Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet IV

"I never read a Shakespeare play that I found the least bit engaging. Not R&J, not Hamlet, not Macbeth, not Merchant of Venice, not A Midsummer Night's Dream, not Othello. I have no defense. I must just be dumb."


"It all started when Romeo been depressed ever day moping around and feeling sad all of the time because he loved Rosaline and she did not love him back. So one day Romeos cousin told him about this party and that Rosaline would be there so they left and Romeo saw Juliet there and followed her to her house and both exchanged thoughts about each other ... Play was very stupid it sucks no one should read it because there is no point of reading this because all this play is taking up your time."


"Shakespeare's book, Romeo and Juliet, is placed in the 18th century. A time in which women were not considered as thinking people or capable of having any feelings ... it is very heavy, and you never see the moment in which you are going to finish it. The book is written in an intelligent way, and the fact that is written by the famous writer and poet, Shakespeare, gives a good impression of the book to the reader."


"Bring me proof that 'love at first site' can actually exist ... For those who love tragedy, I recommend Othello or Odepius Rex, and for those who like Shakespeare, I recommend Much Ado About! Nothing"


"Getting Old
This may be one of the great works of humanity, but it just doesn't cut it for me. The gender sterotypes are nauseating, to say the least. Though required in schools, this book is nnot one of the bests to read on your own time. Or maybe I am just disillussioned."


"Gimmie A Break!
Not that I don't like Shakespeare's works, but his tragedies are terrible, especially this one. I can't understand the language real well, so I have to grab one with the contemporary language so that it'll be easier to understand. I just can't understand this love tragedy at all! Here are some things that confuse me:

*How did this feud really begin?
*Why can't this story end in happily ever after?
*Why does Lady Capulet have to be so stuck up on everybody?
*Why couldn't Shakespeare have written in a language we could all understand?
*Why does everybody have to jump to conclusions?

I simply can't understand why people love this play so much. It's ridiculous! If you want a true love story, try reading 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. This one absolutely SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


"I'm supposed to like this classic, but the poetic dialogue wasn't realistic enough."


"Cliche, lacks literary value
This is probably the most cliche novel ever written. It's boring as well and isn't even in English. Fail!"


"I bought this book hoping it could help me understand shakespeare's words better, but it didnt. Instead I had to look up every other word in a dictionary or sometimes even online. Soon it just got so hectic that i just threw the book out and bought a better more reliable source."


"Boring
What a boring love story - I wasn't impressed."


"I wonder if I really know what I'm getting into by criticizing this book. In all likelihood I'm going to get a wave of negative comments because of what I'm about to say. To badmouth The Bard is almost to badmouth literature itself, and I don't want to do that.

Thomas Jefferson once said 'I cannot live without books', If anything is true about me, it's that.

But thats the thing, technically, RAJ isn't a book, it's a PLAY."


"My daughter was given this book to read in her 8th grade class. The Plain English translation is AWFUL! The translation clearly states sexual induenedo and the Lord's name is taken in vain several times. Whether this is Shakespeare's true meaning is unclear to me....but it is COMPLETELY inapproriate for high schoolers. Please be very cautious when ordering this version."


"i just read this book. everybody like always talks about how great it is and everything. but i don't think so. like, it's been done before, right?? soooo cliched. omg."


"Sex sells; so does violence
We human beings haven't changed much since we discovered the written word. There's a reason they call it 'the oldest profession'; sex sells, and we all know it. And there's just something too fascinating about blood that keeps us from turning away; why else would we slow down to stare at the car wreck?

Watch Hollywood today, and tell me that sex and violence don't sell. And don't tell me that 'Romeo and Juliet' is about romance; young teens rarely understand what romantic love is and all too frequently mistake lust for love. Shakespeare needed dough, and "Romeo and Juliet" provided it for him. Some of his other pieces are also primarily fluff, but they were fluff in a more cerebral fashion. 'Romeo and Juliet' simply panders to the lowest common denominator.

It's in this vein that Shakespeare wrote this spurious piece. There's nothing here that tells us anything about the human condition other than what we already know and acknowledge as some of our worst traits: that we can be impulsive, gullible, stubborn, hateful, and murderous.

As far as I'm concerned, the only good thing about 'Romeo and Juliet' is that it spawned the plot for 'West Side Story,' which, although laden with cheese, does highlight some of the more noble facets of the human character (along the less noble) and features some wonderful music. "Romeo and Juliet" will, however, simply annoy anyone with half a brain."

YES, IT WILL


"I'm sorry, but this book was awful. You can burn me for a heretic, but it was. It was supposed to be tragic; I thought it was hilarious. First, everybody says that Romeo and Juliet were lovers torn apart by fate. Fate had nothing to do with it! They died through sheer stupidity and melodrama on their part. Had they not been so hasty, they both would have come out alive. Second, the characterization was extremely shallow and one dimensional. Third of all, Romeo and Juliet weren't 'in love' at all. How can you love someone you've known for all of five minutes? When they meet at the Capulet party, all Romeo does is ramble about pilgrims and hands and prayer. Then he leaves and Juliet declares she's in love. They didn't even have a real conversation."


"that book that you throw out
this is a really bad, boreing book that i couldn't wait to throw out"


"Romeo and Juliet, the tragic story review
As I didn't liked the story at all I cant say lots of things about it but if I had to rewrite the book, I would do it in modern English. Old Englih is one of the reasons I didn't liked the book. Another reason is that is a very predictable story and it has only 2 themes: Romeo and Juliet's love and the war between their families. For me Romeo is the worst character because he only thinks about Juliet and kissing her.
These and much more are the reasons of why I didn't liked the story"


"Literary junk food for the masses
Plain and simple - Shakespeare sold out.

*R&J* is simply sensationalist trash. It contains a good portion of Shakespeares worst verse and insipid characterizations. It's unchallenging, crude, and simply melodrama for the most part. It's the Shakespearean equivalent of 'Party of Five' and the Spice Girls.

The only saving grace of this 'play' (why not call it a 'B-play?') is the beautiful soliloquy by Mercutio about Queen Mab.

The rest is absolute garbage.

Read a real play. 'Hamlet,' although dreadfully overplayed, is a fine work. So is 'Caesar.'

And forget Shakespeare. There are other fine Elizabethan writers who have been forced to exist in the "Bard's" shadow. Had Marlowe lived, we wouldn't have even known about Shakespeare. And Donne finally been recognized for the genius that he is. "