Tragic Youth

Two households, both alike in dignity
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

(Romeo and Juliet, Prologue, 1-4)

Romeo and Juliet is about feuds, timing and chance. It is about a love meant to be, but not in this world. It is about costs.

The basic plot of the play is simple enough. Romeo attends a ball given in honor of the engagement of Juliet and Paris -- the Prince of Verona's nephew. The alliance marks the word of the Capulet patriarch to end the feuding between the Capulets and the Montagues. His promise of Juliet is his word.

We learn that the feud has lasted for far too long and with the marriage of Juliet, we also realize that the past is invading the present and imposing itself. But the promise of peace is hopeful even though the children do not understand the original dispute. We wonder if the parents know.

And so, Romeo attends the ball with his friends out of spite, but he soon learns Fate has other plans for him. He arrivves at the ball in love with Rosaline, but after meeting Juliet, his world is changed -- "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!/ It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night/ As a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear" (1.5.41-3).

His heart is no more capricious than anyone his age. But his transformation from prankster to dedicated suitor is indeed unique. Juliet is the impetus for his growth. And he emerges a young young man determined to be with the one he loves.

The intensity of love is key to action and the driving force behind Romeo and Juliet's inevitable end. They are willing to sacrifice this world in favor of a better one, so long as they are together. Their idealistic views on love clashes with the reality of their families' world. Gritty reality, and the problems that go along with it, is no place for their love to be.

Like Romeo, Juliet also undergoes a dramatic transformation. Love permits her to grow in a way that she had not known before. And although her father had united her with Paris, she is not ready for love until she meets Romeo -- "Deny thy father and refuse thy name,/ Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,/ And I'll no longer be a Capulet" (2.1.76-8). She understands the obstacles that lie between her and Romeo, and she is willing to part with what she has known in favor of what she believes in: them.

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