Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Four hundred years ago, the literary genius William Shakespeare wrote The

Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, a world-renowned play that continues that capture the

imagination and emotions of people around the globe. The drama portrays the passionate,

violent and often desperate lives of the youth of Verona, Italy. Even today, the tragedy

resembles a blue-print of the problems that the adolescents of the twentieth century must

face each day.

Parental influence, young love and the revenge code all have a direct and evident

effect on the lives of young people today. These issues continue to cause physical, mental

and emotional strain for many teenagers.

The ever-present influence of parents played a major part in The Tragedy of

Romeo and Juliet. The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues had been passed

down through the generations, until the youngest child had been planted with the seeds of

hate, malice and antipathy. From the beginning of the play, we learned that Capulet held

the decisive judgment of what Juliet's future would have in store.

"But saying o'er what I have said before.

My child is yet a stranger in the world.

She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.

Let two more summers wither in their pride

Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride." (I,ii,7-11)

The above quote clearly demonstrates Capulet's intent of choosing Juliet's

husband. Romeo and Juliet kept their relationship secret from the start, in fear that their

love affair would be scorned and rejected by their feuding families. It is my opinion, that

this subsequently led to the death of both lovers. Had they held a more open relationship, I

believe, eventually, both families would have accepted it. However,...

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...0's. Over 100,000 deaths

were the result of this territorial war, where, resembling the pointless feud of the

Montagues and Capulets, youths were killed for wearing red or blue. Even now, in high

schools and secondary schools around the world, "eye for an eye," seems to be the

philosophy of choice. Although a lot of the honor has been lost of the centuries, the

revenge code still exists, where the deaths, beatings and imprisonment of fellow

compatriots, often bring swift and zealous vengeance.

Life in Verona seems to have seldom difference from today's situation. Young people

seem to face the same problems, make the same difficult choices and confront the same

obstacles. Parental influence, young love and the revenge code still have an effect on us,

even after four hundred years, these problems are still present in the everyday lives of

today's youth.