Romeo and Juliet is a good story. William Shakespeare was a literary genius. But that doesn’t mean that I necessarily enjoy Shakespeare that much. For me this is a case of acknowledging a great work, even if I’m not a big fan.

My introduction to Romeo and Juliet in school was rather unusual. We “read” it in 9th grade. Our English teacher at the time was obsessed with efficiency, even if it was at the expense of actually learning something. So we listened to Romeo and Juliet as a book on tape and followed along with the book. Close to the end of the period, the teacher would give us notes on what the important things were in each scene, and then the next day there would be a quiz. You could have gotten A’s on those quizzes by sleeping through class and just writing down his notes at the end of class and studying them for two minutes every night.

a classic tragic love story....... shakespeare pulls you in, even though he uses fancy words..... the story is beautifully written..... makes you want to weep

Everyone knows this story, and many will have studied it at school. It's your typical Shakespearian tragedy. You're told what happens at the beginning in the intro, but you still want to know how it happens

I have to give you that the words are beautiful, the verses will always be legendary, but the story has too much of a vomit factor for me to consider this an art of perfection.

  I have no idea as to why this was ranked lower than Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet.  It's one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies about two teenage kids from rival families who fall in love, marry, and commit suicide in the course of one week.

Although quite unrealistic to today's standards, people married in their teens back in the 16th century because the life expectancy was very low.  I never get tired of reading this play or watching the 1968 film version of it.

Romeo and Juilet is cooool!!

DUN DUN DEED UNDDD

once you understand the language its good. i also like that its a tragedy. in this day and age we are so used to the happy "hollywood" endings and that is so drab and predictable. its nice the literature has survived today that defies that.

I CANNOT read shakespeare...I don't care what anyone says...I can't

Only he did it best, and no horribly cheesy remake can detract from the well-plotted tragedy of it all.

Deny thy father and refuse thy name...I love Shakespeare in general and this is of course one of the best stories, the love and despair, romanticism and tragedy.

Classic tragedy at its finest, sometimes there isn't a happily ever after

Known as one of his greatest. Sad how parents differences can destroy young people.

very tragic

I take a beating for this but this is actually an overrated play. . .it's nowhere near Hamlet, Lear, MacBeth and especially Othello. . .R and J is a couple of kids- not as tragic as the other three. . .it's not a bad play, but it pales next to the other tragedies. . .

Probably one of the most read Shakespeare stories. I am fortunate to own and older collection of all the shakespeares in leather bound books that was passed down to me. In origanal form Shakespeare can be difficult to read but it is fun trying!

give me a break - those kids are a little more melodramatic than I could stomach.

When I read this in high school, it was boring. Now that I've read it again in college, it is genius. If you look beyond the surface of all the characters and their actions, you'll see Shakespeare work his one of a kind magic of incredible symbolism and wit. One can see how Juliet is cunning and manipulative, with not just love as her ultimate goal but freedom, and one can see how Romeo is demasculinized and eroticized by and for both sexes in the play. Brilliant, just brilliant.

Romeo and Juliet isn't as romantic as people think it is.

Maybe it's just because I've seen the story/plot/summary somewhere SO many times I'm just sick of it, but there are much better books (even better Shakespeare books) out there.

I can't rate any of Shakespeare's plays (except the obscure ones) much lower than 5, because they are all masterpieces! I loved this book. The themes drawn are paralled by today. Such a sad tale of love and hopelessness. It goes to show you that hate is so powerful, yet useless. What did hate accomplish? Many deaths, including Romeo and Juliet. I loved this classic love story, but I definately cried a lot in this one too! Why did Mercutio have to die? :(

My mind still boggles as to why so many dark, sad-ending, dullfests of novels are considered classics when great Star Trek and Star Wars novels are considered formulaic and mindless. Well, I don't know why that is, but I know that THIS book is just dead. It's boring, with no excitement anywhere. The dialgoue is impossibly stitled and not humorous in the slightest. It also has an extremely cynical and depressing ending, which does no one any good. And, people actually LIKE this book?

Shakespeare's worst well-known play. Characters are simple by the standards of the other plays, and the language is not as masterful.

A beutifully crafted play that really defines what real love is about and what some people will do to be with those they love. I hardly believe this is based on human nature though. I think this a fantasied tale that no human could possibly match. I believe we take those we have around us for granted (whether they be our lovers or our family) which is why I think this play is so appealing. It shows us relationships we could have if we stopped procrstinating each other and accepted ourselves for who we really are. Some say that the updated movie version with leonardo di caprio gives the play a bad name......that's what i first thought until I saw it. If the only way english scholars are going to be able to teach future generations about romeo and juliet is by adding guns and drugs.....then I say they are doing a good job.

Not one of the Bard's more stellar efforts. Whoever that Bard was...

We read it this year for school. Very interesting and well written; although I really don't think it would ever happen. The movie of it with Leonardo DiCaprio gives it a bad name and is downright horrible.

Some things seem a little silly to be rating, and this is one of them. A lot of people hate Shakespeare and this play in particular because it was forced on them in high school. To these people I say come back and give it another try when you are older and hopefully wiser. Some of the English in this play will never be rivaled again in it's perfection. The beauty of the Queen Mab speech is an example of why Shakespeare will probably always be the greatest writer in the English laguage. Hopefully KikiD is joking.

Fraud.