I, like many people, have always been of the mind that Romeo and Juliet were children who made a rash decision that ended in death based on hormones and that they really didn’t know what love is and couldn’t possible have loved each other. After reading last class, I’m not sure. Who is to say they didn’t really love each other and that they wouldn’t have been happy ever after? Maybe they didn’t. Maybe the really believed that they were in love. But, maybe they were. I think I’ve become a little bit cynical about this kind of stuff, especially in teenagers. I remember when I was 13 how I felt. I had crushes. I was totally enamored with a boy or two when I was in middle school. I wouldn’t have killed myself for any of them, but I remember how I felt. So, it’s entirely possible that Romeo and Juliet would have quickly moved on, as Romeo did with Rosaline. But, maybe not. Maybe we don’t give them enough credit. I mean, look at these faces:
(I pulled these from Google. I take no credit for these sad gifs)
Maybe they were in love. And I think that’s why Romeo and Juliet has lasted so long and is such a common first exposure to Shakespeare. It has everything: romance, fighting, angst. Some people are totally on Romeo and Juliet’s side (even though it was, what? three days that they knew each other?), and others think they’re stupid children. And, I think, that because there is a chance to have different opinions on it, it’s successful. When I was 14 or 15, I met this guy on a missions trip. I knew him for three days. And I was totally head over heels. I cried when we left. We kept in touch. He was my “boyfriend” long distance for like two months —no need to expand on how that turned out — but I really liked him! I barely knew him. So, I’m not totally surprised that Romeo and Juliet would have felt in love and wanted to get married. I did not want to marry this boy that I had just met. Don’t worry. But, I guess I kind of see where they were coming from. Who is to say they weren’t in love?
Romeo and Juliet is a forbidden romance, and that has appeal too. Keeping things like relationships a secret makes it that much more intense. It’s a fairly common occurrence in fiction, the more that I think about it. Experiencing Romeo and Juliet at 21 has definitely been different than when I was 13 or 14, and I am so glad that we did. It makes a lot more sense now. I wasn’t one of those girls who thought it was an epic love story that I wanted to play out in my own life. I see things online of people wanting to find their “Romeo” and there are always comments about how that’s not really a good thing. I thought they were really stupid for killing themselves, and I still do, but I didn’t think the entire thing was ridiculous either.
Romeo and Juliet will probably continue to be one of the most famous love stories ever written.
