Romeo and Juliet, a theatrical play written in the 16th century by William Shakespeare, is about a forbidden relationship between two young lovers that results in tragedy and death for many of those involved. The co-protagonist of the play, a 14-year-old young woman by the name of Juliet, is faced with pressure from several parties and she must deal with the pressure accordingly. In the 16th century it was customary for a father to marry off his daughter to a suitor as soon as she reached sexual maturity. The major conflict arises from the fact that Juliet’s family, the Capulets, is in conflict with a rival family known as the Montagues and Juliet has decided that the man she will marry, Romeo, is one of the rival family. This creates a conflict
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In contemporary society, it is expected that children follow the mandates of an older guardian, but the relationship between Juliet and her parents surpasses simply subservience. In this case, Juliet is treated as literal property by her father, a concept that was prevalent in human history up until the 20th century, “Thursday is near; lay hand on heart, advise: And you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend; And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, For, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee, Nor what is mine shall never do thee good” (288). It is because of Juliet’s forced marriage to Paris that it becomes apparent that neither Capulet nor Lady Capulet understand the concept of love any more than Juliet or Romeo does. It is either ignorance or blatant self-interest that Juliet is essentially to be sold to Paris. Whatever the case may be, marriage between Juliet and Paris would have been transactional more so than a union between two equal individuals. Capulet and Lady Capulet clearly operate primarily for their own gain or for the gain of the Capulet collective with little consideration for the desires of Juliet. Faced with a similar predicament is the character Rosaline, who shares many similarities and differences with …show more content…
In the first act, Romeo is seen grieving over the fact that Rosaline does not reciprocate Romeo’s affection, “Bid a sick man in sadness make his will. Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill! In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman” (126). Rosaline’s ability to ignore the undeniable charms of Romeo and to stick to her vows of a life of chastity proves that she has reached a level of maturity perhaps even exceeding that of Juliet. This is contrasted by the way Juliet deals with infatuation. Juliet meets Romeo at a gathering set up by her father, and she is engrossed by Romeo’s affection and physical appearance within a matter of several hours. One can surmise that Romeo shared a similar “love” for Rosaline, but settled with Juliet instead because she was of comparable mental development and she was receptive of his advances. Nonetheless Rosaline serves as a contrast between pre and post-Juliet Romeo. Rosaline was a necessary stepping stone for Romeo to be able to successfully gain the affection of
In contemporary society, it is expected that children follow the mandates of an older guardian, but the relationship between Juliet and her parents surpasses simply subservience. In this case, Juliet is treated as literal property by her father, a concept that was prevalent in human history up until the 20th century, “Thursday is near; lay hand on heart, advise: And you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend; And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, For, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee, Nor what is mine shall never do thee good” (288). It is because of Juliet’s forced marriage to Paris that it becomes apparent that neither Capulet nor Lady Capulet understand the concept of love any more than Juliet or Romeo does. It is either ignorance or blatant self-interest that Juliet is essentially to be sold to Paris. Whatever the case may be, marriage between Juliet and Paris would have been transactional more so than a union between two equal individuals. Capulet and Lady Capulet clearly operate primarily for their own gain or for the gain of the Capulet collective with little consideration for the desires of Juliet. Faced with a similar predicament is the character Rosaline, who shares many similarities and differences with …show more content…
In the first act, Romeo is seen grieving over the fact that Rosaline does not reciprocate Romeo’s affection, “Bid a sick man in sadness make his will. Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill! In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman” (126). Rosaline’s ability to ignore the undeniable charms of Romeo and to stick to her vows of a life of chastity proves that she has reached a level of maturity perhaps even exceeding that of Juliet. This is contrasted by the way Juliet deals with infatuation. Juliet meets Romeo at a gathering set up by her father, and she is engrossed by Romeo’s affection and physical appearance within a matter of several hours. One can surmise that Romeo shared a similar “love” for Rosaline, but settled with Juliet instead because she was of comparable mental development and she was receptive of his advances. Nonetheless Rosaline serves as a contrast between pre and post-Juliet Romeo. Rosaline was a necessary stepping stone for Romeo to be able to successfully gain the affection of