The Universality of Romeo and Juliet There seems to be an ongoing debate about whether to attempt to "modernize" Shakespeare (or any other classic for that matter). I think you can look at this two ways. Both appeal to the universality of the work. Or:1. It is universal and modernizing only emphasizes this fact, o2. It is universal and there is no need to modernize it. I think you can play it both ways, and I think Romeo and Juliet is a good example of that. The story still touches the lives of audiences, whether they see it as set in the Elizabethan period in which it was written, or whether they see it in the present. I think it works well for other time periods too, for example I saw it set in Civil War America. I also think it would work equally well if set before the Elizabethan era or in the distant future. The story is universal. Imagine these scenarios: Romeo is African-American; Juliet is Caucasian. Romeo is from Mars; Juliet is from Venus. Romeo is a country boy; Giulietta is a city girl. Romeo is Protestant; Juliet is Catholic. Well, you understand, there are many variations on the theme: the boy and the girl are from different worlds. There are big obstacles between them. Despite these obstacles they fall in love and get married. Catastrophe strikes them. They are separated. Fate works against them and they die in tragedy. Through their deaths, their different worlds realize their common bonds and set aside their differences towards a unified future. It doesn't matter what the differences are. The underlying theme still works.