successfully write a play in present-day America. The biggest theme in Romeo and Juliet is love. Love at first sight, love leading to tragedy, and love bringing people together. Many films, television shows, and other forms of entertainment are based off of the theme of love. Some are even Just different versions of Shakespearean love tragedy itself. At the Caplet ball, Romeo and Juliet are first introduced together, in the same environment. This scene is very likely o happen at a party in modern times.
People can fall in love, or leave each other the next morning. Either way, it still happens, in a modernized way. Suicide is a depressing topic discussed most commonly throughout teenagers in today’s society. It is a tragic solution one chooses due to an overflow of anger, stress, depression, anxiety, and/or emotion. Romeo commits suicide after seeing his loved one in a deathly state. An empty feeling overcame him, seeing the love of his life ‘dead. ‘ Moments later, Juliet awakes from the Friar’s potion, but finds her true love wing there, dead, beside her.
Juliet, feeling the same emptiness that Romeo felt, took her own life. In current circumstances, a teenager can be overwhelmed with the same feelings, due to different situations. A teenager can get bullied, and begin to feel unloved and empty, like there is no one else to go to. This is the same feeling both Romeo and Juliet felt about each other. The teenager then may or may not result in taking his/her own life. Parenting is another theme displayed throughout Romeo and Juliet. Gullet’s parents are very strict and linear.
This is a similar problem teens discuss today. Many teens believe that their parents are putting too much pressure on them, and are not giving them the proper freedom they deserve. This usually results in rebellion, as Juliet had done by marrying Romeo and refusing Parish’s hand in marriage. Before this, she had nothing to do and nowhere to run, so she had to be obedient. After meeting Romeo and maturing, she realized that she had the whole world to see, and gradually stopped obeying as much as she did before. This happens with teenagers, as they grow older.
Shakespeare was one of the most famous play writers of the sass’s. He is still well known to this day. His famous romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, contains themes that still occur in modern times. If he were to recreate the story of Romeo and Juliet in the modern time, it would be successful. Love, suicide, and parenting issues are all familiar topics among people living in the current era, most commonly recurring in young adults and adolescents. If Shakespeare succeeded hundreds of years ago, there is no doubt he would be able to succeed hundreds of years later.
