Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

     In William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", Romeo and Juliet die for their love. But is it really true love? I believe that Romeo and Juliet's love was not completely real, even if they believed it to be. Juliet wanted to rebel against her family, Romeo was lusting for a woman, and they were both immature.

    Juliet wanted to rebel because her parents were truly bad parents (Capulet to Juliet, about marrying Paris - "To go with Paris to Saint Peter's Church, / Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither. / Out, you green sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! / You tallow face!" [3.5.159-162]), and her parents were forcing her to marry Paris without even consulting her on the matter (Capulet, on Juliet not wanting to marry Paris - "How, will she none? Doth she not count her blessed, / Unworthy as she is, that ha have wrought / So worthy a gentleman to be her bride?" [3.5.147-152]). Juliet also wanted to rebel because she knew her mother married young to her father, whom she didn't love, and subconsciously, Juliet was afraid of being unloved, or not loving the man she married, so the first person she felt a spark with who felt the spark back (Romeo) is the man that she married.

     Romeo was lusting for a woman. First, he loved Rosaline, and he was sad because she was becoming a nun, so he couldn't get married to her (Romeo, sad about Rosaline not being able to bear children - "O, she is rich in beauty, only poor / That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store." [1.1.223-224]). Then, he throws his love for Rosaline away when he sees Juliet (Romeo, when he first sees Juliet - "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! / It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night / As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear- / Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear." [1.5.51-54]). He is jumping from woman to woman, and may not see that he is doing this, but it is happening.

     Romeo and Juliet were both rather immature. Juliet was only 13 (Capulet, on Juliet's age - "Thou knowest my daughter's of a pretty age." [1.3.11]), and Romeo was 18. They also both had strong influences, Romeo having Mercutio and Juliet having Romeo, and their influencers did not always do the right thing (Mercutio, picking a fight with Tybalt, Juliet's cousin - "Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher by the ears? / Make haste, lest mine be about your / ears ere it be out." [3.1.81-83]).

     In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet's love was not exactly real, even if they thought it was, because Juliet wanted to get back at her parents, Romeo was a womanizer, and they bother were not too mature. Shakespeare was trying to tell people that young love, or as a matter of fact any love, can end badly, especially if someone is not ready for it.