Star-crossed lovers, a term coined by William Shakespeare, would have never existed had it not been for Romeo and Juliet. The infamous couple began the trend of disobeying one’s parents all in the name of love.

Romeo and Juliet continues to be nationally read, reworked, and modernized. However, the play’s common audience is generally high school freshmen in their English classrooms, who may or may not understand the craziness of love.

“I don’t really remember much from the play freshmen year besides how it ended. I always thought Romeo and Juliet ending their lives in the end just because they could not live without one another was kinda dumb,” said senior Chrisell Primero.

With both less than 18 years old, the couple resembles any other that walk the hall of high school, kissing and hugging their significant other. But how similar is the twosome to teenage couples in 2019?

With smartphones and computers, communicating spans miles to help keep an honest and connected relationship.

“We both get upset with each other when we aren’t communicating well,” said senior Katelyn Dear.

Arranged marriages contribute to the conflict in the play, but it rarely occurs in modern day. In fact, many teenage couples begin dating before their parents ever have a chance to meet their partner or soon after.

“We’d known each other for years and been talking for a couple months, but once he met my mom, we decided to make it official,” said Katelyn.

Although the double suicide at the end shocks many, a devotion to these teenage relationships resembles this less shockingly.

“If I was truly in love with someone, I would try and do the most I could do to stay with them because I think that love is always worth pursuing,” said sophomore Carson Roemer.

From a teacher’s perspective: “I still think love makes people do foolish things. These foolish actions and lack of honesty reflect Romeo and Juliet’s shortcomings,” said English teacher Katherine Anderson.