Why Romeo and Juliet's relationship was doomed from the start.

There are several contributing factors that tell us, had Romeo and Juliet lived, they wouldn't have enjoyed the story book happy ending featured in many a fairy tale. People like to use the young couple as an example of true love despite the fact that their relationship was hardly ideal. They were opposing members of feuding families that turned violent toward each other at a single glance, they married the day after they met, they were young and reckless. Their impulsive behaviour may be seen as romantic, but was it practical?

Consider that when Romeo first appears in the play he is head over heels for another girl named Rosaline. The way he talks about this girl you would think he was the head of her fan club or something. He speaks as if his life has ended because she doesn't want him. When he meets Juliet, he marries her the next day, Rosaline apparently completely forgotten. I have to wonder, how long did he know this Rosaline girl before deciding he was in love? Before he met Rosaline, was there another girl he considered his other half? What I'm saying is that Romeo seemed to be in love with falling in love. How serious was he about his commitments really? If Rosaline wasn't so sensible would we have a tragic story of Romeo and Rosaline rather than Juliet?

The impulsiveness of their actions wasn't the only thing keeping them from a happy ending though. Juliet was thirteen and Romeo sixteen. That is like one of the year ten guys at our school skipping off to Vegas with a year seven girl. Does that seem right to you? Yeah I know it was different back then; people got married much younger. In fact, Juliet's parents wanted her to marry that Paris guy. So really their age isn't the problem, it is their ignorance. Their ignorance, their innocence and their general disregard for their parent's opinion. Back then parents were supposed to decide to whom their children would marry.

The fact that their families couldn't get along at all probably put a hole in their happily ever after plan. The play starts with their family members getting in a fight over seemingly nothing. Romeo and Juliet getting married is like a lawyer marrying a hippy, a vegetarian marrying a cannibal (my what a wedding night THAT would have been). The conflicts that would ensue would be devastating at best.

They are a pretty good match, I'll admit. I mean they are both foolish and impulsive to the point that they kill themselves over someone they have known only for a few days.

So we have a couple of kids who decide they are ready for married life after knowing each other for as long as a day. Never mind that their families are sworn enemies. Never mind that Juliet is meant to marry someone else. Never mind that Romeo was in love with someone else not a day before. They are in love, what else is there to consider?

the end


There you have it a rough draft that I really didn't want to do. I keep my promises though. Or at least I try to. That is enough for one day, I think. I'm going to go play robot unicorn attack.

RachOddSocks