Some Things Never Change
“Age does not matter in most relationships, but in marriage, it matters a lot. If you marry a younger you have to baby sit, and if you marry an older, you have to follow orders.”― M.F. Moonzajer. The stated quote shows the mentality of people and why they believe that child marriage is okay. Child marriage is when a young child is required or even forced to get married before the age of 18. More specifically, with the topic of child marriage centered toward girls, they are diminished and their rights are fundamentally taken away. If the young girls were given choice, there would not be a problem and there would not be a continuation of it currently. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, it is clearly visible that how humans behave has not been altered since Shakespeare’s time which is evident by the
…show more content…
continuation in child marriage in the Eastern continents. In the play entitled The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet arranges for Juliet to get married to Count Paris which is a form of child marriage. The play takes place in the 14th century or in other words, over 600 years ago. In the tragedy, it states “I’ll look to like if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye Than your consent gives to make it fly” (Shakespeare I, iii, 99-111). No doubt, Juliet is basically saying how she will make the best of the situation which is to marry Count Paris even though she does not want to. Back in the time of Shakespeare, young girls were married off all of the time, but they could not refuse to because it could mean that they would be disowned which is like signing a death sentence. In the play, Juliet says, “Now, by Saint Peter’s Church and Peter too, He shall not make me there a joyful bride. I wonder at this haste, that I must wed Ere he, that should be husband, comes to woo. I pray you, tell my lord and father, madam, I will not marry yet. And when I do, I swear It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris. These are news indeed!” (Shakespeare III. v. 116-123). Juliet refuses to marry Paris, which ultimately does not work out for her in the end. Juliet is 13 and Count Paris at least 20 or maybe even older, so for her parents to try to force her to is cruel and unjust. Therefore, in the past, young girls were forced to get married, an unfair practice to say the least. Young girls are currently married off all of the time, especially in the Eastern continents which include Africa, Asia, and Europe.
More specifically, they are married off in the Middle East and North Africa. “Girls Not Brides” states, “Approximately 1 out of 5 girls across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are married off before the age of 18” (“Girls Not Brides”). With the ratio of 1 to 5, it is safe to say that a lot of girls are married off. Girls are married off for a large variety of reasons, but that does not make it right. “Girls Not Brides” also says, “While child marriage is rooted in gender inequality, high levels of poverty, and lack of educational opportunities for girls also exacerbate the practice” (“Girls Not Brides”). Child marriage can be established for a variety of reasons depending on income or even the area that it originates from, but it remains indistinguishable. Child marriage has been a misfortune since the beginning of time but since then, it has grown, evolved, and even changed the world for better or for worse. Even though child marriage minimizes rights it still exists and it has existed for a long
time. Cheshire is a place in England which is an Eastern country that decided to take a stand for children that have to endure child marriage by creating the organization called Cheshire East Local Safeguarding Children Board or Cheshire East LSCB. It is obvious that children getting abused when they are married off is a huge problem and people want to stop it. The organization also has been able to see the evolution of child marriage throughout the years which is part of the logic behind the decision with going against it. In the article entitled “Forced Marriage” by Cheshire East LSCB it states, “In a forced marriage, one or both spouses do not consent to the arrangement of the marriage and some elements of duress are involved. Duress can include physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure” (“Forced Marriage”). In some or even most cases, children do not want to get married and they end having to experience pain in more ways than one. Cheshire East LSCB also states, “Forced marriage involving anyone under the age of 18 constitutes a form of child abuse,” then later on it states, “Forced marriage can have a negative impact on a child’s health and development, and can also result in sexual violence including rape” (“Forced Marriage”). Based on the information provided about forced marriage, it is safe to say that many forms of child marriage is actually forced marriage and it involves child abuse. Regardless of the time period that child marriage took place in or is taking place in currently, the danger that it puts young girls in is avoidable because everyone should have a choice. Child marriage is a huge subject that has been taking a toll in the world since Shakespeare’s time or even before then. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet does not have a say in who she would marry and the marriage/engagement causes many problems in her life. As of 2017, girls are forced to marry older men, regardless of the reasons for it. Child marriage is something that has a large number of factors that distinguish it from the past and present, but it is still evident that they resemble each other. Human nature has not changed, especially when it comes to the topic of child marriage and it is clear by how young girls were treated in Shakespeare’s time compared to how young girls are treated now. Works Cited Brides, Girls Not. “Middle East and North Africa - Child Marriage Around The World. Girls Not Brides.” Girls Not Brides, Girls Not Brides, 2002, Accessed 30 Mar. 2017. . “Forced Marriage.” Forced Marriage, Cheshire East Local Safeguarding Children Board, Accessed 11 Apr. 2017. . “LOVE, HATRED AND MADNESS Quotes by M.F. Moonzajer.” By M.F. Moonzajer, Goodreads Inc., 2017, Accessed 5 Apr. 2017. . Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Florida Collections. Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2015. 182-278.
