One of the most famous classic love stories that survived through the ages is the tragic tale of two young lovers. William Shakespeare gave us the tale of Romeo and Juliet. Because of its writing style, many find it challenging to understand.
What Lessons can be Learned for Parents from Romeo and Juliet?
Even the movies inspired by this tale use the same language. Although challenging, the language makes the tale even more appealing. It adds magic and romance. As a parent, you can learn many things from the tale of Romeo and Juliet.
Love can bring out the best in people.
Sadly, most people who read this play focus more on its tragic theme. They don’t focus on the positive parts. It’s easy to dismiss the main characters as misguided and naive teenagers. But the tragic pair become different people at the end of the tale.
It might pique your interest if you suddenly hear your high school or college student gushing about Romeo and Juliet. But reading the whole story can take a lot of time. If you don’t have free time to spare, you can always read essays online. Reading essays is much easier, especially if you want to learn the gist of the story.
Before he met Juliet, Romeo suffered from depression. This happened because of his perceived parental neglect. He was also hopelessly infatuated with a woman named Rosaline. Juliet, a 16-year-old girl, is the epitome of a sheltered and innocent child. She gets a lot of pressure from her parents for a marriage of convenience. She has no freedom to pursue her happiness.
Romeo and Juliet is a coming-of-age story. After they cross paths, they transform into more mature individuals. Romeo becomes a profoundly devoted and passionate lover. Juliet becomes a confident and strong woman. They both willingly sacrifice everything for their love. A love that made them the best versions of themselves. But the story also contains hatred that brings out the worst in some characters.
While love can bring hope and happiness for a beautiful future, the young lovers quickly learn that love also has a tragic side.
The importance of thinking before taking action
Another important lesson to learn from this play is to think first before you act. Romeo is an irrational thinker. He makes hasty decisions. He’s also overly dramatic. This is evident when he tries stabbing himself after receiving news of his banishment.
Getting unpleasant information isn’t an excuse to do little things. But Romeo got consumed and blinded by his emotions. These made him follow ill-advised behaviors. Later, he realized how foolish his actions were. If all of the characters in the play had taken a moment to analyze their choices, it would have had a better outcome. There wouldn’t have been so many depressing scenes if they had thought about the possible consequences.
Throughout the story, you will notice several apparent solutions. Take, for instance, Romeo’s decision to commit suicide. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision that he made. To avoid tragedy, he could have confirmed Juliet’s death first. He could have asked someone close to her about what happened. This could have prevented his death and Juliet’s.
If this story happened today, most of us wouldn’t accept the outcome. Many people wouldn’t act in such a way as a reaction to such news. As a parent, this is something you can teach your child – the importance of thinking first before they act.
Communication is essential in relationships
When you think about it, it wasn’t the self-inflicted wound or poison that caused the tragic end. It was more about their miscommunication. Many would agree about the importance of communication. It’s essential if you want to have a good relationship. Maybe Shakespeare intended to offer a cautionary story. One that shows how things can go wrong when couples don’t communicate.
Because of this, they ended up misreading each other’s signals. The deaths of Romeo and his beloved Juliet could have been easily avoided. Juliet could have sent someone to make sure that Romeo received her letter.
Or they could have used a better way to communicate with each other. This context shows the significance of good communication in relationships. This is a crucial lesson everyone should learn from the play. It’s also a very relevant lesson that we can still use today.
Take time before making important decisions.
It would help if you never made long-term decisions based on short-term experiences. This applies to businesses, relationships, or anything else in life. When someone breaks your heart, is the best solution to commit suicide?
If you lose a lot of money, does this mean that relationships aren’t worth anything anymore? How about choosing to date someone solely because of how they look? Isn’t that too shallow?
Or decide to do something with someone against everything you believe in? Doing it to “save the relationship?” These are some things your children will eventually have to deal with. Before making a decision, take a moment to breathe and contemplate. Think, pray, then think again before making an important decision.
Listen to your instincts.
In the beginning, Romeo and his friends gate-crash the Capulets’ party. Before doing this, Romeo said that he had a hunch. He predicted his death. This is an example of an extreme feeling. In the third act, Juliet finds herself with similar suspicion. Their instincts sent them subtle messages. But neither of them chose to listen.
You can apply this to your own life. There are times when your instincts that warn you about imminent danger. When you listen, your conscience works in your favor. Listen to your instincts whenever you have an unsettling feeling or sense that something isn’t right.
Conclusion
Literature teachers almost always use Romeo and Juliet in their lessons. Students greatly appreciate this masterpiece as it’s very relatable. The tragic love story between teenagers is so full of emotions. Students of the same age strongly relate to the story. Romeo and Juliet have a very engaging storyline. When teenagers get exposed to such classic literature, it expands their knowledge of different things.
