Romeo and Juliet

And Juliet says: "O Romeo Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet." ( Scene 2, Act 2)

Montagues, Capulets, Ortegas, Solanas, Canos, Abads,...? What's in a name? Love, hate, rivalry, friendship, jealousy, revenge?

"Romeo and Juliet" is the story of an impossible love because of the hate between two families, the Montagues (Romeo's family) and the Capulets (Juliet's family). It is set in the Italian city of Verona. Love is strong, but not as strong as family tradition, or hate, or revenge. Like young people all over the world, Romeo and Juliet want the right to decide their future for themselves, but in the end their families are too powerful for them.

In the play, the inability to control emotions such as love, hate, rivalry, friendship, jealousy or revenge leads to one of the major tragedies of universal literature.

Last October 10th Malala Yousafzay was given the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle for the right of all children to education. Her speech is worth listening to:

• She shares the prize with someone from India and for her that is a message of love. Why?

• "I'm thankful for my dad not clipping my wings". Explain and compare Malala's dad's attitude with Lord Capulet's attitude

• "This award is not just a piece of metal". Explain her words.

• "My life was gonna be getting married at the age of 13 so I decided I would speak up for myself. I wouldn't wait for anybody else to speak for me". Can you see any similarities/differences between Malala and Juliet?