Whenever I see anyone talk about Shakespeare, I always go and see how they describe Romeo and Juliet. The author has little to say: > Another classic reading a

Whenever I see anyone talk about Shakespeare, I always go and see how they describe Romeo and Juliet. The author has little to say: > Another classic reading assignment that requires no description. A beautiful play, but I just don’t connect with its romantic core. I do this because so many completely miss the point of this play (as the author appears to). First and foremost, it's not a tale of romance but one of agency. It's one of the few plays that specifically mentions age. Juliet is 13 years old. That's not an accident. Shakespeare did this for a reason. Some will argue it was just a different time. If so, you're seeing the play through the lens of it being a love story. Juliet takes back her agency by choosing not to marry Paris, to marry Romeo and ultimately to end her life. Remember this was at a time where a queen (Elizabeth I) ruled in her own right rather than as an extension of her husband's divine right. Women at this time were largely extensions of their father's then their husband's autonomy. So if you see this purely as a love story (involving a 13 year old no less) I can see you having issue with it or not connecting with it. But look a little deeper and you see Juliet as someone who asserts her autonomy as a person, ultimately to tragic consequences.