+171 Everone says Romeo and Juliet is the most romantic story ever, but it's actually kind of creepy. I mean, Romeo is 18, Juliet is 13 and they're in love. Ew. Plus, Romeo stalks Juliet and talks to himself outside her house. He's actually really creepy, amirite?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Not to mention the entire love affair took place over the course of a week, and all of the characters are extremely melodramatic and stupid. And honestly, Romeo just wants to get it in.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Plus, Juliet's just a rebound from that other girl who wouldn't do him.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

It makes no mention of Romeo's age anywhere in the tragedy...

by Anonymous 11 years ago

People who continuously like to point out the 'flaws' in Shakespeare's works obviously aren't really experiencing them. They're just going through the motions of working out the plot. It's really quite annoying. These plays are famous for a reason; they are much deeper and more complex then 'Ew it was creepy and weird and they died it's dumb'. You're supposed to analyze them and interpret them. For instance, when I think of Romeo and Juliet I think about the innocence of young love. Yes, it happened quickly, but frankly that seems to suit it- young love is about naivety and failing to see flaws in one another. There are also other themes concerning many different aspects of the story, for instance- working against societal rules. There are countless posts on here about what was 'wrong' with the story, but frankly if you're going to read a classic work like this only to get caught up with technicalities then why bother.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I understand that. I am a fan of Shakespear's work, but Romeo & Juliet has never really appealed to me. I see the beauty in the literature itself, but I simply cannot connect with any of the characters. I can appreciate that it's a great tragedy, but I just don't like it.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

That's a completely separate issue though; I'm addressing people who read the works without actually taking the time to enjoy and understand them, or just take them at face value and strip them of any meaning. If you're unable to connect with the characters that's understandable but if you're going to dumb down a classic work of literature to "There was an age gap and it happened too quickly" then you just seem dumb.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

13 year old girls married to men over twice their age at that time. So it's less creepy than reality was.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Okay, but think about the aduience this was written for. It was perfectly acceptable for young women to marry men a mere five years older than themselves; it is still acceptable, even common, for this to happen.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

romeo's age was never mentioned. he could have been 45, or he could have been 12. or anywhere in between.

by Anonymous 11 years ago