We later have Juliet’s age confirmed by Capulet, her father as he talks to Paris about his proposal to marry his daughter, ‘what say you to my suit’.
Capulet tells Paris that she is very young, ‘a stranger in the world’ he then goes onto say ‘she hath not seen the change of fourteen years’. We then
discover, as her mother, Lady Capulet who is also working up to the subject of marriage is talking to the nurse, that her fourteenth birthday isn’t for another ‘fortnight and odd days’ so we have Juliet’s age verified and her youth is emphasised by the nurse chattering on with humorous stories about her growing up.
Romeo in love with Rosaline sees Juliet at the feast and thinks that she is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. ‘O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!’ At this point now, Juliet is standing out like a beacon to Romeo – a light in the darkness - she appears very beautiful to him. This is showing us again Romeo’s lack of maturity as he falls in and out of love so quickly. Their first conversation together is a sonnet, a poem of love, which Shakespeare has used religious words in - Romeo says‘ This holy shrine’ as Juliet replies, ‘Good Pilgrim,’ and by the end of this poem they are in love and show this by kissing. By using religious words, Shakespeare is letting us know now that Romeo actually worships Juliet. However, this reinforces the fact that Romeo is led by his emotions, and shows us that Juliet is also behaving in the same way. Her thoughts are on marriage to Romeo, as she says to her nurse ‘My grave is like to be my wedding bed.’ She is more worried that Romeo may be married rather than who he is; her nurse has told her that Romeo is, ‘The only son of your great enemy.’ This shows us Juliet’s youth and disregard for authority as she ignores the implications of marrying her parent’s enemy.
Shakespeare uses poetic language in the balcony scene so his audience will see that it is a romantic moment and once again, Romeo compares his love for Juliet to the light. ‘But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?’ There is also the use of religious words again ‘bright angel!’ as Romeo and Juliet confess their love for each other. Juliet then prompts him to arrange their marriage ‘Thy purpose marriage,’ this shows a lack of immaturity on both their parts as Romeo allows himself to be rushed along by Juliet’s impatience to be with him which can only be achieved with marriage even though she knows, ‘If they do see thee, they will murder thee.’ They both know that by marrying they are going against their family’s honour and feud but their youth and immaturity makes them careless and reckless allowing them to get carried away with their love for each other, ‘tis almost morning’.
Friar Laurence is amazed at how quickly Romeo has fallen in love again; ‘What a change is here!’ He tries to get Romeo to calm down. Shakespeare express’s this to his audience by using metaphors, ‘wounded me,’ and changing the Rhythm with his choice of words and punctuation as the Friar advises Romeo, ‘Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.’ In response to his youthful haste, in wanting to marry Juliet, his family’s enemy, that same day, ‘marry us to-day’ he does eventually agree to the wedding in the hope that it will end the family feud. The nurse is concerned about Juliet and speaks to Romeo ‘Gentlewoman is young;’ she is worried that he is taking advantage of Juliet’s youth and innocence. Then the Friar is concerned and cautions Romeo, ‘violent delights have violent ends’ he can see that Romeo is deeply in love and wants him to keep control of his passions, which may not have been so urgent had he been older and wiser.
Romeo is banished ‘exile him hence’ after killing Tybalt and without thinking is ready to commit suicide ‘poison mix’d’ until the nurse says ‘stand up’ ‘you be a man:’ He is rash and hot headed and his lack of maturity shows as he is not thinking his actions through at all. This also shows his youth, as he needs to be given direction by an adult. Romeo and Juliet spend the night together, Shakespeare uses Rhymes to emphasise the importance of their love, and that they are agreeing as Juliet says ‘O, now be gone; more light and light it grows.’ Romeo then answers, ‘More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!’ Romeo can see that the light stands for the darkness as they part company. They are in deeply in tune and have made reckless decisions because of their love for each other. Their uninformed decision to be married was rash and impulsive as they ignored all the standards of their time in their youthful eagerness to be together.
Juliet’s father is furious with her when she opposes her marriage to Paris; he is scornful about her youth, ‘young baggage!’ He sees her refusing because she is too young but as Juliet never actually said that herself – her father is actually feeling guilty as he himself had said ‘a stranger in the world’ while he was talking to Paris about her. Juliet then shows her youth by imploring first her mother who rejects her ‘done with thee.’ She turns to her nurse, ‘comfort me,’ and is let down, ‘Romeo’s a dishclout’ and so the Friar is her last hope with his idea of feigning death, ‘Give me,’ Juliet is longing for an adult to comfort and support her but is unfortunately let down. Had she not been so young and naive she may well have chosen a different way of avoiding her marriage to Paris.
There is a very strong contrast between the overwhelming young love of Romeo. ‘Did my heart love till now?’ and Juliet, ‘take all my self.’ With the feud between. The ‘old Capulet, and Montague,’ and their ‘canker'd’ hate for each other. As the Prince, ‘And hear the sentence’ lectures Capulet and Montague like children. ‘Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.’ He was not to foresee that tragically, their children would be the ones to pay the ultimate price for the senseless grudge held by their families, or that their misfortunate love, ‘give me thy hand:’ would heal their family’s rift.
Have they succeeded with their death in ‘the triumph of youth?’ Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story and more so, because they are so very young. Their rashness and haste in dealing with the situation they found themselves in only reinforces this, they acted purely on their emotions, which proved to be their downfall.
However, their love now survives them and by their death, they have obtained an endless triumph over everything and everyone who sought to keep them apart. Their youth is now immortalised by their death.
