Character Changes In Romeo And Juliet

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Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tales written about a tragic love story. Romeo and Juliet are both characters who transition from childhood to adulthood, known as the coming of age.
Romeo starts of the play as a stereotypical lover, who is a young naïve character that falls in love with Juliet. Their love for each other is a problem because the Montague’s and Capulet’s are family enemies. Throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet face problems that cause them to mature as they learn to deal with new challenges. Romeo noticeably comes of age in the tale because he starts with an immature beginning, encounters a problem, and is a changed character. Romeo initially, is immature and thoughtless because of his false hope of love.
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The fact that they get married in secret creates more challenges later on in the play, because Romeo gets banished and Juliet is pressured into marrying Paris. Overall, all of Romeo’s problems stem from the feud between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. Lastly, during the play, Romeo’s character changes into a responsible, mature adult because of his love for Juliet. Romeo shows accountability when he asks Juliet to marry him, proving that he is becoming more independent and that this time, his love is real and serious. For instance, Callaghan quotes, “Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, then stands as a cultural ideal that shapes our social understanding about what love should be”(Callaghan 38). As the audience, we can infer that this love is real because Romeo marrying Juliet is a huge commitment that he his willing to sacrifice to fulfill each other’s happiness. Tybalt threatens Romeo to a duel and Romeo denies it, which shows that Romeo has matured from the beginning. For example, Romeo pleads, Romeo says, “Tybalt, the reason that I have love to thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting. Villain I am none”(Shakespeare III.i. 35-36). Romeo tries to put aside his rage to make peace with Tybalt, which shows that he is maturing, because he could have just fought Tybalt. As a result, the characters have shown growth throughout the story as their true love transforms both of them into adults. Romeo is represented by Shakespeare as a coming of age character because he starts as an immature child, encounters a problem, and changes into a more developed character. Romeo and Juliet encounter problems along the way that helps guide them into the mature characters that they are towards the end of the play. There is a rivalry between