Perfection?

Something that stood out to me while reading the comments to Isherwood’s “To Renovate or Not to Renovate” was just how passionate people are about maintaining the original. It’s not just that the remixes bother them because they distort their interpretation of a beloved work; they believe any remix is “messing with perfection” (cagy- fourth screenshot) and that “Shakespeare was a genius, updaters are not” (A.G.- first screenshot). But what is it about Romeo and Juliet that is so deserving of that “perfection” label? Is it out of cultural habit? Is it because Shakespeare’s name is on it? I enjoy reading the text because it does entertain. In some ways, however, how is it any better than a CW show? There’s plenty of angst (simultaneously relatable and annoying), love at first sight, fight scenes, and it all wraps up in moral at the end. Are these the necessary qualities to make a story timeless? (I hope not.) The characters are well-imagined, and the dialogue is beautifully written. But, when I finish reading the play, I’m left wondering why this is the version of love that we idolize so much and constantly reference in our culture. Is it truly a work of “genius”?  

Angsty love: https://kindledimagines.tumblr.com/post/162101269301/the-birds-and-the-bees-part-3-jughead-x-reader