Romeo & Juliet Op-Ed (Fall 2025)

 When is the Right Time to Get Married?

By Elliot Lynch

            There’s a question on a lot of people’s mind, when is the right time to get married? Some people marry young, like Romeo and Juliet, and others wait for the special someone, even if it takes forever. In my opinion, twenty five is the perfect age to get married. Twenty five is not too young, nor too old, it’s like Baby Bear’s porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, “ just right”.

            In Romeo and Juliet their marriage is taken lightly. For instance, Romeo had an obsession for a girl, Rosaline, one day and the next day he had an obsession for Juliet. Also, Romeo and Juliet both agreed to get married in less than twenty four hours of meeting each other. These examples both show that Romeo and Juliet is not just a sappy love story, but a marriage that was bound to end, one way or another.

Marriage is a pretty great thing. I mean spending the rest of your life with someone you love, doesn't sound too bad to me. Although, there have been some situations where people are much less fortunate. Situations like cheating, financial issues, and marrying too young, are all causes of a marriage to fail. In Romeo and Juliet, their marriage failed because of getting married too quickly.

I know a relationship that ended on bad terms. This young couple had been seeing each other for about a year and soon decided to get married. The wife, only eighteen, had just graduated from high school, only a few months earlier. The couple was together for several years, trying to iron out the wrinkles in their relationship, but had no success. Even though their relationship lasted a whopping seven years, their marriage eventually ended. This story shows that relationships are not to be rushed. Relationships are supposed to be enjoyed and drawn out, in a timely manner.

Marriage is a  big deal, wouldn't you say? It only happens once in your lifetime, for most people. Although, a marriage can end in a flash. Some preventional measures include therapy, consistent communication, quality time, and mutual respect. By taking these baby steps, each and every single day, your marriage is sure to last.

I recall a story, about a couple, who had a relationship that was against all odds. Aretha, Juliet in this scenario, was engaged to a man, who was gone for the time being, for military reasons. While still engaged, Aretha met this new guy in a span of three days. In those three days, Aretha and Eugene, the new guy she met, aka Romeo, got married. The couple was happily married until the day they died. So, this story proves that even though relationships can jump right to marriage, the outcome is not always a separated couple.

In all, marriage is a beautiful part of life. Marriage is a sacred and personal companionship, with the one person who you truly love. However, marriages are not always permanent. There have been plenty of situations where a marriage has failed. Situations like this can be prevented by waiting for the right time. Patience is crucial for a marriage to function properly. So I encourage you to wait for the right time, and when you know that you absolutely want to get married, then the time is right.

 

Is Love at First Sight Real?

By Bryn Jackson

            The definition of love is “strong affection or liking for someone or something.” Love can come in different forms. Some love may grow slowly over time, or some is said to happen in a single moment. This said love is called “Love at First Sight.” Others may tend to disagree and say that the “love” is just a strong feeling of attraction.

            Attraction is when you feel a connection to someone; maybe you like their looks or even their personality. Romeo from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet feels an intense attraction to someone. After Romeo's heart was broken by a girl named Rosoline, he laid eyes on a lady named Juliet. Romeo’s sadness went away, and all he could think about was the beautiful lady Juliet. Once Juliet laid eyes on Romeo, she could also feel that attraction. They only had a few moments to exchange small talk, but they knew that they were in love. This little moment signifies that just because you do not really know the person, and all you can judge a person by is their looks, you can be certain that you are in love.

            Leading to someone not knowing much about the other person but knowing that they are going to be in love shows that “Love at First Sight” can truly lead to a lifetime of happiness, even through all the ups and downs. My grandparents have a love story that falls into line with the topic “Love at First Sight.” My grandpa first laid eyes on my grandma when she was at her brother's graduation. At the time, she had just finished 9th grade, going to 10th. After my grandpa laid eyes on my grandma, he leaned over to his mom and said, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.” His mom didn’t believe him and said, “You don’t even know what love is.” During this, my grandma did not even know my grandpa existed.

Around 2 years later, when my grandma was in 11th grade, her boyfriend at that time broke up with her, and my grandpa was not standing too far away. He took his chance and asked her out. Luckily, she agreed, and ever since that moment they have been together, in love, throughout all the challenges that came with it. That one moment, when my grandpa said he was going to marry my grandma, eventually led to a marriage of 56 years and counting.

