Arlen Lee
EN 102
Dr. Helms
29 January 2019
Romeo and Juliet Literary Argument
Romeo and Juliet is often read based off of the idyllic plot established in the prologue. The idea of the prologue is put into the audiences’ mind that the story is about two star-crossed lovers who fall in love and sacrifice themselves. Many say that this is romance in its purest form and it is fate that brings Romeo and Juliet together. It is believed that this fate brought them together to end their families ongoing blood feud and they die to bring peace to their families. They say that this story is one of the best representations of young love and how powerful it can be; however, I think that Romeo and Juliet is about the immaturity of young love and how reckless it can be.
Many people see these two, young, teenager’s love story as fate, beginning in one of the most famous scenes in the play, the balcony scene. Juliet is looking out of her window wondering where Romeo is after their encounter at her families’ ball. “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” (2.2.36). Right after Juliet calls for Romeo he just so happens to emerge from the bushes and be right there to answer her beckoning call. Also, in this verse, one of the first things that Juliet says to Romeo is, “And I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (2.2.39). This shows Juliet’s immediate love and affection for Romeo as she is already speaking of changing her name for him which implies marriage. Shakespeare gets the audience further hooked into the theme of fate being the driving force between Romeo and Juliet’s relationship in this scene.
This immaturity between the two is seen very early on in the play when Romeo first interacts with Juliet. The two met at a ball put on by the Capulet’s, where Romeo takes one glance at Juliet, goes up to her and takes her hand to says, “My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand / To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss” (1.5.106-107). Instantly, the two feel the bonds of love and forget the world around them. While many people see this as very romantic and sweet of Romeo, I personally think this shows Romeo’s level of immaturity about relationships and love. He refers to his lips as “pilgrims” that are ready to explore her lips which sounds like something you would say when you were trying to seduce a woman in this time period. While I can see the charm in this approach, it also seems like a childish thing to say as it makes Romeo appear like he is just another hormonal teenager who is trying his luck with a very attractive woman.
After the ball is over, Romeo is determined to see Juliet again as soon as possible so, as soon as they leave the ball, he runs from his friends to find her. Benvolio, Romeo’s best friend, says, “Come, he hath hid himself among these trees” (2.2.33) to Mercutio when they attempt to chase Romeo down after they all leave the Capulet’s ball. Most people who read this see this as a sign of Romeo’s admiration for Juliet as it expresses his urgency to be able to see her again. Personally, I think this scene portrays even more of his immaturity and blindness to what he is doing. He practically breaks into Juliet’s backyard and is creeping around in hiding, hoping to see her through her window. In my opinion this is something you would expect out of a modern-day child in middle school when they have a crush on someone rather than being a mature adult and asking the woman they are interested out on a date or arranging some sort of meeting to be able to see one another again, not to stalk them.
During Romeo and Juliet’s interaction with each other in her backyard they decide that they want to try to get married. As Romeo is getting ready to leave for the night, Juliet says to him, “If that thy bent of love be honorable, / Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow” (2.2.150-151). In this part of Scene Two, Romeo and Juliet agree to marry each other and plan on going to the church the next day if Romeo can get it arranged. To the many who read this story this is thought to represent a classic example of love at first sight and not to waste any time with each other. Also, the general audience is too fascinated by the romance between Romeo and Juliet to see how irrational this is the fast-paced romance it. For me, the idea of marrying a girl the day after you meet her is just preposterous. I think this relates to a current TV Show, “Married at First Sight” where contestants meet their spouses on the alter and say the words “I Do” within minutes after learning each-others names.
Later on, Romeo is banished from Verona and their marriage which causes Juliet to fall into despair. Her father is soon to push her to marry Paris, an avid admirer of Juliet, as soon as possible. This causes Juliet to run to Friar Lawrence to figure out a way to get out of the arranged marriage and stay loyal to Romeo. This, of course, means that faking her death and hiding becomes their master plan until Romeo returns. That night, when Juliet goes to bed she says to herself, “Farewell. —God knows when we shall meet again” (4.3.15). Most of the audience views this as Juliet’s unbreakable loyalty to Romeo and that she would rather die than be with anyone else. I personally think that this shows her immaturity and a lack of understanding for life where she thinks that death, even the false kind, is the only way out of a situation that she doesn’t like. The thought that dying rather than being without someone that you have only known for a mere few days just seems absurd and shows the lack of maturity that both Romeo and Juliet share.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet remains to this day one of the most famous works of poetry in the world and also one of the most controversial. This is due to the amount of different interpretations by the audience, in which Shakespeare left in the play to make the viewers have to read between the lines to figure out how exactly everything truly ends. This room for interpretation has left a debate about what the play itself is written or intended to say. Everyone has their own opinion about it and while the majority of people see this play as a young romance about fate and the power of love, I contrast this opinion and think it is trying to showcase how immature young teenagers in love can be.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, et al. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009.
EN 102 ePortfolio 