Romeo and Juliet : Book Review

Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet are the two names we all get familiar with once we enter our teens – the classic love story in which lovers ate poison and committed suicide as the society didn’t approve of their love.

Whenever a guy and a girl fall in love at first sight, instead of saying they are in love we start addressing them as Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet have become an alias for lovers falling in love at first sight.

There have been so many movies directed and books written which are inspired by this classic play of William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. Whenever there is a tragic ending to any love story, we always make a reference to Romeo and Juliet.

Such frequent references to Romeo and Juliet characters' in our daily lives made me wonder one day that why haven’t I read this classic! And thus, I ordered the Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
And, only after reading it I realized what I was missing until now. It's now I know why it’s called a classic; why it has managed to be one of the favorites for book lovers since so many centuries (i.e. since 16^th century onwards).

While I was reading the book, I tried to read it like any other book but subconsciously I always ended up reading it in a poetic tone. While reading, I visualized each and every scene of the play in my mind.

Even though I was not getting all the words (as it’s a Shakespearean language and it’s my first read in this genre), I didn’t lose interest. Yes, at times I did read the same page twice or thrice to understand its meaning but I enjoyed it thoroughly. And the link below can actually help you understand Shakespearean language:

http://www.shakespeareswords.com/Play-Definitions.aspx?IdPlay=32

http://unenlightenedenglish.com/2009/07/thou-thee-thy-thine-ye-shakespearean-english/

For readers who are looking for a storyline, this is not the one to be read as you may find it weird a girl (aged thirteen) and a boy who met in a ball, fell in love at first site, but because of enmity between their families, they solemnized their love secretly in a church. Then, due to the sudden turn of events, they both committed suicide by eating poison.

However, it’s a must read if you enjoy reading classics or even if you enjoy stage plays.

There are many lines we cite in our day to day life during our conversations which I never thought are from Romeo and Juliet. Few of these are as follow:

‘One pain is lessened by another’s anguish.’

‘If love be rough with you, be rough with love.’

‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.’

Rating : 3.5/5