            Challenges that come with relationships are expected, but Romeo and Juliet’s was a much harder challenge than couples face now. Their families, the Capulets and Montagues, were the more honorable families in the Shakespeare play. They did not see eye to eye, or were more along the lines of rivals. But Romeo and Juliet were certain to be with each other after that first glance. They went behind their families’ backs to be with each other. If they were caught, they could have had a lesser punishment or even faced the death penalty, but they took the risk to be together. This was a big step for love during that time. If people were given that circumstance in today's time, they would take the easy way out, removing the conflicts and penalties.

            Conflicts can hypothetically end in a good circumstance or a bad one. Most people hope for the outcome to end well. “Love at First Sight” might be a saying people throw around, or some people take seriously. At first, I did not take my dad and stepmom seriously when they told me I was not going to be the youngest anymore, I did not want a good circumstance to happen. Growing up, I was told I would always be the baby of the family, but since my stepmom was expecting, I could not be anymore. It hurt more than anything to know my dad was having another child after he promised my mom that he would not. I stayed up late at night talking to myself, saying that I would not have anything to do with him, how I was not going to love him, and how I even was not going to look at him.

            Around 6 months later, I received a call that he was born. That moment changed how I saw him. It made me realize that maybe I would have something to do with him, maybe I would even love him, and hopefully there would have been a good end to it all. But a few days later, when my dad signed me out, I had an intense feeling of happiness. I knew he was in the car, I knew I was going to see him, and I knew that I was going to love him unconditionally. Once I officially saw him, my heart was full. His tiny little body and his little chubby face made me really fall in love with him.

            I just saw him. I did not really know anything about him, what he liked, what his hobbies were, I knew nothing. But that first sight was pure love, like how Romeo and Juliet fell in love. Their love just sparked when they laid eyes on each other. Love comes and goes, sometimes it is for a while, sometimes just for a short bit, or sometimes it can last a lifetime. At the end of the day, love is pure. You can feel love, and “Love at First Sight” is a real thing. Throughout literature and real-life experiences that many people have been through, “Love at First Sight” is there. Maybe you just need to read between the lines.

The Cost Of Rushed Choices

By Madison Maddox

We all know the story of Romeo And Juliet, one of the most popular love stories ever written. This story is not just about love, instead it shows the outcome of how impulsive decisions can have a bad result when no one truly thinks the decision through.

Romeo and Juliet met one night at a party and immediately fell in love. Their relationship, after they met, started moving very quickly throughout the story. The same night they had met, they were already talking about getting married. The only issue though, was that Romeo and Juliet’s families were not too fond of each other. Romeo got news one night that his one true love had died. He thought Juliet was dead, when she truly was not. While in a bad state of mind, he killed himself, making a very impulsive decision.

Though Romeo was grieving his wife, Juliet, and was going through a lot, he made a decision that could not be taken back. A lot of the time when people are upset, we tend to make rushed choices, although sometimes these are not smart to be making. Making these decisions without thinking usually leads to bad things, just like Romeo's situation. If Romeo could have avoided this choice, he would have soon been able to see that his true love was okay and still alive. 

When Juliet finally woke back up, she saw her true love lying dead on the floor beside her. During this moment, Juliet most likely was thinking the same thoughts as Romeo when he was in her position. She definitely was feeling those same strong emotions and was grieving her love, just as he was. Soon after this, Juliet made the same awful impulsive decision Romeo had made minutes before. 

Juliet must have been going through a lot, because I know just how it feels to lose a loved one. Losing a loved one is never easy, it takes a while to recover and truly be okay again. There are some moments where you feel like giving up because it hurts too much, but you must keep going. I know Juliet was feeling so many emotions but instead of taking her life she should have let herself be okay again before making quick decisions when she is not in a great state of mind. 

 I think instead of making impulsive decisions when you, like Romeo and Juliet, are upset or going through a lot or even grieving, must do your best to try and avoid making those decisions that you sometimes cannot take back. Choices like Romeo and Juliet's should definitely be given more thought when you are not in a great state of mind. I think that if you are not okay mentally, that is okay, it is just important to make smart choices, instead of ones you cannot take back. Parts of this play show how important it is to take big decisions carefully, especially when you're not okay mentally. Choices like these take time to think about and require clear thinking.

Love at First Sight

By Kinsley Rhodes 

            “Come on! Get out of bed, we have a party to get to,” Mike said.

            “Ugh I don’t want to,” Caleb whined. “I don’t feel like it.”

