• Most people would say that the story of Romeo and Juliet is an inspiring love story, but in truth the story of Romeo and Juliet is a story of a winey 13 year old girl and a boy who wants to “bed” the winey 13 year old girl… and a friar who messes everything up. Romeo and Juliet have a lot of character flaws, and all of those wonderful character flaws ultimately lead to their deaths. One of Romeo’s biggest flaws is that he thinks he knows what love is but he really has now clue what love REALY is (i.e. he is very interchangeable in love). Romeo says that he loved no one before loving Juliet, but he did, Rosaline. In this scene Romeo and his friends have just arrived at the Capulet ball (Romeo is a Montague and the Capulets are his enemy) after a long and slightly disturbing conversation, where Romeo actually said/did something smart (the only time Romeo does something smart in this play). Romeo has just seen Juliet for the first time and is speaking of her beauty for the first (and not even close to the last) time. Romeo is saying that she is super-smoking-hot and that he hasn’t loved until now (yeah all of that from just ONE look!) and then he goes on about her beauty yet again. “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, and, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night” (Romeo and Juliet 2.5. 45-54). This quote proves that Romeo shouldn’t be allowed to say that he loves some one. The reason Romeo was even at that ball was because he “loved” Rosaline. Even though most girls would love a man like this I don’t think Juliet would “love” Romeo as much if she had gotten to know him better. Even the Friar scolds Romeo about his interchangeability (flavor of the day (week (month (ECT).)) as most people would call it). Although Romeo has a lot of character flaws, it would be unfair to say that he was the only person to blame for this “tragic” story. Juliet is also to blame for the events that lead up to Romeo and Juliet’s demise. One of Juliets many character flaws is that she never really thinks about anything (unless she has to marry Paris… then she gets really mad and threatens to kill herself.. (o.k. I lied she wasn’t really thinking then either…)). During the very lovely scene during the ball where Romeo and Juliet have their first conversation, kiss, and ultimately find out their sworn enemies, but oh no! It’s too late for both of them, their already in love! (Yeah I know they could have done the smart thing and never talked to each other again… but that would have been too easy.). Well while that was going on Tybalt (Juliets cousin) found out that Romeo was there and got furious. In the end Lord Capulet told Tybalt to forget about it and go have fun. Tybalt swore he would have his revenge. After that Romeo ends up finding Juliets balcony and after declaring their love (a bazillion times) decided to get married. Romeo runs to the friar and makes plans (by this time its late-early morning) to get married that day. After that Romeo meets up with the Juliets nurse and tells her all of his plans and makes sure that he tells her about the rope latter that she is supposed to get from his servant so he can get into Juliets room and “bed” her. After Romeo and Juliet get married Tybalt challenges Romeo, but Romeo won’t fight because Tybalt is now part of his big happy secret family. Romeos best friend tries to defend Romeos honor so he fights Tybalt, Romeos fiend dies, Romeo gets mad, Romeo kills Tybalt. So after all of that Romeo gets banished from Verona. Once Juliet finally finds out about what has happened (after getting very confused by her nurse) she says, “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? But, wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin? That villain cousin would have kill'd my husband: Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring; your tributary drops belong to woe, which you, mistaking, offer up to joy. My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain; And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband: All this is comfort; wherefore weep I then?” (Romeo and Juliet 3.2. 97-107). After all of this “thinking” that she dose she forgives Romeo and lets him “bed” her! Juliet never thinks things through during this entire story. The most thoroughly that she ever thought about something was when she was going to drink the potion that was going to make it seem like she was dead. This wouldn’t be the most famous play ever written though if Shakespeare had made Juliets character have a brain, but what would happen if Romeo had, had the ability to know what love was, “keep it in his pants”, or if he had just given up after finding out that Juliet was a Capulet? Or what if Juliet had been able to think about what was going on? The answer is simple, Romeo and Juliet would have been a horrible play, but then again you wouldn’t feel like hitting the characters when they do the wrong thing. So to recap: Romeo and Juliet are impulsive, hormonal teens, Romeo has no clue what real love is, and Juliet is a total bubble head.