Student Question
Why did Holling consider Romeo and Juliet to be stupid?
Quick answer:
Holling initially considers "Romeo and Juliet" to be stupid because he believes the characters acted irrationally by killing themselves instead of defying their parents and running away together. His perspective changes after he experiences the play on a Valentine's date with Meryl Lee. Holling comes to understand that Shakespeare was exploring human nature and the fate of star-crossed lovers, which deepens his appreciation of the play's themes.
Much to his surprise, Holling starts to become a big Shakespeare fan, and soon starts quoting out loud from his favorite plays. He also uncovers a good deal of practical wisdom and more than a few important life lessons from the Bard, structuring key parts of his life around themes found in Shakespeare.
His relationship with Meryl Lee is particularly colored and shaped by his reading of the plays. Initially, things are pretty fraught between Holling and Meryl Lee, so much so that he calls her a "blind mole," an insult he's picked up from reading The Tempest. He also acted like a jerk about his father winning the Baker Sporting Emporium contract, which Meryl Lee holds against him. So a few months later, when Holling asks Meryl Lee out on a Valentine's date, she initially turns him down flat.
Getting the brush-off from Meryl Lee pretty much confirms...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
how Holling has been feeling about Romeo and Juliet, which he's been reading with Mrs. Baker. He thinks that Romeo and Juliet were stupid because they wouldn't have acted the way that they did. They certainly shouldn't have killed themselves; they should've just defied their parents and run away to Mantua.
But Holling soon manages to sweet-talk Meryl Lee into going out with him, using (naturally) Romeo's words to Juliet from Act II Scene II:
"[T]here lies more peril in thine eye
Than twenty of their swords."