            “Get up! I’m not going alone!” he exclaimed. Caleb sat up slouched, still in his clothes from the day before. He looked at Mike like he’d lost it all. 

            “Look, I get your upset. I don't know why Sarah rejected you, but you don't need to get all depressed about her. It’s our senior year, we’re going to college in a couple months. Let’s just enjoy one more party.”

            “I just don’t understand,” Caleb said 

            “I know, neither do I. Hey I heard she was going to be at the party. Why don't we go and you can try to win her back,” Mike said.

            “Fine, I guess I could go,” Caleb said.

 

            They pulled in the driveway, and got out of the car. 

            “Okay, let's go!”  Mike said. They walked up to the house and knocked on the door. After about a minute of waiting the door opened. A girl with long brown hair welcomed them.

            “Hi! Sorry about that,” she said.

            “Ur fine,” Mike said.

            “Well I've got people waiting on me, but my name’s Clara. Hope y'all enjoy the party!” They walked into the house and stood in a rather empty area. 

            “I've never seen her before. Do you know her?’ Caleb asked.

            “No I haven't, why?” Mike responded. 

            “Oh umm no reason,” Caleb said. “Just wanna get to know her.”

            “Okay if you say so,” Mike said, shrugging his shoulders. 

 

            Caleb and Mike were sitting on the couch talking when suddenly he spotted Clara. 

            “Umm hello, are you listening to me?” Mike said.

            “What? Oh yeah , I am” Caleb said.

            “Oh I know it’s Sarah!” Mike said.

            “Yeah … Totally,” Caleb muttered. “Hey I’ll be right back, I'm gonna go get something to drink.” He stood up and started walking towards Clara. 

 

            He was walking through the crowd when suddenly her friend came up to her

            “Hey! I’m so glad you could come,” she said.

            “Yeah me too!” Clara responded. Her friend grabbed her arm and started bringing her to the other room.

            “Come on, I have to show you something,” she said. As they walked away Clara and Caleb locked eyes. A sudden rush of excitement ran through his body. 

            “I need to talk to her,” he whispered to himself. 

 

            He spent the rest of the night trying to approach her.

            “Yo, dude where have you been? I've been looking for you,” Mike said.

            “Just around,” Caleb responded. He glanced across the room to see Clara alone on the porch.

            “Hold on, I'll be back,” Caleb said as he pushed through the crowd. Once he reached the porch he took a breath, wiped his hands on his pants, and stepped forward. 

            “Hey, it’s me again,” Caleb said. She smiled and told him hey. He sat next to her and they ended up talking the rest of the night. By the end of the party it was like a story, they instantly clicked and soon started dating. Some would say it was love at first sight. 

 

Love is as Strong as the Grief of Death.

By Brody Arnold

 

            Love is a very powerful emotion tied to our brain and our heart. Some love is hopeless, some romantic but what all types of love have in common is that they are all very strong feelings. Have you ever loved someone? Not a “crush” real love. Romeo did in Shakespeare's famous play. Romeo is a perfect example of how love is strong if not stronger than death. 

            Most people who have taken a high school level language arts class have heard of Shakespeare's most famous play Romeo and Juliet. Not only does Shakespeare create a very enjoyable play, but he also portrays the message that love can be as strong, if not stronger, than death. I’m obviously not talking about love and death’s strength as if they are fighting. More so I’m talking about the emotional impact that love and death’s grief has.

Many people say or have often heard of the saying “ I’d die for you” or “ I would take a bullet for you”, and most know that it’s tied to love. This is just the beginning of how strong love really is. I mean you literally have people saying they would die just so another person could live. Proving that the love in their heart overcomes the death that they would face.

            Love is so powerful that Romeo or Juliet would have denied their own last names to be with each other. If you have never read the story before you would never understand why this was such a big deal. However, for context, Romeo's family (the Montagues) hated Juliet's family (the Capulets) and Juliet's family hated Romeo's family. If either of the families found out that Romeo and Juliet loved each other, there would be major repercussions for the both of them. However, that didn't stop them from meeting up of course. Love's power drove them to sneak off and meet even though they knew the trouble they would be in if they got caught.

            Death makes its debut towards the end of the play when Juliet and Romeo take their lives. The grief that death causes is so powerful that it can make people do crazy things. Some people spiral into depression, some people may want vengeance, some may even hit rock bottom all because of death’s emotional power.

