Romeo and Juliet The Book, By William Shakespeare

If I asked anyone what this book was about, they would probably tell me something like Romeo and Juliet is about a boy and a girl who love each other but can't be together, but Romeo and Juliet is about so much more than that. It's about love, hope, and most importantly, death.

This book starts with a huge street fight between Montague and Capulet supporters who are sworn enemies. Later this strange prince names Count Paris wants to marry Juliet, Capulet's daughter. Obviously Caplet is not sure about this idea because after all, she is only thirteen.Caplet tells Paris to wait two years, and then invites him to a ball.

While this is all going on, Romeo, Montague's son, is extremely depressed because he could not marry this women named Rosaline, who is Capulet's niece, whom Romeo was in love with. Convinced by his cousin Benvolio and his dad Mercutio, Romeo attends the call at Capulet's house in hopes of meeting Rosaline. Instead he meets and falls in love with Juliet. After the ball, the famous "balcony scene" happens. Romeo sneaks into the Capulet orchard and overhears Juliet at her window promising her love to him, even though her family hates the Montagues. Romeo shows his self to her and they agree to be married. With the help of a Friar Laurence, who hopes to reconcile the two families through their children's union, they are secretly married the next day.

I find this book was not only confusing at times, but sort of stupid. I would never recommend this to anyone because it is about how Romeo, who desperately wants to lose his virginity, finds a thirteen year old and falls in love. This book is also irritatingly confusing because of the old English, and because the play had to be converted to a book. My honest opinion is that Romeo and Juliet is overrated, and should be left with the past. Maybe it was amazing back then, but now, it's old and annoying.

One of the one things that really confused me was that Romeo is sixteen, and Juliet is thirteen and the are madly in love, and have sex (although it is implied, it doesn't give the details, luckily). What bothers me the most is that no one, not even Friar Laurence, cares that he is so much older than her. I did some research and it turns out it is considered illegal for kids of such age difference to do this. That's right, if Romeo and Juliet were in this century they would be breaking the law.

Overall I give this book a D-, because of stupid, confusing, and just plain uninteresting scenes. The only reason why this ridiculous waste of paper is not getting an "F", is because of the bond between the two lovers is sort of touching, to my tiny, critic heart. Thank you for reading! :)