Social Pressures In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Even though, Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet over 500 years ago the struggles and social pressures portrayed in the play are still present in the cutthroat society of high school. Two perfect themes that are shown tremendously throughout Shakespeare’s time and our modern times are; “Love” and “Fate”. These are constantly running through people’s minds all day as they try to unravel them. No matter the time period there will always be similarities especially between the teenager years.

In High School people scavenge to find love or to even fake their love all for an image they desire to have. In Shakespeare’s times people normally married for riches and social status even if they did not love them. When we first meet Juliet Capulet she is

very unique in which she is not like the average girl. “ Marry, that ‘marry’ is the very them I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your disposition to be married?” (Act 1, SC.3, Lines, 67-69). “ It is an Honour that I dream not of.” (Act 1, Sc. 3, Line 70). Many girls in the past and present have thought about marriage and/or falling in love many times. In our day if a mom went to their fourteen year old daughter and told her a boy wants to marry her; there is no doubt that her response would be the totally opposite of what a girl in Shakespeare’s time would do. But, if a best friend came to the same girl and told her a cute boy liked her she would be jumping off the walls in excitement just like someone in Shakespeare’s time would do. In the modern teenager years girls do not have a desire to be married but they urge to be in love and sometimes they want it so bad their willing to fake it all.
Fate is everywhere it is shown in stories and in real life in both modern and olden times.

While fate seemed to keep Romeo apart from Juliet it appeared to be on Paris’ side in becoming Juliet’s wife. Fate caused Romeo to see Juliet across the ballroom making him fall madly in love with her. On the first day of high school a girl could walk into her class and see a beautiful boy sitting across the room and she might think to herself “Did fate bring us together” as dramatic as that sounds this happens to both boys and girls. This is exactly what Romeo did he saw a beautiful girl and then he planned to marry her even though he just met her. Paris was very lucky after Tybalt death that Lord and Lady Capulet were all for Paris marrying Juliet. Paris was very persistent into having Juliet as his wife he says “These times of woe afford no time to woo.” (Act 3, SC. 4, Line 9). In High School when a boy gets their crushes’ parents to like them they get this big relief just as Paris did they know that the parents are on their side. When your parents approve of the person you like that is always a good sign. In relationship fate can bring two opposite personalities together and somehow it can all work out. Without fate in our lives nothing interesting would happen so fate happens everyday and will continue in the

future.
Shakespeare knew how touch his audience especially with this tragic love story he lures many teenagers. His plays are very interknit in ways we think we do not always understand but once we decode his writing we find how these plays relate in our lives. Especially in High School, everyone wants to be cool and fit in. Many people think they need a boyfriend or girlfriend to have a good image like in Shakespeare’s time they need a wife or husband to be happy. Teenagers will always think similar no matter the time period; even though this story was written 500 years ago you do see the trials in both modern and different time periods.