Comparing Marriage In Romeo And Juliet And Today

Marriage in Romeo and Juliet Versus Now While reading Romeo and Juliet many people have noticed that how a marriage works is very distant than how they work today. In this play the marriages are very different because of the proposal, the ceremony, and the reception. These are only some of the many things from Shakespeare’s era that have changed over time. In Shakespeare’s play, the proposal is very different than they are today. To be specific, the time frame in which it happens, the age they propose at, and how they propose bear no resemblance to today. In Shakespeare’s time, the proposal happened very quickly. When Romeo proposed to Juliet, they haven’t even known each other for a whole day. In Act II Scene II Juliet says, “I gave thee mine before thou didst request it: And yet I would it were to give again.” They have only known each other for a night and Juliet already wants to be proposed to. In contrast, in current times it could take anywhere from a couple months to years to decide to propose. The age at which the proposal takes

They don’t celebrate their marriage as much as people do now. For example, Romeo got in a duel after the wedding. In Act III Scene I Benvolio says, “Romeo, away, be gone! The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain. Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death, If thou art taken: hence, be gone, away!” This is showing the duel between Tybalt, Benvolio and Romeo getting ready to happen. Then, he got exiled and had to leave so Romeo and Juliet never got to celebrate together, with their families or go on a honeymoon. In current times, the newlyweds celebrate with each other. Next, they have a reception with their families and celebrate. Finally, they go on a honeymoon, usually to a tropical place out of state, and celebrate yet again with their new wife or husband. Overall, people can tell that the marriages in Shakespeare’s era vary greatly from marriages