What Is The Age Gap Between Romeo And Juliet? – Celebrity
It is clear that Romeo is around 16 or 17 years old, while Juliet is about 13 and nearly 14. In the day of Shakespeare, consent is at thirteen years of age. If you believe the prologue, then Romeo would be somewhere in his mid-twenties.
Shakespeare makes the young lovers even younger than his source, while exaggerating how old their parents are (Lady Capulet tells Old Capulet that what he needs is a crutch, not a sword). This widens the gap between generations, as hot-blooded youths hold very different ideas about love and passion than their seniors.
The age of Romeo and Juliet is not given in Shakespeare’s play, but you can get a rough idea from the prologue. It is clear that Romeo is around 16 or 17 years old, while Juliet is about 13 and nearly 14. In the day of Shakespeare, consent is at thirteen years of age.
However, “The Tragicall Historye of the Marriage of Romeo and Juliet,” a poem written by Arthur Brooke in 1562, does make reference to the ages of the two characters. It is generally accepted that they were thirteen years old when they met.
How old is Romeo in Romeo and Juliet?
Romeo’s age is never given, but since he carries a sword, it can be assumed that he is not younger than Juliet’s thirteen years. It is much more likely that, given his immature responses to problematic events in the play, that he is probably about sixteen or seventeen years old. Approved by eNotes Editorial Team.
When the Nurse asks how long it is till Lammas Eve, Lady Capulet tells her that it is in “a fortnight and odd days”, which means Juliet’s fourteenth birthday is in about two weeks …
How old is Romeo in Romeo and Juliet?
Romeo is probably about 17. He almost certainly is a virgin — there are a couple of lines that show that. For example, Juliet says he kisses “by the book.”. It is a reference to a book (at the time) on how to kiss. That would not be true of someone older. There are a couple of other places that are similar.
We don’t know because Romeo’s age is never mentioned. We only know that Juliet is two weeks away from her 14th birthday, which she never lives to see.
But we shouldn’t jump to conclusions either way. Juliet is 13, but if you look at the calendar of the time, she turns 14 when she wakes up; so she is technically of legal age when she kills herself. Romeo is probably about 17. He almost certainly is a virgin — there are a couple of lines that show that.
The popular “myth” of Romeo and Juliet holds that Romeo’s killing of Tybalt is just an impulsive act of rage fueled by grief over the loss of Mercutio, easy to sympathize with. But it’s a bit more complex than that. I just shared a post about this on one of my Tumblr blogs. Here’s Romeo’s brief speech between Mercutio’s final exit and Benvolio’s report of his death, which is cut from both Zeffirelli and Luhrmann’s film versions and generally forgotten.
When Romeo returns to Juliet she’s more focused on marriage and insists that it will free her from her parents. “ I’ll no longer be a Capulet”. Juliet compares Romeo to a tame falcon—a “tassel-gentle” —which suggests that she believes she can control him.
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To put it another way, Romeo is about Mama Capulet’s age. Of course, since the age is not given, directors or readers can make the decision for themselves. Of course, a lot of productions simply ignore the age given for J (either by cutting that line or by simply casting. Continue Reading.
For people of Juliet’s class, namely aristocrats, marriages were arranged and had nothing to do with romantic love. They were about alliances, politics and wealth. Marriages of the nobility were often arranged when the children were still very young.
