What is love and is it worth the hassle? Our adolescent years are the most turbulent as we test the waters and experiment with new things including love in the hope of discovering ourselves and finding our true identity. We focus on desires and believe that love will lead us to the happy ever after, rather than the consequences that may follow. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the pinnacle of love stories, portrays the passion and chaos of being in love through images of love, death, violence, religion, and family in an impressionistic rush that leads to the play’s tragic conclusion.
The tragic story of two forbidden star crossed lovers from two wealthy, rival families in Fair Verona, Romeo a Montague and Juliet a Capulet, reveals the turbulence of adolescent romantic relationships. Shakespeare
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In adolescence we have less responsibility and more freedom to pursue interests and adventures that include pure, innocent adolescent love. This play demonstrates the values of admiration, intimacy, and respect. The double entendre in ‘frank’ as both free and generous in “But to be frank, and give it thee again, And yet I wish but for the thing I have”, is Juliet’s word for the satisfaction that comes with giving a gift that is truly appreciated. She wants to be free to give her vow of love again and be generous to Romeo by repeating this vow. Furthermore, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite” in Act 2, Scene 2, shows Juliet’s love is as deep as the sea and the more she gives, the more she receives. Their love for each other is compared to nature, “as sweet as roses and birds that sing” signifying both beauty and purity. This shows Juliet’s values of admiration, intimacy,. and respect in her love for Romeo which were traditional of the Elizabethan