We often forget how truly young these "star-crossed lovers" are. Juliet is explicitly identified as being only , not yet even fourteen. Her father describes her as a "stranger in the world," yet she is thrust into a political marriage with Count Paris and a secret, life-or-death union with Romeo.

The Cost of Violent Delights: A Deeper Look at Romeo and Juliet

It is the most famous story in Western literature, yet also perhaps the most misunderstood. We call it the "greatest love story ever told," but William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is less a testament to romance and more a searing critique of a society that consumes its young.

If we look past the balcony and the poetry, we find a narrative about the devastating intersection of , inherited hatred , and the brutality of youth . 1. Love as a Catalyst for Violence