Why is Romeo and Juliet probably not William Skakespeare's best play? What are t

Question:

Why is Romeo and Juliet probably not William Skakespeare's best play? What are the flaws of the play?

Example: Benvolio disappears and is not heard of again..

Additional Details

2 months ago
Benvolio's disappearence is not explained...

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

It has some fine scenes and lovely poetry. It's attractive, full of young people, etc.
I've played both Romeo and Friar Laurence, I have read and seen it played by the Brits, onstage, and in movies.
And I know the entire Works.

So I see six major things that keep it from being among the best of the Poet's works.

1. It is obviously a rewrite; this leads to problems.
2. Its basic philosophy is Medieval fatalism--which, I claim robs the play of more than half of its power.
3. Many of the characters are not well-enough developed,
and appear in short scenes.
4. It was written early in the period when the Poet moved
from writing other sorts of plays to verse dramatic work,
c. 1596; the Poet was still experimenting at the time.
5. It is neither about an important central character nor one with an abstract specific value that is important to everyone, not in the sense say of Julius Caesar, Coriolanus or even Henry V.
6. Despite the lovely poetry of the ball scene and several others, there are weak scenes, some of them not by the Poet at all.