Youthfulness and Impulsiveness in Shakespeare’s Romeo and...

Written in the 16th century, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is still the foundations of classic literature today. Although this text is almost four centuries old, what keeps us interested is Romeo and Juliet’s tragic story of youthfulness and impulsiveness. It follows the protagonists’ progression into mature adults; overcoming the obstacles of authority along the way. The idea of a passionate, youthful love is something many of us relate to, furthermore, the audience can comprehend the emotions that these characters feel because we recognise them as emotions of the youth. Three key scenes that highlight youthfulness and its consequences are Scene one of Act one, Scene two of Act two, Scene five of Act three. These three scenes represent†¦show more content†¦Scene two of Act two is Romeo and Juliet’s balcony scene, where Romeo, rather hastily, swears his love for Juliet shortly after their first meeting. This illustrates youthful love, something e ver so present in society. The last key moment is Juliet’s dilemma with Romeo banished and Paris forced upon her for marriage. Perhaps this sudden change brought out the most in Juliet’s youthfulness, thinking impulsively and making unwise and rash decisions, leaving her isolated from any comfort and help. The first lines the play begins with is already illustrating how far this ‘civil brawl’ has come. In act one of scene one, the prince suggests that this brawl has become so old that no one really knows its reason anymore, it continues on; making an argument between two households into a brawl where everyone must take sides. In a way, everyone of the Capulet and Montague households are being obstinate and unwilling to forgive and forget the past. Samson and Gregory subtlety but deliberately provokes the servants of the Montague house, leading to an unnecessary fight which could have been easily avoided. Sampson and Gregory are making crude remarks about women, letting the audience see into a young man’s mind. All while this hatred is brewing in town, Romeo is off alone moping on about his infatuation with Rosaline, who he claims to be, â€Å"..too fair, too wise, wisely too fair..† The theme ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on A Modern Interpretation of Romeo and Ju liet 3467 Words   |  14 PagesWhen you hear the words â€Å"Romeo and Juliet†, what comes to your mind? For most people, the mention of these names brings about images of young people declaring their love from balconies and defying fate to be together. Romeo and Juliet is certainly a story of youthful romance. However, the first-time reader will often miss the underlying ideas that the writer only hints at over the course of this play. To fail to realize the subtle political and social themes within the plot is to fail to understand