It would be no outlandish claim to state that “Romeo and Juliet” is Shakespeare’s most famous play. Whilst many of his other plays created certain tropes of literature, such as the bickering lovers in “Much Ado About Nothing”, and the marital endings of all his comedies, the titular star crossed lovers from this piece of fiction have been echoed in television, film, book, play and poem alike. Despite the constant and consistent retelling of this story, there seems to be no unanimous societal opinion. People are divided, half arguing for “Romeo and Juliet” as a beautiful story between two unfortunate young lovers, and the other half insisting that Shakespeare uses the medium to make fun of the emphasis that society places upon love.
On one hand, the circumstances are certainly not in favour of Romeo, or Juliet. Their meeting could be taken straight out of a Disney film; Romeo Montague, who has snuck into the Capulet ball, catches sight of Lord Capulet’s daughter, Juliet, and falls head over heels. The pair arrange secret meetings, in order to spend snatched moments together, knowing their warring families would separate them if they ever got the chance. Then; tragedy strikes. Juliet’s cousin kills Romeo’s friend in a duel, and Romeo enacts murderous revenge. Banished for his crimes, Juliet is forced by her parents to wed another. However, on the night of her wedding, Juliet fakes her death, in hope to escape with Romeo. Upon finding her, however, Romeo assumes her death, and dies with her- at this point, Juliet wakes up, realises that her love has died, and drinks poison. Although a true tragedy, the feuding families are brought together in sorrow. A truly sad tale of romance, right? At least, the many, many adaptations, and the play’s fame would suggest so.
There are, however, some facts in existence that suggest that this play is a little less romantic than first thought. Firstly, in the story, Juliet is 13, and Romeo 17. Now, some may argue that young marriages were common in the past, but historical records show that most people didn’t marry until their early 20s. Next, the reason Romeo snuck into the Capulet ball was to meet with Juliet’s cousin, Rosalind, who he had been courting. Upon seeing Juliet, however, he immediately ignores his former love interest, chasing after her much younger cousin. The most obvious example of Romeo’s rashness, however, was his death- if he’d cried over Juliet’s body for an hour or so, she would have woken up, and neither would have died. All these examples, and more, suggest that the Shakespeare may have been trying to depict the rashness of young lovers, rather than their tragic beauty.
So, is “Romeo and Juliet” a true tragedy, or a satirical observation of young lovers? From actors, to academics, to GCSE English students, people have been divided over this question for years, and, as the original author is unreachable, it seems unlikely that the question will ever truly be answered. Authorial intent, however, is only part of a piece of fiction; more importantly, it’s what you make of it.
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