Personally, this is not nearly close to my favorite Shakespeare play. The utter stupidity of the main characters and the whole star-crossed lovers thing are not really my thing. And I will sau nothing about people who talk about how "romantic" this play is. As far as I've studied it, Shakespeare didn't intend it to be a celebration of the so-called "love" between two teenage kids. I strongly believe that his message was something along the lines of "parents, take care of your teenagers and act as grown up people, if you are si kind".

As for the characters, Romeo is unbearable. He keeps whinning and moaning the entire play about literally EVERYTHING. Juliet is more likable and I can even understand how she could fall in love with the first guy she met. However, my favorite character in the whole play is Mercutio. His constant snarking and witty comments are some of the best bits of the play. Besides, he manages to joke about Romeo's infatuations. I read somewhere that Shakespeare had to kill him because he was taking over the play. It might be true; it is only after his death that the events take the darkest path. Before that, it could have been easily a rom-com as any other.

Regardless of the plot, Romeo and Juliet has probably some of Shakespeare's finest poetry. The scene where the two lovers meet is beautifully written, and the romantic dialogues are indeed a pleasure to read. This is probably what saves the play for me.It is a perfect English sonnet that shows how made for each other they are. Even if it is kind of corny, it is still a lovely moment between them two.