            Love's power tramples death even though both are very powerful love decimates death in a foot race to a person's mind. Shakespeare makes a prime example out of this using Romeo and Juliet. But first a little backstory. Friar Lawrence gave Juliet a sleeping potion. She then 

Drank the potion and fell asleep in her bed for two days. Everyone thought she was dead including Romeo. When Romeo was informed of Juliet's so-called death he bolted on a horse to her tomb. As he saw her lying “dead” Romeo couldn't take it and drank a poison killing himself, because he would rather be dead than live without the love of his life. Juliet then wakes up from her slumber and sees poor Romeo dead. She tried to drink from Romeo's bottle of poison but it was empty, so she grabbed his sword and killed herself because she couldn't live without the love of her life. Proving twice that love is stronger than death because Romeo and Juliet would have rather been dead than have to live knowing the love of their life is gone.

            Love's strength isn't just with partners either. Shakespeare portrays that love's strength is present in almost every relationship. One of Shakespeare's key examples was when Mercutio and Tybalt were slain. Mercutio and Tybalt fought. Mercutio was then slain by Tybalt under Romeo's arm. Romeo loved Mercutio deeply as a friend. His death enraged Romeo because of the amount of love he had for Mercutio. In fact Romeo was so enraged that he sought out to fight and kill Tybalt to try and avenge Mercutio. Romeo wouldn't have done this if he didn't have a deep strong love for mercutio. The love from his heart made his brain want revenge.

 

Love of the Eyes or Love of the Heart

By Kinley Horne

            People love to talk about love at first sight, when two people see each other for the first time in their lives, and they just know that the other person is “the one.” William Shakespere’s play, Romeo and Juliet is often the perfect example of this. Two teenagers see each other from across the dance floor at a party and within minutes believe that they have found their soulmates, but was it actually true love?

            When Romeo first sees Juliet she takes his breath away with her beauty not by her personality or the kind of person she is. Romeo describes Juliet to have, “Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.” He is saying that Juliet is so beautiful her beauty shouldn’t even be wasted on this world they live in, and Juliet quickly falls for Romeo too with his compliments and charming pick up lines.

            While it’s easy for us to see why Juliet would fall so quickly for Romeo, liking the way someone talks or the way they look isn’t the same as truly falling in love with someone. True love shouldn’t be about looks or compliments, it should be about the way someone treats you, cares about you, and respects you. It should be someone who loves you for you.

            Friar Lawrence was the first person to question whether Romeo and Juliet were actually in love. When Romeo tells the Friar about his new found love at last night’s party, Friar Lawrence counters him with the claim that, “Young men’s love… lies not truly in their hearts; but in their eyes.” He explains to Romeo that he’s not in love with Juliet, he just thinks she’s pretty. 

            I have to admit the Friar does have a point. I mean earlier that same day Romeo was going on and on about Rosaline and how he would never be able to love another girl, and they were never even a thing. However, now that he has met Juliet he’s convinced that he's completely over Rosaline. He even says, while arguing with Friar Lawrence, “Rosaline who?” If Romeo can completely change who he thought he was in love with in less than twenty-four hours, did he ever truly love either girl?

            Another major problem is how fast their relationship was moving, and it makes their relationship appear more like infatuation than true love. The two had barely known each other a full twenty-four hours, and they were already wanting to get married. 

Today, most people wait months or even years before getting engaged, and even though times were different back then, only knowing someone for a few hours still seems kind of rushed to be vowing to spend the rest of your life with them. 

Romeo and Juliet never slowed down though, they acted on every big emotion without even taking a second to realize how it might affect their lives. From the moment Romeo and Julliete met they were infatuated with each other's looks, but neither one of them ever took the time to truly get to know each other and fall in love. 

In the end, Romeo and Juliet’s story circles back to one question; is there actually such a thing as love at first sight, or were they just two teenagers who let appearance, charm, and emotions get the best of them. Shakspere isn’t presenting us with a perfect romance. He is warning us about how quickly our emotions can get the best of us.  Romeo and Juilet started out with nothing more than a glance across the dance floor, but ended in the death of two innocent teenagers. While they are often used as the perfect example of love at first sight, they are actually the perfect example of how real love needs time, patience, and a good foundation.

