Compare / contrast the characters of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. How does each teenager develop and change throughout the course of the play? What aspects of the teenagers’ characters draw them together? Finally, do you think the pair understands the gravity of their actions? Why or why not? Please provide textual evidence that made you arrive at your answer.

Answer and Explanation:

"Romeo and Juliet" is a play written by Shakespeare that tells the story of the tragic romance between Romeo and Juliet, who, although in love, cannot be together, as they belong to enemy families.

Although Romeo and Juliet are young, sentimental and intense, as we can see throughout history. Both feel the emotions in a big way and give themselves completely to it. However, the two are also very different. Romeo uses the intensity of his feelings completely irrationally, being drowned out by them. This can be seen at the beginning of the story, where he is suffering from being rejected by Rosaline, in the middle of the story, when he introduces himself to Juliet on her bedroom balcony and when he kills Tybalt, and at the end of the story, when he decides to swallow poison without even knowing what actually happened to Juliet to make her die. Juliet, on the other hand, takes a more rational and strategic position. She's the one who decides that she and Romeo should get married, and she's the one who decides to plan how she can meet Romeo after he's banished from town.

Juliet shows a great maturity throughout the story, without losing her sentimental side. She recognizes that the situation she finds Romeo in is difficult, but not impossible to resolve if it is well organized. Romeo's development, on the other hand, is small, he doesn't show maturity and he acts out of control, which increases the problems related to the two young people. These differences are not able to separate the two, as both are united by an unconditional and very well-established love.

Romeo and Juliet understand the seriousness of their actions and for this reason do not decide to resolve them in the most normal way, which would inform the parents that they wanted to marry each other. They knew that this would provoke the revolt of the families, that they would drive them away forever and that's why they decided to do everything in secret.