Why I Still Teach Romeo and Juliet (Even Though I Hate It)

I hate Romeo and Juliet.

There, I said it.

Not because it’s poorly written because, of course, it’s not. It’s Shakespeare. But because it’s so often misunderstood, over-romanticised, and frankly infuriating.

Let’s be honest; Romeo falls desperately in love with every girl he lays his eyes on. The whole plot takes place over three days. Juliet is thirteen, yet a full-grown man with no real connection to her decides to help her make massive life-altering decisions. And yet somehow, this is the play people think defines romance?

Students turn up with that preconception, and it’s my job to shatter that. So I teach it. Every single year.

First Encounters (and Bad Memories)

I first taught Romeo and Juliet during my first year in the classroom, but I always had strong memories of it from school. Back then, it was chalk-and-talk, regular essays, heavy reading, and my teacher always cast me as Juliet during class readings. And I hated that.

So, when I returned to the play as a teacher, I was determined to approach it differently.

Why I Still Teach It Anyway

Despite everything I’ve just said, I still teach Romeo and Juliet, and I will probably keep doing so.

Why? Because like it or not, it works. It’s one of the few texts where students walk in with strong opinions, even if they’ve never read a single line. They know the names. They know it’s a “love story.” And that’s a starting point.

Once they realise it’s not the sweeping romantic tale they expected, it becomes a source of debate, humour, and even empathy. They either fall head over heels for Romeo or completely rip him apart. And that polarity? That’s gold in the classroom. It invites conversation. It makes them care.

The scope for teaching it is also massive. It’s packed with big ideas - love, hate, loyalty, family, impulsiveness - and you can approach it from so many angles. The prologue alone is brilliant for helping students grasp the full plot upfront, which gives them the confidence to handle the trickier language later.

And if nothing else?

We get to watch the Leonardo DiCaprio version. That alone gets me through Acts IV and V.

How I Teach Romeo and Juliet

I used to avoid translations, thinking they somehow diluted the experience. But now? My students get both the original text and a modern English version side by side. We start by translating the prologue together (it’s one of our first lessons), and from there, they begin to see the whole play differently. It’s no longer just confusing language; it’s a story they get.

I mix things up constantly:
◆ We have full-class debates (usually about whether Romeo is the worst).
◆ Students rewrite scenes as Instagram DMs or text threads.
◆ We do hot seating, where they speak as a character and justify their decisions.
◆ We design sets and costumes based on different eras - over the last 10 years, I’ve been presented with versions set in ancient Greece, 1920s Chicago, modern-day Japan, and even dystopian futures.

I also use sections as creative writing prompts so students can explore the themes and emotions without just analysing them to death. During lockdown, I ran online literature teams in breakout rooms and had students complete differentiated tasks together. It worked better than I ever expected.

And because they know the full plot from the prologue, we’re free to spend our time analysing moments, language, and character shifts - rather than just figuring out what’s happening.

Why Romeo and Juliet Still Makes the Cut

Despite my personal gripes with the plot, Romeo and Juliet is one of the richest texts I teach all year. The discussions it sparks, the range of interpretations, the blend of love, loyalty, and tragedy, so it never fails to engage my students. And if I can help them see past the surface-level “romance” to the chaos underneath? Even better.

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