A Walk Through a Love Story: Things To Be Cautious About In Your Relationship 

By Aubree Freeman

             Romeo saw Juliet and he knew, or rather he thought, that she was the one for him. He could have been right, of course, and they could have lasted. Though, the thing about ‘love at first sight’ is that before you get to know someone, you are only able to fall in love with your image of the person, rather than their character. It is absolutely possible that it can lead to more in depth and serious connection, but love can blind you from seeing who someone really is. It’s like a walk in a forest: there are so many directions you can go, and it's not always the most predictable. However, there’s a multitude of things you can do to try and help your walk go smoothly.

            Love, like all emotions, starts in the brain. Certain chemicals are released when you fall for someone. Dopamine, known as the pleasure hormone, for example, is very existent in the process. This feeling of euphoria and pleasure can be triggered by thinking about or interacting with another person that you are in love with. Oxytocin is provoked by physical touch, whether it be a small brush of your hands or even contact of your lips. It leaves you craving more, almost like you’re addicted. The feeling of love can additionally cause a decrease in serotonin levels--your mood regulating hormone--leading to obsessive thoughts about your partner. This is why you sometimes feel like you can’t stop thinking about someone.  

            In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare wrote about two love interests meeting at a dance, kissing, and falling in love with each other. Their feelings were so strong, due to their drop of serotonin, that they got married the next day, and then ended up killing themselves when they thought the other was dead.

           Although this story is vastly dramatized for entertainment purposes, it still gives a visual of how new love can lead you to make choices that you wouldn’t usually make.

            The ‘honeymoon phase’ is the early stage of a relationship when you and your partner are head over heels for each other. This is when you constantly think about each other, want to hang out all the time, and just don’t believe that anything could go wrong.

            However, this could possibly cause some issues within the relationship. Although this can feel like a very good thing at the moment, believing that your partner is perfect can cause you to ignore flaws that are potentially against your own values, or that could even cause you future harm. Your partner could have a shady job, they could be rude or demanding, they might even hit you and play it off as a joke. It could be any flaw really, and this is also a very common way abusive relationships start. It might be that you don’t notice the red flags, or you just ignore them altogether.

           When Romeo showed up in Juliet’s yard to declare his love for her without her telling him where she lived, instead of finding him creeper or stalker-like, as she would someone she wasn’t into, she didn’t even think twice about it. She didn’t think about how this manipulates his character.

           Once your strong feelings calm down, you start to realize that you are not dating a perfect human. Sometimes, people, especially young teens, will get bored of the relationship and end it once the intense love dies off. This is not the only cause of a break up, but it is a pretty common one. 

            When you commit to someone, you must put in the effort. The feeling of love most likely won’t last forever, but the act of love can. 

             You shouldn’t stop hanging out, you shouldn’t stop complimenting each other, and you should be patient with one another. When you start dating someone, you have to understand that, in most cases, the intense feelings won’t last forever.

             This is why things like cheating happen, when one person in a monogamous relationship violates the others trust, particularly in cases where they are seeking a relationship, either physical or emotional, with another person. This can be when they’re not satisfied with aspects of their current relationship. They may desire extra emotional validation. Other people cheat on their partner because they like the thrill of having to keep it a secret.

            We cannot know if Romeo and Juliet would have separated after the early love stage, or if they would have lived a happy life together forever. There are just so many things that can ruin a relationship, cheating being one of them. Maybe they would’ve grown apart, or maybe Juliet finds out that Romeo doesn’t want kids when she does. 

            Even though you are committed to your partner, you should not make any big decisions that could impact your future, especially if you are young. 

            To give an example, my mother had me as a young teenager early into her relationship with my father early into their relationship. This changed basically her entire life. She dropped out of high school to raise me, and it took away her chance of going to college. Her and my dad ended up separating not long after because they were at different points in their lives. Her having a kid with someone that she barely knew was not a good idea. Although she does not regret having me, she wishes it was with someone she knew and loved well enough to spend the rest of her life with. 

            Another major decision is marriage. Marriage has its legal binds and benefits like joint health insurance, medical decisions, property grants, and a lot of people like the husband/wife title better than the boyfriend/girlfriend title. Marriage usually happens when each person wants to spend their lives together.

Sometimes, if you marry too soon into your relationship, you will not truly know the person that you are bound to, and it can cause major problems and disagreements. Do you know how your partner wants to handle money? Do you agree on if you want kids or not? Do you get along with or even know your partner’s family? There are so many aspects to look out for. However, early marriage can and does last. You just have to know your partner.

