Donald J. Richardson

The Complete Romeo and Juliet: an Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play Donald J. Richardson

Among teenagers Romeo and Juliet appears to be the most popular of the Shakespeare tragedies. Perhaps this is because of the age of the protagonists. I suspect it is something far deeper than that, however. The depth of passion evinced by both Romeo and Juliet is familiar to most adolescents, and their isolation from the world of adults is also recognized by contemporary teens. Capulet's ranting when dealing with Juliet's nascent independence is no doubt familiar to today's sons and daughters. Thus, it seems Shakespeare continues to speak a universal language; this, I believe, accounts for the continued popularity of the work.