8. Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare and the magic of Young Adult romance novels
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Hey listeners! Today we\\u2019re talking about Shakespeare\\u2019s Romeo and Juliet. As you probably know, this play ends tragically with the two star-crossed lovers taking their own lives. Today\\u2019s episode includes a conversation about using this play as a bridge to discuss mental health and suicide with high schoolers. We believe this is an important part of the conversation about this play, but if this topic is triggering for you, we recommend skipping ahead about 2 and a half minutes starting at minute 26 to minute. Alright, let\\u2019s get into the episode!
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Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This play is the perfect match for spring fever, and for many of us, it was our first encounter with Shakespeare. We share lots of thoughts on reading this play as freshmen in high school and later as English teachers. Plus, we have opinions on how Shakespeare should be read and taught in general. Listen in for book recommendations that capture the star-crossed lovers theme but don\\u2019t end quite so tragically. Our discussion includes:
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- How we may have misunderstood the main characters (11:58)
- Why Mercutio is our favorite character (20:57)
- Content warning: brief discussion on teaching suicide awareness as part of the Romeo and Juliet curriculum (26:10-29:00)
- Why this play endures, and is still read in high schools (31:18)
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Plus, as always, we\\u2019re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic include an unexpected literary retelling and a few YA romances.
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Today\\u2019s episode is brought to you by Libro.fm, the only audiobook company that allows you to purchase audiobooks directly from your favorite indie bookstore. You can get THREE audiobooks for $15 by clicking this link or by using code NOVELPAIRINGS at checkout.
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Librofm: https://libro.fm/membership/new
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Shop our pairings at Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-romeo-and-juliet
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Joss Whedon\\u2019s Much Ado About Nothing
The American Player\\u2019s Theatre
Chelsey\\u2019s Pairings:
The Opposite of Always by Jason Reynolds (47:00)
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (51:31)
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (55:41)
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Sara\\u2019s Pairings:
The Shakespeare Miscellany by Ben and David Crystal (45:41)
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson (49:02)
Circe by Madeline Miller (53:06)
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Sara: Don\\u2019t Quill the Messenger podcast\\xa0
Chelsey: No Holds Bard \\u201cSo You\\u2019re Going to See Shakespeare\\u201d podcast episodes