Romeo and Juliet - How relevant is the story to modern day life?

The first 200 words of this essay...

English Literature Coursework

Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare's version of "Romeo and Juliet" is a tragedy telling the tale of the relationship of two "star-crossed" lovers, whom fate has not smiled upon. But written over four hundred years ago, do its concepts, messages, layout and more still remain relevant to audiences around the world today?

On one hand, as I just said, the play was written just under half a century ago. Things that were appealing and fashionable at one time do not always remain so into the present day. And yet "Romeo and Juliet" tackles innumerable issues that are happening in many peoples' lives. Love, hate, lies, deceit, lust, teenage life, peer and parental pressure, violence, murder, drug abuse, death, sex and depression are just some of the themes covered in this play.

Teenagers right up to the elderly can empathise with many of these topics, and clearly find most of them interesting, certainly judging by the popularity of Soaps and Dramas which include these matters also. Think about it: two men have fallen for thirteen year old Juliet; she marries and loses her virginity to Romeo, the last person her family would approve of,