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Isabella Molano
Mr. Owain Phillips
English 9B
25 May 2014
Against All Odds
What is it that makes Shakespeare's love stories so powerful, so unique? Maybe it is the
way "Shakespeare went against societal norms and often displayed love as being the sole desire
of the couple" (www.e-scoala.ro). This makes love seem that much more intense, as we see in
Romeo and Juliet. But what were the social norms during Elizabethan times? What were they
when it comes to marriage and courtship? Do Romeo and Juliet follow them? The answer is, no,
for the most part they do not. Romeo and Juliet differ from realistic courtship and rules of
marriage in Elizabethan times because their love story goes against societal norms.
First off, there was marriage. Romeo and Juliet are married on an impulsive whim of
love, with little regards for the rules. It is a surprise they got Friar Lawrence to marry them,
though he did have his reasons. During the Renaissance Period, marriage was "both secular and
sacred" (www.e-scoala.ro).The rules were usually obeyed. There were four basic requirements.
First, the brides family needed to consent. This is certainly not the case in the play, as Juliet
does not even let her parents know that she falls in love, let alone that she gets married. The
reason for this is the feud between the two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Also, the
two partners needed to be of the same social class, which is one rule they do not break, although
Romeo and Juliet probably had little regard for this anyway. Thirdly, the marriage needed to be
declared publicly with witnesses present. In Romeo and Juliet's marriage, the only witness they
have present is friar Lawrence and it is done in secret. Finally, the couple had to consummate the
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marriage, which is another rule that went unbroken since both Romeo and Juliet are very much
eager to get married and are overjoyed when they can.Their parents reactions, however, surely
would have been less than thrilled.
Parents of the bride were normally the ones to select, or at least approve, of their
daughters suitors. Their approval was usually based on the young mans economic position. As
this was common during these times, Juliet's parents already have a suitor prepared for Juliet
they approved of and had given him their blessing. The man would "generally [ask] a woman's
father for permission to court his daughter" (www.elizabetheanenglandlife.com). This is exactly
what Paris does when he asks "But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?" (I.2.6). When
Romeo meets Juliet, he can not exactly court her in the traditional way because that involves
gifts, compliments and visits to the house. It was assumed that this kind of courtship would
eventually lead to marriage. Paris was following the right steps by asking Capulet. Romeo and
Juliet do not follow the traditional way of courting because of the Capulets ongoing dispute and
rivalry with the Montagues, and she refuses to marry Paris.
Similar to today, women usually dreamed and looked forward with anticipation to the day
a noble and worthy man would want to marry them. Usually, "Elizabethan marriages [is] one of
the highlight of every woman's life" (www.elizabetheanenglandlife.com). This is quite clearly,
not in the slightest, the case with Juliet. Her mother Lady Capulet, and her nurse are expecting
her to be ecstatic and are quite surprised when this is not the case. Her father tries forcing her
into it with his rage, but to no avail. She thinks of everything she possibly can in order to stop the
marriage, telling friar Lawrence "Tell me not, Friar, that thou hearst of this [marriage], Unless
thou tell me how I may prevent it" (IV.1. 53). Although it is puzzling to everyone else why Juliet
would turn down this perfectly fine marriage proposal the reason is quite simple. It is because
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she is already deeply in love with someone else. So in love, in fact, that she would rather die than
to live any fate other than being with him.
It is understandable why the concept of being in love was so foreign to everyone. With
wealth being most peoples sole concern "It is odd then that so much emphasis would be placed
on love because in Elizabethan times, there was very little of it"
(essentialshakespeare.wikispaces.com). Love was not the norm, or what everyone expected to
find like they do nowadays. Not even Juliet is looking to find it in the start, saying that she would
like Paris "no more deep will I endart mine eye Than your consent gives strength to make it fly"
(1.3.4) when her mother asks if she could ever love Paris. She grew up thinking that she would
have little liberty in choosing her partner, as most girls in her time did, and this turned out to be
the case. So when Romeo and Juliet fall in love they do all they can to break free of society's
restrictions. Their love was a difficult one. They are not famously known as "star crossed lovers"
without reason. You could say that the reason they had to go through so much trouble and
secrecy, eventually leading to their final fate of death,was simply because they fell in love.
Perhaps this was the biggest social norm that they broke, as it certainly shapes the story.
The elizabethan era had very set rules for courtship and marriage. Society had
expectations, and young girls were expected to comply. With Romeo and Juliet, it was electric
from the moment they crossed paths. Their regard for he rules completely disappears when they
meet. They somehow manage to get married despite going against most of the rules. Neither of
their parents could consent because Romeo and Juliet were very furtive about the entire thing.
There was no time for her to even be properly courted by Romeo. Juliet refused to be with
anyone other than him. Their love was impulsive, crazy and unlikely, which is perhaps one of the
reasons that it is one of the most well known and highly acclaimed love stories of all time. They
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were so in love that it came to a point where they were the only two in the world and they
thought little about the consequences of their actions. After all, who needs to follow the mold
society has set for you, when you fall in love.

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Works Cited
"Elizabethan England Life." Courtship Marriages and Divorces during Elizabethan Era.
Web. 23 May 2014. <http://www.elizabethanenglandlife.com/courtship-marriages-and-
divorces-during-elizabethan-era.html>.
"Home." EssentialShakespeare -. Web. 25 May 2014.
<http://essentialshakespeare.wikispaces.com/home>.
SparkNotes. SparkNotes. Web. 23 May 2014. <http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/>.
"William Shakespeare - Shakespeare Era." William Shakespeare - Shakespeare Era. Web. 25
May 2014. <http://www.e-scoala.ro/referate/engleza_shakespeare_era.html>.