In the introduction to Romeo and Juliet the Prologue tells us what the play is about. As well as the love of the two title characters, the audience is told that it is about ‘the continuance of their parents' rage’. We know that the Montagues and the Capulets hate each other. We know that this results in Romeo and Juliet both dying. But do we know why? And do Romeo and Juliet know? The Prologue’s phrase, ‘the continuance of their parents' rage’ suggests that they don’t. It’s an old fight, but young people are dragged into it too.
Romeo and Juliet is just as much about families as it is about love. The heads of the families, Montague and Capulet, assume that they will be obeyed, as this was the standard for families in Elizabethan times. When Capulet is told that Juliet does not want to marry, he is enraged: ‘And you be mine I’ll give you to my friend’, he says to her, ‘And you be not, hang! Beg! Starve! Die in the streets!’ (3.5.191-2). The choice he offers Juliet is either to marry Paris, or be out of the family forever. Why is Capulet so obsessed with Juliet’s marriage? Partly because he has no male heir: either Juliet produces one or the family expires.
Just before Romeo and Juliet first meet, two older characters, Capulet and his cousin try to remember how long ago their ‘dancing days’ were (1.5.32). The cousin thinks it was 30 years ago while Capulet believes only 25 years have passed, but neither knows for sure. But it’s clear that it’s about twice as long as Juliet has been alive for, which is a long time. Why should this short conversation come here? Although the party has been thrown by Capulet, he seems forgetful, and more interested in the past than in dancing himself. By contrast, when Romeo sees Juliet, he speaks in the present tense: ‘she doth teach the torches to burn bright…’ (44). Juliet does the same, after their first kiss, for example,: ‘you kiss by th’ book’ (110). So Capulet’s reminiscing is perhaps meant to show that the young live in the present, and talk about the present, while the old are talking about the past, and even stuck in the past. Part of Romeo and Juliet’s struggle is with the energy of their youth versus the weight of family history. The shift in language marks the different generations. Can you think of other ways in which the generations differ in the play?
Some things that are passed down from parents stay with us. You might support the football team that your mum or dad do, for example. Some things might change: when you’re old enough to vote, you consider your own values, not just the party your family votes for. When do you become old enough to think for yourself? Part of becoming an adult is questioning all the things you’ve been told to believe, so that you can work out whether you actually believe in them. That is what Romeo and Juliet both do during the play: Shakespeare wasn’t just writing about love, but about growing up too.
Do Romeo and Juliet want to grow up or are they forced to?
Which is more important to them – their love for their families or each other?