Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I recently completed reading Romeo And Juliet (though not this version) for independent reading. It was amazing. Breathtaking. It blew me away. I'm thriteen years old and had to write out a "blue card" (a review of our favorite book that we write once a month.) Having to place this in a genre was horribly difficult for me. It is a tragedy, unlike many of Shakespeare's other plays, yet it is almost Realistic Fiction.

A month ago I finished Twelfth Night, which was interesting but nothing compared to this work of beauty and magnificence given to us by the Immortal Bard himself.

Putting all translation difficulties aside, I could easily say this is the best book I've ever read in my entire life. (And I know, doesn't seem much with my age but rest assured... I've read quite a many books.)

Reccommending this book to anyone who enjoys tragic romance novels and who is not easily frustrated by larger words. It is a must-read for all Shakespeare fans... for how could you call yourself a fan if you've not read it yet?

Rating:
Summary: Thwarted love.
Review: I recently re-read ROMEO AND JULIET prior to attending The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's performance of the Bard's most famous love story under the summer stars here in Boulder. It tells the familiar, romantic tragedy of an age-old feud between the Montague and Capulet familes, and the love between "star-crossed" lovers, Romeo (a Montague) and Juliet (a Capulet). After the two lovers secretly marry, the hostility between their families escalates, driving young Romeo and Juliet to their shared destiny of love and death. ROMEO AND JULIET is a powerful play about the pursuit of love in a violent society. It is also a play that reminds me that it is perhaps better to read and re-read Shakespeare than to devour one bestseller after the next.

G. Merritt

Rating:
Summary: Romeo and Juliet: An exploration.
Review: Many people in my 9th grade class didn't understand this play because Shakespeare uses a lot of weird words to our ears. But when you get right down to it, isn't it a beautiful story, about enduring love and people and stuff? Yes it is. I won't summarize the plot here because Shakespeare isn't about the plot, oh no, it's about the way he melds a magical medley of music with witty waggish words. For example, the pun in the first scene on maidenhead. Isn't that hilarious. I laughed and laughed, but the other people in my class didn't get it. It's sad that some aren't clever enough to enjoy the rapturous beauty of the Bard. One complaint I had is that he uses a lot of cliches and stuff. Like having Juliet on the balcony, I mean, balcony scenes are kind of hackneyed so I wonder why he used it instead of something original. And the ending was so sad. When we finished reading it, I said I wish it hadn't ended it was so good, and this doofus in my class, Eddie, said that it seemed like it never ended to him. I was really glad when Eddie moved to Phoenix. Anyway, I really really recommend this book to anyone with a mind who likes being challenged and reading good plays and stuff.
--A 10th grade student from Plano

Rating:
Summary: Romeo and Juliet
Review: Romeo and Juliet was one of my first Shakespearean plays, but I still love it. Each time I read it, it gets better and better. It's so poetic, and the way Shakespeare plays with words and phrasing in this play has yet to be beaten. And, of course, there's that irresistible plot...

In fair Verona, Italy, where this play takes place, two houses, alike in dignity, are feuding-the Monatagues and the Capulets. Romeo, a Monatague, attending an evening party at the Capulets in disguise (for if he went as himself he'd get killed), falls in love with the beautiful Juliet, who is a Capulet. Nevertheless, both find time to see each-other and fall even more in love. They marry in secret, but when Romeo is forced to kill the evil Tybalt, he is banished. Juliet is plunged into despair and hatches an elaborate plan to be with Romeo once again. This leads to their famed and passionate deaths, and, at last, the breaking of the feud between the family.

Many people like to make fun of this play (formerly me included) and call it a comedy, but I got so caught up in the plot that I actually cried at the end--just reading it. It's a sad story, but it's still so beautifully written and wonderful. A must on any shelf.