Examples Of Stereotypes In Romeo And Juliet

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows different age groups and their stereotypes in Verona, Italy. The different characters in this play express each age group's advantages and disadvantages. In Romeo and Juliet, youth and age is seen as the amount of respect the characters have during this time period. When someone is younger, they are interpreted as alliterate and innocent. On the other hand, the characters who are older are seen as wiser and more mature, being superior to everyone else. Shakespeare also shows how when youth expresses themselves, they are understood as childish. The elders in this play take younger characters' words as a joke, and some elders even judge them harshly for their opinions because of their age differences.

When Friar Lawrence says, “Young men’s love then lies./ Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes (2.3 71-72). He is saying that young men only think that they are in love when they see someone who is beautiful. Friar Lawerence says that youth does not know how to actually love. Another youth stereotype that is shown in the play is how younger characters need to be taken care of at all times. Shakespeare shows that the younger characters need to be looked after. When Juliet wants to marry someone other than Paris, Capulet informs that “My child is yet a stranger to the world./She hath not seen the change of fourteen years” (1.2 8-9). Meaning that Capulet protects and takes care of Juliet and he knows what is best for her. This quote is saying that younger characters do not know what is changing in the world. Later, the Nurse talks about how the youth is ignorant and that younger characters don’t understand what is going on around them. When Nurse says “Thou wilt fall backwards when thou has more wit” (1.3 46). She is saying how Juliet does not know much at all. The nurse is saying that Juliet will understand the feud when she is old enough. The nurse says that she is too young to know what is happening right now. This shows the stereotype of youth being ignorant and not knowing what event is taking

Elders also represent a big part of Romeo and Juliet. The adults in this play get mad at each other for a long time. The Capulets and the Montogues have family feuds run by adults. These feuds are

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made by grudges the two families have together. Older characters in the story keep Romeo and Juliet from seeing each other because of their own selfishness. Juliet talks about adults by saying “But old folks, many reign as they were dead” (2.5 16). This means that people who are older stay mad at each other for a longer period of time. When an adult gets upset about something, they will stay mad about it for what seems like an eternal amount of time.

Overall, in Romeo and Juliet, younger characters in the book do not know what true love is. Adults stereotype children as illiterate and ignorant. The youth in this play are shown as chaotic and hard to take control of. On the other hand, the adults in Romeo and Juliet hold grudges until drastic measures happen. They smother their children and do not let them have their own path. Even so, in Romeo and Juliet, both age groups were not afraid to show their full capability throughout the