A letter of appreciation
March 21, 2017
Dear Shakespeare,
This month, I received the unbelievable opportunity of witnessing the beautiful writing and intricate plot of one of your works. My fellow students and I were assigned the play “Romeo and Juliet” in our English class, and I have never been more emotionally moved than while reading the online Cliff’s Notes on your globally acclaimed work of literature.
As a child, I had heard of people referencing the play numerous times, and then had my first taste of your literary brilliance when I enjoyed watching the children’s movie about two garden gnomes in love, “Gnomeo and Juliet.” Little did I know that through reading online summaries and two paragraph character descriptions for an English assignment, I would one day appreciate the exquisite original story you had written.
When first assigned your tragic tale of the famous star crossed lovers from the Capulet and Montague houses, I procrastinated reading any part of your play for weeks. Upon finally taking the time to Google “Romeo and Juliet Cliff’s Notes,” I was greeted with short emotional summaries and a brief analysis of each deeply poignant act and scene. From the moment the website told me that your play took place in Verona and involved lovers from two arguing families, I was hooked.
Reading the 70-word descriptions of the intricate personalities of the important major characters in your play, I immediately formed an emotional connection to the “stubborn personality of Juliet that played an important role in her relationship with Romeo, and eventual death.” I put myself in Juliet’s shoes as I continued skimming through the plot summaries, and when the website told me she stabbed herself with a dagger, I felt as if a part of me had died as well. Looking through the description of Romeo and Juliet’s romance, I was profoundly affected by the dramatic twists and turns of the story. When the 150 word plot overview revealed to me that Friar Lawrence’s message did not reach Romeo in time and that he poisons himself, I was both saddened and angry. I soon figured out this was “dramatic irony” from the list of 23 literary devices English students are forced to memorize at the beginning of the year.
The description was so touching that after glancing at the summary, I decided I would do all I could to learn more about your play. In one emotional sitting, I read through the “Symbols and Themes” category of the website, and searched up meaningful quotations in the play to put in my social media profile.
I believe the description I skimmed changed my life, and I wanted to thank you for writing a play that made the two-page online summary possible. Reading the summaries and descriptions affected my life on a deeper level than any novel I’ve read before. The character analysis and major plot points explained has allowed my perspective in life to reflect more of “the play’s most dominant theme: love.” I can’t wait to use Cliff’s Notes again next semester when we are assigned to read your other equally emotional masterpiece, “Hamlet.”
Sincerely,
Your Biggest Fan
