R&J Relationship Essay

     Despite being centuries apart, the relationships in Romeo & Juliet and modern day relationships have many similarities. There are many relationships in the play including parent/child relationships, friendships, marriages, cousins and so on. The relationships that teens today relate to most is the relationship that Romeo and Juliet share.

     When Romeo and Juliet met they instantly fell in "love". Shakespeare described them as "star crossed lovers" and believed that it was their destiny that they be brought together. Nothing has changed between then and now. Even in today's time people say "it's meant to be" when they think they have found someone they're in love with. Romeo and Juliet were teenagers. Time does not change how a teenage brain works. Obviously social media has a large affect on today's relationships, but hormones and the things that happen inside a teenagers body haven't changed. That saying, "love at first sight" can be true. The first thing you notice in someone is their appearance. Romeo and Juliet were drawn to each other just based on that. It's unrealistic to be in love with someone without knowing who they even are but the aspect of wanting to be with someone because of physical appearance happens a lot. Teenagers get hung up on the idea of love. There is a quote that says "There are certain people that define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like." That saying basically sums up everything. There is no definition of what love is because it's a feeling. Tons of teenagers today go around saying that they're in love, just like Romeo and Juliet did. Yes, Romeo and Juliet probably set the standards for love a little high, but at the same time it goes to show that once a teenage has that feeling of what they think love is, they get hooked on it.

     It's easy to argue that you could never be in love with someone without knowing who they are and getting to know the person. Romeo and Juliet knew each other for less than a week before getting married. That doesn't usually happen in today's society. Most of the time people spend years together getting to know each other before they get married. The benefit of that is that you get to learn all about the person and see who they really are. You wouldn't want to marry someone based on looks alone. There were a lot of arranged marriages in Romeo and Juliets time though. A lot of people didn't have a chance to get to know their love and were forced to marry them. Romeo and Juliet was the opposite of an arranged marriage. They weren't supposed to even be talking because of their families rivalry. But at the same time Juliet was being forced to marry Paris. She didn't know him well either but she was instantly drawn to a Romeo. Teenagers today are like that too. Someone could have a crush on someone, but that person could feel nothing at all for them, and everything for someone else. It's not a matter of "you can't help who you fall in love with", but more that when you see something in someone, such as a trait or characteristic that you're drawn to, you instantly want to get to know that person better.

     Parents also had and have a big influence on relationships. In Romeo and Juliet their families hated each other. There was an ongoing grudge that neither side would let go of. When Juliet found out Romeo was a Montague, at first she was devastated. Saying things like "My only love sprung from my only hate." But then she realizes that "Montague" is just a name, and doesn't define who Romeo is. "Tis but thy name is my enemy; thou art myself, though not a Montague, What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part, belonging to a man O, be some other name." She tells herself this, and is willing to look past the fact that he is from a rivalry family because she loves him. This can relate to a teenager so much! If someone brings home their boyfriend or girlfriend or anything like that and their parents don't like them, the teen tends to go behind their parents backs, just like Romeo and Juliet. Teenagers are constantly rebelling against their parents so they can do what they want. There are tons of things to do with religion and race and sexuality when it comes to relationships that parents may disagree with, and in Romeo and Juliets case it was the fact that their families hate each other. Juliet basically said that she was willing to ditch her family to be with Romeo. In today's time that still happens! Teens seem to value relationships like that more than relationships with their parents. It's probably because teens like the feeling of being able to do whatever they want. Parents are there to look out for you, but just like Juliet, teens get their backs up and instantly rebel. 

      Each relationship from the play can relate to a teenager in some way. Every teenager experiences hormones differently, which means they also feels relationships differently. Teenagers are over reactive and feel like everything is the end of the world. That is exactly how Juliet felt about Romeo and vice versa. They were willing to do anything for each other and I'm sure every teenager has felt like that about someone before. The relationship Romeo and Juliet share relates most to a teenagers life.