Romeo And Juliet Coming Of Age Essay

As one of the most well-known plays created in the sixteenth century by one who is now considered to be a master writer, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet is the tragic love story of two heirs of opposing noble households: the Montagues and the Capulets. While some may say that it is a great archetype of the coming-of-age story to be used in a Freshman English classroom, others will refute, claiming it to be an inappropriate one. The first half is even written as a comedy, almost as if Shakespeare himself was mocking the “love at first sight” trope. Because Romeo and Juliet has seldom to no character development, takes place within the span of days, and is in the setting of an old-fashioned society, it is an inappropriate coming-of-age plotline for freshmen to analyze. To begin, Romeo and Juliet is not an exceptional coming-of-age storyline because of the way the characters have little to no character development. As a person, I believe that development of a personality or views of a character is one of the most important parts of a story, or in real life, of a

This means that women married young, had children young, and had to listen and obey all males as if they could not think for themselves. Clearly, that is not comparable to modern society in a developed country today where women have their own rights and can make decisions for themselves freely with no reprimands. Even if others may argue and say that it is important to learn about the past so that we do not repeat it, I would then say that Romeo and Juliet is not the prime example of showing that. It is a story that brings up more problems as it romanticizes suicide as both “star-crossed lovers” kill themselves together. Plus, Juliet is even let down by her mother, showing a society where women always obey their husbands, and doing nothing to prove it as