It was vital that Romeo and Juliet were young lovers
Uploaded by kenny_aoe on Nov 19, 2000
Romeo and Juliet is a very famous tale of two young lovers who encounter tragedy from their love. Their enemy familes would have condemned their marriage, yet their feelinds for each other were so strong that they still for married, even if it meant they had to do so in secret. The fact that they're young adds to the overall tragedy of the story. Shakespeare shows their youth in many ways, and their youth is important for the play.
Romeo and Juliet are very impetuous, a real sign of their youth. As soon as Romeo saw Juliet he went over to her and tried to "chat her up". Juliet responded in the same way with affection and infatuation. After having only just met, they fell in love with each other. It wasn't long before they got married, their feelings for each ohter was somewhat like "puppy love".
Romeo and Juliet was written at a time when teenaged girls were getting married to other teenaged boys. THis arrangement was considered normal, and if Romeo and Juliet were older, it would have been hard for the audience of that time to empathize with their own marriages or problems and dilemmas that they have faced themselves, and furthermore would have confused the audience, if indeed there had been a marriage of an older couple in the play.
Julieet depends a lot on her parents and especially Nurse. We see numerous times when Juliet askes Nurse for her advice and help, for instance the time when Juliet wanted to get married with Romeo, she asked Nurse for her opinions, and also asked her to run errands for her when their marriage was aranged. Another time was when Capulet threatened to throw Juliet out of the house if she refused to marry Paris. After Capulet had stomred out the the room, she said to Nurse "What sayst thou? Hast thou not a word of joy? Some comfort, Nurse?" (Act 3 Scene 5). This shows her youthfulness, in that she is still very frightened about leaving home, away from the care of her parents.
As with Romeo, he often consults with the Friar. He talks to him about many things, like when he wanted to get married to Juliey, he straight away told him about how he felt, and asked Friar to marry him to Juliet. His youth also means that his friends often protect him, especially Mercutio, who is...