‘Romeo & Juliet’ go from star-cross’d lovers to just crossed-out in Florida

From the first few lines of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the reader already knows what will become of our young protagonists:

“Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.”

One of Shakespeare’s most popular, most performed and most famous plays, “Romeo and Juliet” explores familial ties, the inevitability of fate, and the power of love. It’s typically either beloved or derided by Shakespeare enthusiasts and casual readers alike — you love it or you hate it.

And now it is all but removed from some Florida classrooms.

Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, says it will assign only excerpts of “Romeo and Juliet” to comply with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ newly expanded education restrictions that regulate books with so-called sexual content.

“Romeo and Juliet” belongs to a tradition of tragic and forbidden romances that precedes Shakespeare. Based on an Italian poem, Shakespeare added tension to his retelling by expanding on minor characters, like Juliet’s suitor Paris and Romeo’s friend Mercutio, adding subplots, and creating a dramatic structure that switches between comedic and tragic.

Four hundred years later, the play still masterfully captures the innately youthful belief that love is powerful: a source of rebellion, an inescapable destiny, and a means to freedom.

One of the primary sources of tension in “Romeo and Juliet” is familial obligation. Romeo and Juliet’s parents and guardian figures, like Juliet’s nurse, are portrayed as authorities who uphold a long-standing structure that their children don’t support, which is never explained to the reader. Like the protagonists, we are expected to simply accept the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets at face value. At its core “Romeo and Juliet” asks a question so many teenagers have asked: Do I disobey my parents for what I want most — for love?

Because it is Shakespeare, the dichotomy between the older generation and the younger generation is complex and deliberate. Romeo and Juliet’s ages are not an afterthought; for Juliet especially, it comes up again and again. We also see development in Romeo, as his sonnets become more complex as the play progresses and he matures.

The other force at work in “Romeo and Juliet” is fate. Fate is the unseen character guiding Romeo and Juliet, that determines the tragic timing of Juliet’s awakening and Romeo’s suicide. “Star cross’d lovers” is so much a part of our lexicon that it’s easy to forget that Shakespeare coined the phrase to describe their fateful love in those first few lines of the play.

It really is no surprise that each generation has had its own defining adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet”: Baz Luhrmann’s iconic movie, the arpeggio-filled Dire Straits song, Broadway’s “West Side Story,” the cartoon “Gnomeo & Juliet,” “Love Story” by Taylor Swift, and more.

Play

‘It’s a joyous time’: Stars of Broadway’s ‘& Juliet’ nominated for Tonys June 1, 2023 / 05:48

But perhaps this tradition will end, or at least it could for those students in Florida who only read out-of-context fragments of “Romeo and Juliet.” Those students won’t have an opportunity to decide if they hate or love the play, if they feel Juliet is misunderstood, or to feel inspired enough to create something new from these star-crossed lovers who have moved so many before them.

Shakespeare does that. Literature — especially challenging literature — does that.

We’ve said it before during meetings of Velshi Banned Book Club: anything “objectionable” found within the pages of a banned book can be found more quickly and more easily on your child’s phone. But that isn’t true of “Romeo and Juliet,” or with any Shakespearean play for that matter. The internet is vast, but there is no Google search that will turn up the result you get from thumbing through “Romeo and Juliet.”

This is an excerpt from the August 26 edition of the “Ali Velshi Banned Book Club.” Keep listening and learning along with Velshi on his new “Banned Book Club” podcast.