Back in their day it was more common to marry young but it does not make it right. They got married without other people knowing, including the important people like their parents. They faced consequences because they thought they were in love when truly they only had feelings for each other. Romeo and juliet were young and impatient. In modern life normally people wait for love until they are older. It gives them a chance to experience new things and learn life lessons without love affecting their decisions. In modern life people think about the consequences like broken hearts or decisions affecting their future because of one person. People in modern life are smarter and more patient when it comes to love.
The Portrayal of Romeo and Juliet's Relationship in the Play. In my opinion, the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is portrayed. in lots of different ways. It is portrayed as tragic, united, shows.
to be a quite romantic person, as, to start with, he is in love with
Juliet’s attitude towards marriage changes throughout Romeo and Juliet due to her defiance, Romeo’s persistence, and her newly discovered romantic personality. “It is an honor I do not dream of.” That was Juliet’s original view on love and marriage; she did not want to get married to Count Paris, even though that was what her mother wished. (1.3. 65-101)
Juliet’s age is associated with when she is expected to become a mother. Paris is talking with Capulet, and says that Juliet’s age should not stop her father marrying her off, “Younger than she are happy mothers made” (1.2.12). Paris' argument to not wait for his and Juliet’s marriage is that there are many girls who are even younger than Juliet who are married and have already started a family. Juliet’s age puts her in a place where she is expected to contribute a child. This may be why she was in such a rush to get married to Romeo. Marriage of her choosing to Romeo prevents the marriage against her will to Paris. The influence placed on Juliet by her family is itself shaped by expectations of Juliet’s age group. When Juliet tells her father she does not wish to marry Paris, her father replies harshly commenting on her reasoning being due to her age, “A whining mammot, in her fortune’s tender/To answer I’ll not wed, I cannot love,/I am too young, I pray you pardon me” (3.5.185-187). Juliet’s father lacks empathy for Juliet’s position, and so continues to hold the high expectations that are required of her because of her age. Juliet never told her father she would not wed because of her age or her inability to love, so perhaps her father is projecting his guilt as he knows it is unreasonable to expect marriage and children from her
In act one scene three of Romeo and Juliet Lord Capulet states “…She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.” This means that Juliet is not quite fourteen years old and her father is not sure if she is ready to become a wife and mother. There are many differences between how people marry today, and how they married in the time of Romeo and Juliet. Some of the differences are when the people marry, why people marry, and also the level of maturity people marry at.
The Relationship of Juliet and Her Parents in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare wrote the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, a popular play that continues to capture the imagination and emotions of people around the world. The drama portrays the passionate, violent and desperate lives of two lovers. living in Verona, Italy. Romeo and Juliet are two star-crossed.
