Lust In Romeo And Juliet Essay

Romeo and Juliet are not the only ones reflecting lust in Shakespeare’s time. William Shakespeare, the author of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, also reflects lust in his own marriage. When they married, Shakespeare was only 18, while his spouse, Anne Hathaway, was 26. Shakespeare and Romeo were both lustful teenagers who did not marry for love. Shakespeare was under the same conditions as Romeo was; a lustful, impulsive teenager craving a relationship built on sexual relations (“Shakespeare’s Wedding and Marriage”). Hathaway and Juliet are both victims of a relationship based on teen desire. Both Romeo and Juliet have traits of lust that lead to their ultimate downfall. Both Romeo and Juliet exhibit characteristics of irresponsible teenagers,

This elicited their demise because their lust for each other “occurs with a glance and enters them through their eyes” (Dupler 265). Romeo and Juliet thought they were experiencing love at first sight, but Juliet’s unfortunate circumstances and Romeo’s need for a woman added to their teenage lust is what creates that feeling. Both Romeo and Juliet were “bewitched by the charm of looks” (II.Prologue.6). Whether they are aware of it or not, Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is not even yet a relationship. They meet once, exchanging only a few words, and get married the next day. One cannot truly fall in love with another if they know nothing about each other. All that Romeo and Juliet know is that they crave each other and need to get out of tough situations. As soon as Romeo lays eyes on Juliet, he is enchanted by her beauty. He wishes “that [he] were a glove upon that hand/that [he] might touch that cheek” (II.ii.23-25). Romeo believes the feeling to be love at first sight, while it truly is just lust and physical attraction. Even Friar Lawrence does not believe that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is made of love. When Romeo tells Friar about Juliet, Friar Lawrence says that their relationship is “for doting, not for loving” (II.iv.82). Friar understands that this relationship is not a reflection of love because of his impulsiveness and his sudden transfer from Rosaline to