Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet both experience obstacles due to who they truly are. Each of their individual identities play a crucial part in the play as well as in their actions and motives, undeniably affecting themselves and those around them. Romeo and Juliet come from wealthy families that are respected and admired in Verona. Unfortunately, the Montagues’ and the Capulets’ intense hatred for one another pose as a challenge for Romeo and Juliet’s love. The current feud between the Capulets and the Montagues is a part of the foundation for the plot of the play. Their feud makes it impossible for Romeo and Juliet to have a public and official marriage. Even with the knowledge of the consequences for having a relationship with a Capulet, Romeo perseveres and manages to …show more content…
It affects many of the events and actions done by the characters. Juliet and Romeo are both adolescent; Romeo is 16 years old while Juliet is 13 years old. In the beginning of the play, Juliet’s attitude towards marriage is that of dismissal. She waves off that her parents, particularly her father, who wants her to marry Paris, a well-respected county. Juliet’s reluctance to get married shows that she does not feel ready for commitment, especially committing herself into a relationship with a person she hardly knows. However, Juliet’s mindset changes when she meets Romeo, whom she immediately falls in love with. Her love for Romeo causes her to agree to marry him, which later prevents her from willingly marrying Paris. This causes her to reveal that she would rather die than marry another man whom she does not love at all; Juliet feels that she would be betraying Romeo if she does. Besides showing how Juliet’s age affects her decisions, Shakespeare also emphasizes how love can be confused with infatuation.