            On that note, lots of people wait until marriage to show their true character so that their partner can’t leave as easily. A divorce is messy, and can even cause legal issues. Domestic abuse, lack of communication, or just simply just growing apart can all be causes of a divorce. Maybe once they got comfortable in their marriage, Juliet started using all of Romeo’s money--leading to a divorce. 

            Romance can be a beautiful thing. With Romeo and Juliet, they were so in love and happy together. It’s something that almost everyone desires. However, it’s important to be conscious about your decisions with who you date and what you do with them. Though, even being aware about what you're doing sometimes doesn’t save a relationship that wasn’t meant to be. No matter how much you prepare before your walk, you cannot be one hundred percent sure that you will not encounter a bear.

 

Separate Togetherness

By William J. Floyd

            Magnets too far apart can’t attract. Relationships(similar to the poles of a horseshoe magnet)can be described as opposites attract, but is there a limit to the attraction when physical separation is introduced? Can a relationship be sustained through distance, or does that distance make the relationship grow?

            Romeo, from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is obviously seen as a person drowning in love for his new found partner, Juliet. That attraction wasn’t only sustained, but it was even strengthened through their social separation. But why? Why does a person’s love for another almost always grow deeper/stronger through distance?

The two families from Romeo and Juliet are the Montaques and Capulets. These two bloodlines were pitted against each other throughout the play which caused for the secret that was Romeo and Juliet’s mutual love for each other. 

            Society’s outward appearance of love is togetherness and closeness between two people. Both principles are thrown out the door as you observe Romeo and Juliet’s unique, even weird, relationship.

            This enhanced feeling of love could be explained through an observation of natural human nature. All children, even adults, prefer to do exactly what an authority figure tells him not to do. Humans, when being denied something they want, are inherently curious about that forbidden or hidden thing.

            Humans also like attention. Nothing garners attention more than doing something no one else has done--no matter how stupid. The human brain feeds on ideas and attention. Those “fuels of the brain” empower the mind and soul to create ways and solutions to earn that attention. Romeo and Juliet, in this scenario, loved each other as a way to say, “Look at us! We did this first!”

Love conquers all, no matter how corny. Separation is a bridge crossed by the love for one another. Romeo and Juliet were away from each other for a major part of the play. They were forced to find inventive ways to be able to meet up with each other--which included on Juliet’s balcony and at the church.  They became more drawn to each other the longer they were apart. This is a similar principle used by the music and film industry today. Musical artists like Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen may release an album at the beginning of 2025. That album will be cherished for a while, but eventually people will be in desperate need for another piece of music from their idol. The longer time between releases the more suspense and attraction is created in the fanbase which makes for more album sales and higher profits for the producers when that following music does come out.

Romeo and Juliet possessed a bond like no other. Both always knew the other loved them and wanted, at any time possible, to spend time with them. That simple fact could’ve been the singular reason why their relationship lasted(or it’s at least what I believe). People’s relationships can differ and be stretched lightyears apart, and(unlike magnets)romantic partners can be attracted from anywhere. 

                                           Does Romeo and Juliet Glamourize Suicide 

                                                                By Olivia Owens

            Suicide isn’t a light topic at all. It’s something that happens to millions a year. Most of the time it's younger people (teens) that end up committing. 

            In Romeo and Juliet, the young couple ends up passing away due to suicide. If you haven’t read this story, I'll summarize that scene. Romeo thinks Juliet is dead and poisons himself, but after that, Juliet wakes up and sees that he’s dead, so she stabs herself. 

            I believe that this scene is sort of glamourizing suicide. It seems so sweet because Romeo couldn’t continue living without Juliet and the same thing for her. The problem with this is how easy the play makes suicide seem. 

            Like mentioned in the beggining of this, suicide is a truly horrible thing. Which is why it almost makes me angry that so many movies, books, songs, etc make suicide so normalized. It shouldn’t be normalized ever. 

            Something that never really gets talked about (at least in my opinion) is how badly suicide affects the friends and family of whoever has ended their life. 

            At the end of Romeo and Juliet, the two rivaling families come together after the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The families end up forgiving each other and decide to end the rivalry they used to have. 

            Some may argue that Romeo and Juliet killing themselves was sort of a “good thing” because it brought the families together. That’s the only “good thing” that came out of it. Unfortunately, though, the fact still remains that the Capulets lost their daughter and the Monteques lost their son. That can never be undone. 

