Romeo and Juliet are too young to get married, because Juliet is only thirteen. This is too young because at this age you may think that you have fallen in love, but it is actually unlikely for you to be with this person forever. It is also unrealistic, because of how quickly they fell in love and got married. They fell in love within a few hours of meeting one
Adolescent brains and young love are the most to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, ultimately leading to their demise. Even though it may seem like the rivalry between the families was the leading cause of their death, it was rather a small piece to a cornucopia of issues for these star-crossed lovers. Identifying the ages of maturity levels in Romeo and Juliet is a significant element in the story that can help us understand important themes and morals of the story. Romeo and Juliet are still children, as stated by the drama. And children are generally incapable of viewing things from the perspectives of others.
Romeo and Juliet are still teenagers, not yet
It was almost always arranged marriage
The Self-Destructive Nature of Youthful Love Although love was a prevalent theme throughout the growing Elizabethan Era literature, love was merely a sense of fantasy and imagination for the people of this age. Common amongst noble and wealthy families, arranged marriages were solely done for the benefit of social status, material wealth, and overall gain. This includes the families of Romeo and Juliet, who were expected to marry as per their parents’ decisions. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet represents the topic of young love by showing the star-crossed lovers' impulsive actions and their desire to rebel against their families for one another.
When thinking of marriage, it is important to think of everything that marriage entails. "Marriage is the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies and the accompiniment of social festivities" (Document B). The average age for marriage in the modern world is 27 versus the age of 14 during the Elizabethan era when Juliet got married. At the age of 14, during this time, girls had no job and virtually no time to focus on themselves before rushing into marriage. Nowadays, before getting marrried, women have careers and can provide for themselves before settling down and marrying.
It was almost thought of as a business deal for the parents due to the fact that they wanted to keep a good reputation for them. Some of these people "usually meet on the day of the wedding, which was a tradition among well-known nobilities" ("Elizabethan Era"). Since a few of these individuals met their future partners on the day of the wedding, many of them weren’t able to back out. Arranged marriages caused these upper-class individuals to have little to no freedom in choosing who they got to
“My dismal scene I needs must act alone.” (Shakespeare act IV scene iii). Catherine and Juliet also share the common idea of coming age, since marriage at a young age was common during their time period. They are both about 13 years old moving on to 14, and are both introduced with the idea of marriage.
In Europe during the 19th century social class determined the power you had, your education level, economic status, job and so on. As a women being born in that time you were able to marry into a higher class but only if you had
Did you know Romeo is sixteen and Juliet is thirteen in Shakespeare's play? In Noah Berlatsky's article, "In Defense of Romeo and Juliet," published in 2013, the author explores the idea that the play, Romeo and Juliet, is about childishness and that the play is not childish. In William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, published in 1597, the author explores the idea of two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, whose parents are at war against each other; Romeo and Juliet secretly fall in love and try to hide their love for each other from both their parents. According to Noah Berlatsky, in his article, "In Defense of Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet for a mature audience because of the old/young obsession throughout the play and some scenes that may be unsuitable for youthful audiences.
When it came to the middle class they could marry anyone of whom they desired, but then again most women would decline a marriage
Juliet is thirteen going fourteen in a few weeks, but that is still not a suitable age for marriage. Contrary to Juliet's mother, even her father wants her to wait at least two years till marrying, seeing as she is still a child who has not seen the world. “My child is yet
Romeo and Juliet are offsprings of Lords meaning, there was a large amount of pressure to get them married as the family needs to have a monarch in line for the throne when the lords finally step down. Living in a society where there are laws around getting married at that age, I sit and look at this like ‘your only kids, what are you doing’, I have a whole life ahead of me I have to finish high school, go to university, get my PhD and only then will I start to think about building a family. Times have changed dramatically, and we are able to live longer because of developed technology, which they didn’t have back then. But, like I said before, Romeo and Juliet were a bit too enthusiastic with the thought of being in love. They wanted to get married the next day!
Women during the age lived to about 24. The average takes into account the high infant mortality rates and abysmal advancements in health. The age of consent was 12 years old for girls. Societies such as India at the time continued the tradition of marrying girl at a young age. It was also common in Medieval Europe.
The Maturities of Romeo and Juliet It is a controversial topic whether youth is capable of handling a mature love. Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare by 1595, epitomizes this common topic. The main characters of the play are two teenagers who fall in love at the first sight, however, the hatred between the families of the two leads to their death in the end. In the adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet in 1996, Romeo and Juliet are portrayed more mature than in that of Baz Luhrmann in 1968.
