True Love In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once”, The Fault in our Stars, John Green. Not all teenagers are capable of falling into a true romantic love. However, it is possible for teenagers, who are mature enough, to have strong emotions about someone else. Most people would call this emotion love.

While it is true that most teenagers are impulsive and rash in their decisions, if determined enough, a teenager is capable of making well-reasoned and mature choices. This ability to think through options and remain dedicated and loyal to an idea or person allows for some teenagers to not only fall in love, but maintain a mature relationship. As mentioned in the article, “The Teenage Brain” by Amanda Leigh Mascarelli,

Much of a mature relationship involves dealing with reality and the hardships that come along with it. Frequently lovers need to forgive each other and overlook one another’s shortcomings. This requires a great deal of loyalty and maturity. In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet shows her fierce dedication to Romeo when she notes, “Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?/Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name,/When I, thy three hours' wife, have mangled it?” (Shakespeare III.ii.99-101). Juliet Is upset with herself for cursing Romeo’s name. She decided that as his wife she needs to support and speak highly of him. Even though Romeo had done something wrong, Juliet has the wisdom to overlook it and forgive him. Juliet can see that her marriage is the most important relationship she has and therefore requires the most dedication and loyalty from her. The article “Teenagers in love” by Nancy Kalish states, “Even the adults who had no current interest in their first loves, including those who had only bitter memories, revealed that these early romances influenced their life-long attitudes about love, and even about themselves”(paragraph 9). Adults, who usually criticize teenage love, admitted that their first relationships affected their present feelings about love. If this love they felt when they were younger was not real, then it would not have such a big

In some cases these adults are correct. As the wise friar says in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, “Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear/ So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies/ Not truly in their hearts/ But in their eyes” (Shakespeare II.iii.66-68). The friar is saying that Romeo did not really love Rosaline. Instead, he only liked Rosaline because of the way she looked. Teenagers, like Romeo in this instance, are attracted to a person and call that attraction love. Romeo basically kicked Rosaline to the curb when he met Juliet. He did not truly love Rosaline, if it took one meeting with another girl to allow him to get over Rosaline. Although Romeo was not actually in love with Rosaline, he learned to be emotionally ready for a relationship with Juliet, after his encounter with Rosaline. Romeo even mentions himself, “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!”(Shakespeare I.v.50). He says himself that he had not felt such a strong emotion until now. Romeo knows that what he felt before was not love, so now he can begin a true commitment to Juliet. For a teenager to fall in love, they must discover what love is false and what love is real. As mentioned in the article “Teenagers in love”, “Teenagers many years ago married their first loves right out of highschool” (paragraph 4). Teenagers were capable of maintaining a romantic relationship throughout high school and there after, many