            This may be a bit of a stretch, but I feel like many teens are influenced by stories like Romeo and Juliet. Maybe more modern stories like it. They may get it in their heads that suicide is what you should resort to when going through a hard time. 

            The two lovers are so quick to end their lives for each other. There were no second thoughts, no hesitancy, they just did it. This is what makes suicide seem so easy, and that’s why teens could be very easily influenced because suicide looks like an easy escape. 

            A point I'd like to make (which is a quote most people have heard) is that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. This basically means that whatever someone is going through, there will always be some sort of resolution, even if it takes a while. 

            I make this point because in Romeo and Juliet, she isn’t actually dead, like Romeo thinks she is. If he hadn't killed himself, they would’ve been able to have a happy ending together. 

            Now, i’m sure Shakespear didn’t intentionally try to make suicide seem like it’s not a big deal. It was a different time that he lived in, and maybe suicide wasn’t seen as something really important that shouldn’t be taken lightly in entertainment media. 

            There are still many modern types of media that do romanticise suicide. It mostly happens in movies such as The Bridges of Madison County, Harold and Maude, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This has angered many people, including myself. 

            So to summarize the point im trying to make, Romeo and Juliet does make suicide seem like a romantic act of love type thing. “Romanticising” and “glamourizing” are two great words for it. I wish that more people could take suicide seriosuly. Because it’s not a light topic, and it should be taken seriously. 

                 

                                                            Death & Regret

                                                            By Fisher Allen

            Death… What does it mean to you? For some it means the end, the conclusion of their lives, the very cease of their existence. Many people dread it, for the “right wrong reason” depending on your beliefs if you know what I mean. However for others it's the everlasting, long awaited reunion with our brothers and sisters, and with God. But all of this to say we, as humans, know that death is eventually going to catch up with us, in a physical sense, now depending on your beliefs, your spiritual embodiment is determined.

            We(not counting everyone) don’t know when our passing will take place,via natural causes, sickness, or even suicide, such like what Romeo and Juliet undertook in the screen play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare; why did they did such a thing? That is beyond me. However I do believe it had something to do with the fact that they believe they couldn’t go on without the other. As the play goes, they both regretted not bearing against the terms of romeo’s banishment, and be with eachother, for romeo was under the influence that juliet died, therefore he committed suicide at juliets side.

Now regret is a whole other matter that is quite familiar to many people. I myself have it weighing on my mind constantly, most of the time it’s regretting things that I had done, but the regret that hits the hardest is the regret of not doing something. Because we are on this earth for only so long, and we don't have a say in when we will pass away, so I wouldn’t advise wasting time thinking about something you hadn’t done before it's too late, and "You must shuffle off this mortal coil." quote Shakespeare. What I find sad is the fact that so many people live their lives in regret before their death, some from not spending enough time with their loved ones before their departure from life, others from something they did that ruined their reputation, and some that stole the life from someone.

Life is here and then it is gone. I believe, within moral and spiritual principles, that life is a drop in the bucket, so live the absolute heck out of it. Just as soon as you’re youthful wishing you were older, you’ll be old near death willing to give anything to get your precious youthful days.

Don’t live your life thinking,” Man, I should have talked to that girl” “ I should have said I love you” “ I should have been there for them”. To be frank, you can “should” for the rest of your life and it won't change a thing;it will only bring regret, just like it was to Juliet for her brief moment alive after Romeo killed himself. I personally suggest listening to Cody Johnson's song “Till You Can’t” because it has really good ties with this theme.

There is a lot of death in Shakespeare’s screen play, and I can guarantee, without a doubt, that Paris’s mother hadn’t a thought in her mind that her son was going to die that day. It's pretty likely that she was full of regret and found she had been at fault for not just that a little bit more time with him. She likely mourned his death for a while. Another character that was killed was Tybalt, as well as Mercutio. Who had started by play, by playfully fighting, which escalated after Mercutio mocked Tybalt, and they brawled in the middle of the street. Eventually Tybalt struck Mercutio under Romeo's arm; Death claimed another, which would soon be Tybalt's turn to join him. See how fast it took goofing off to turn into a death upon both houses? Within both Capulet, and Montique houses/bloodlines.

           

            Now take a second, and ask yourself something, why did they fight? Surely they would have gone about their business had they known it would bear the death of both in the end. So, I present only a few more questions for you, before departure; What will happen to you when death is in company? Where are you going? Did you fulfill your life, living free from regret?