Romeo and Juliet

In What Ways Is Romeo More Immature Than Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet is a Shakespearean play. The characters Romeo and Juliet vary considerably each having their own personality. It could be said that Romeo is less mature than Juliet as there are many instances throughout the play that support this.
In Act 1, Scene 5, Romeo instantly falls in love when he sees Juliet, completely forgetting about Rosaline, whom he swore he was in love with. Romeo’s immaturity as a lover is clearly shown in two ways. He is able to fall in love with someone he doesn’t even know, and forget about his other true love, and secondly, it is obvious that Romeo bases his love on physical qualities. He forgets about Rosaline and moves onto Juliet, who is in Romeo’s eyes, more beautiful. The way in which Juliet reacts to this situation shows more maturity than Romeo. She appears confident when Romeo declares his love for her and lets him kiss her the very first time they meet. Opinions may vary here as to whether or not this behaviour is appropriate or indeed mature.

We see more immaturity in the opening of Act 3. It does appear at first that Romeo starts becoming more mature and is making an effort to love the Capulets. However, Tybalt fights and slays Mercutio, then Romeo goes back to his immature self and demands revenge. Another instance in Act 3, which shows both Romeo and Juliet’s immaturity, is after they fulfil their marriage. Romeo wants to leave before the morning to avoid being discovered and killed, and Juliet tries to convince him to stay. Romeo’s response to this is quite sarcastic. “let me be ta’en, let me be put to death. I am content.” (Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 5). This clearly suggests that Romeo is ready to die because he is content and has achieved what he desires – to marry Juliet.

The final act puts across a huge amount of immaturity by both characters but again Romeo tends to achieve a higher level. Romeo discovers what he thinks is Juliet’s dead body in the Capulet vault. He then kills himself, thinking that Juliet is dead. When Juliet finally wakes up, she sees Romeo dead beside her and she also commits suicide. Romeo’s rash immature action leads Juliet to behave in the same manner but Juliet at least realised that Romeo had indeed taken his own life. Romeo merely acted on an assumption which emphasises his immature nature.

Although both characters display some level of immaturity, it is fair to say that Romeo displays it more so than Juliet. It does however seem important to bear in mind the ages of both Romeo and Juliet and also the fact that the play is set in Shakespeare’s time. These could also be factors that affect the characters immaturity levels. The whole plot seems to be centred around Romeo’s immature behaviour. If Romeo hadn’t of been immature throughout the play, the plot would have changed dramatically.