“Love is made by two people, in different kinds of solitude” – Louis Aragon. Shakespeare presents a variety of feelings in Romeo and Juliet to appearance, emotions and relationships shared through Romeo and other characters. Romeo and Juliet depict a romantic relationship between “a pair of star-cross’d lovers” (prologue). Romeo also is committed to Mercutio with the familial love overriding the friendship bond. Unrequited love is seen through Romeo expressing his emotions on the unavailable relationship of himself and Rosaline.
Anna Freud, the founder of child psychoanalysis, once said, “It is only when parental feelings are ineffective or too ambivalent or when the mother's emotions are temporarily engaged elsewhere that children feel lost” (“Anna Freud”). In this case, the children, Romeo and Juliet, get lost and confused, leading to their ultimate deaths. While they cannot live without each other, they also cannot live with each other either, since they end up dying together from all the conflicts piling on top on each other. Since Romeo and Juliet do not really have any parental influence in their lives, they do not know how resolve their conflict of star-crossed love. Due to miscommunication, conflicting viewpoints between parents and adolescents, and a lack of involvement in their children’s lives, Shakespeare shows through Romeo and Juliet that adults are ineffective in saving their children’s lives.
The Conflict Between Two Families in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet The play ‘Romeo And Juliet’ is a very dramatic one. The conflict between the two families is key to the play as a whole. If they’re where no. conflict. They would just be allowed to be together.
Parents' Roles in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet are set in Verona, where two families are enemies. they are enemies due to an ‘ancient grudge’ which has been powerful. enough to keep the two lovers apart. Montague’s’ son Romeo falls. in love with the Capulet’s daughter, Juliet.
If the Capulet parents were more involved in Juliet’s life, maybe the outcome of Romeo and Juliet would have been different in the end. Their parenting style affect Juliet and the play in general. Lord and Lady Capulet are both uninvolved parents in the play when it comes to raising their daughter, Juliet.
Children were used by upper classes to make financial agreements etc. This is probably why children in the upper classes were often closer to their nurses than their parents. Family relations today are often very different from the family relations in Romeo and Juliet. Parents are close to their children and marriages are not often arranged within the Christian community by the parents. I think Shakespeare chose two arguing families for the tragedy because if something happens to one person, it affects the whole family i.e. the actions of one person could drastically change what happens to everyone else.
Each day, 25,000 or more children are married and become child brides: and in Yemen, over fifty two percent of girls are married before eighteen years old, and fourteen percent are married before the age of fifteen(“Laws Fail to Stop Child Marriage”), which is the highest rates of child marriages in the world. In Iraq, however, eleven percent of girls are married before eighteen (“Child Marriage: Legalized Rape?”) while a new law in Iraq could lead to girls as young as nine years old getting married and having to submit to sex whenever her husband wants. (Aly)Sometimes, girls as young as ten would be forced to marry men up to four or five times their age(Birkett) and a husband can have sex with his wife regardless of consent(“Humanitarian News and Analysis”). Children ten to fourteen are five times more likely to die during childbirth than women in early twenties because their bodies aren’t physically equipped for childbirth.(Baz) “Married underage girls are subjected to physical and psychological suffering”(“Humanitarian News and Analysis”). This is disturbing because while in India, the percent of arranged marriages is 90% of all marriages in India, almost all being younger than eighteen.(Gorney and Sinclair). By the end of the decade an estimated 142 million girls will be married before eighteen years old, while one in three girls in the world are married before eighteen, while one in nine are married before fifteen. 400 million women in the Middle East between twenty and forty nine were married before eighteen. (Al-Ansi) These numbers shock people in America, but in the Middle East, arranged marriage and pre pubescent marriage is nothing to blink an eye about. This leads to the conclusion that even though Islam constitutes ma...
In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Romeo and Juliet, two young lovers from opposing households make impetuous decisions which ultimately lead to the suicide of both lovers (Romeo and Juliet). Juliet, one lover, has mentors that fail her in the play because of their ignorance of her emotional needs and growing independence as a teenager. These mentors are Juliet’s former wet nurse and guardian, the Nurse, Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet, and Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet.