Romeo and Juliet" censored in schools because of "hot" plot

The Hillsborough CountySchool Board in Florida decided this week that students in the area will not learn the entire content of Romeo and Juliet in class because of the "hot" details in the work.

The decision was made to align with the Parental Rights in Education Act, which was passed locally in 2022. This law prohibits the discussion of sexual content in schools. Only sexual content compiled according to specific standards, serving health and sex knowledge, is allowed in school spaces.

Romeo và Juliet bị kiểm duyệt tại trường học vì có tình tiết nóng - 1 — A scene from "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) (Photo: New York Post).

"We made this decision based on local laws that have been passed. When a teacher does not comply with the new regulations, they can be reported to the school by parents and subject to disciplinary action," Tanya Arja, a representative for the Hillsborough County Education Department, told the media.

Thus, with some familiar works of writer William Shakespeare such as Romeo and Juliet , Hamlet , Macbeth , students in Hillsborough district will only learn excerpts. Passages with "hot" details will be omitted and not mentioned in the lessons.

Now, some teachers have spoken out. Joseph Cool, a literature teacher at a high school in Hillsborough County, said: "The ban on fully discussing the love story between Romeo and Juliet, because of the "hot" plot, is a humorous requirement. Exposure to literary and dramatic works will be less effective if students only read excerpts."

Previously, in addition to reading Romeo and Juliet , high school students in the US could also watch the movie Romeo and Juliet (1968), which was considered a supplementary content, helping students gain more intuitive understanding when learning about the literature and drama of William Shakespeare.

Romeo và Juliet bị kiểm duyệt tại trường học vì có tình tiết nóng - 2 — A scene from "Romeo and Juliet" (1968) (Photo: New York Post).

Earlier this year, the two main actors of the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet - Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting - filed a lawsuit against Paramount for commercial child sexual exploitation. Olivia and Leonard had performed nude and "sexy" scenes in the film directed by Italian director Franco Zeffirelli.

At the time of participating in the film, Olivia and Leonard - two British actors - were both teenagers under the age of 18. In a lawsuit filed in court on December 30, 2022, the two actors Olivia and Leonard said that director Franco Zeffirelli had affirmed that he did not require the two actors to be completely naked during filming.

But when it came to the nude scene, Olivia and Leonard were convinced by director Franco to do it in the most... realistic way, "otherwise the movie would be ruined".

At the time of filming, Olivia (who played Juliet) was only 15 years old, Leonard (who played Romeo) was only 16 years old. In the lawsuit, the two claimed that they suffered psychological trauma after participating in the movie Romeo and Juliet , leading to them missing out on some future job opportunities. Olivia and Leonard both want to receive compensation, the compensation amount is up to more than 500 million USD.

Romeo và Juliet bị kiểm duyệt tại trường học vì có tình tiết nóng - 3 — The movie "Romeo and Juliet" (1968) has "flash" nude scenes (Photo: New York Post).

When it was released, Romeo and Juliet was a huge box office hit. It received four Oscar nominations, winning two for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design .

In May of this year, the lawsuit surrounding the "hot" scenes in the movie Romeo and Juliet (1968) was dismissed. Judge Alison Mackenzie - who directly handled the lawsuit - judged that the "hot" scenes in Romeo and Juliet could not be considered pornographic scenes performed by minor actors, so there was no element of violating the law here.

According to Judge Mackenzie, the "hot" scenes in Romeo and Juliet do not promote erotic elements, and cannot be considered pornographic. Therefore, there is no element of violating the law in letting minor actors perform pornographic and depraved content. This is a prerequisite for whether the case can be brought to trial or not.

The film Romeo and Juliet (1968) contained brief nude scenes that revealed Whiting's hips and Hussey's breasts, but these scenes were not traditionally considered sexually suggestive by critics or the public.