How Is Romeo And Juliet's Marriage Relevant Today

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Marriage in the 15th Century Versus Today The drama Romeo and Juliet follows two teenagers in the 15th century. In the piece, they fall in love despite the long going feud between their families and get married. But, it’s clear to see how drastically different marriage is seen today than in the Shakespearian era. Marriage customs have changed substantially from the Shakespearian era to today by the reason for marriage, the length of the pre-marital relationship, and the proposal. Marriage ideals in the 15th century would be seen as ludicrous in the modern day. Firstly, the whole purpose for marrying has completely shifted from Romeo and Juliet’s time to the present. In the story, almost everyone in Juliet’s life wanted her to marry Paris for very shallow reasons; his looks and his wealth. Juliet’s family and even her nurse supported their marriage simply because he had a high status. Today, while some are still just as superficial, the vast majority of people see marriage as a binding of love and commitment. Marrying someone merely for their social status or outward appearance is so…show more content…
Today, the idea of this seems insane. The two met at a party and by the end of the day they already had plans to get married. This definitely would not be approved of in the 21st century. As the times change, the expected length of a dating relationship before marriage seems to be increasing. In 2015, most people get married at least two to three years into their relationship. Along with the average length of a relationship before marriage, the age of the couple also factors in. It is not seen as normal today for teenagers as young as thirteen to be deciding who they want to spend the rest of their life with. In Romeo and Juliet this was encouraged. Juliet was pushed by her family to marry Paris even at her young age. This would definitely not be accepted in the present
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