Romeo & Juliet is a Problematic Play

When most people think of Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet is the first story that comes to mind. The image of two young lovers defying their families only to meet a tragic end has become one of the most famous tales ever written. But when we look closely at the details of the play, the picture becomes more complicated. The characters’ ages, the impossibly short timeline, and the unexplained feud all raise questions that make the play far more problematic than many audiences expect.

Romeo’s age is not stated directly, but most people agree he is about sixteen or seventeen. That makes him a teenager as well, but noticeably older than Juliet. In modern terms, their relationship would raise alarm bells: a thirteen girl being rushed into a romance with someone older, without parental consent, and under the pressure of social expectations. Even Paris (who her parents approve of) is significantly older than Juliet, most likely in his early 20s. 

This age gap, and the sheer immaturity of Romeo and Juliet, helps explain why the couple act so rashly. Juliet goes from complete innocence to plotting her own fake death within just a few days. Romeo, on the other hand, swings wildly from being madly in love with Rosaline at the beginning to falling for Juliet within moments of seeing her. Their youth magnifies the impulsiveness that drives the tragedy.

The Montagues are less clearly described, but we can assume they are of similar ages to the Capulets. Lady Montague is presented as more gentle than Lady Capulet, but she dies of grief at Romeo’s banishment, reminding us how fragile the family unit is in the shadow of the feud.

The Short and Unforgiving Timeline

Another problem is the astonishingly short timeline of events. From the first meeting of Romeo and Juliet at the Capulet ball to their double suicide in the tomb, only four or five days pass. The whole story unfolds at breakneck speed:

• Sunday night: They meet and instantly fall in love.

• Monday: They marry in secret.

• Tuesday: Romeo kills Tybalt, is banished, and spends his final night with Juliet.

• Wednesday night: Juliet’s marriage to Paris is arranged, and she drinks the potion.

• Thursday: Romeo and Juliet are both dead.
  
  

The idea of a lifelong, all-consuming love developing in less than a week strains credibility. What’s more, the characters have little time to reflect on their decisions. The haste of the narrative mirrors the impulsiveness of youth, but it also raises the question: was this love ever meant to last, or was it just reckless infatuation accelerated by outside pressure?

The Problem of Violence

Romeo and Juliet is not just a love story — it is also a deeply violent play. From the opening scene, where servants of the two houses brawl in the streets, bloodshed is presented as normal and almost inevitable. The feud does not stay confined to the older generation; it pulls the young into cycles of aggression and revenge.

Tybalt, fiery and quick to fight, represents this destructive code of honor. His killing of Mercutio sets off the chain of events that leads Romeo to commit murder himself. Romeo’s choice to avenge Mercutio by killing Tybalt is impulsive, but it also shows how easily even the supposedly “romantic” hero becomes part of the violence he despises.

What’s especially troubling is how the violence escalates without pause: a duel leads to exile, which leads to desperation, which leads to double suicide. Shakespeare suggests that in a culture defined by honor and blood, there is no space for love to survive. For a modern audience, the sheer brutality of the play can overshadow the romance, forcing us to question whether this is truly a story of love at all, or simply a tragedy of violence disguised as one.

The Problem of the Feud

At the centre of the play lies the feud between the Montagues and Capulets. Yet Shakespeare gives us no explanation for its origins. The families hate each other, but we never learn why. Servants brawl in the street, relatives insult one another, and Verona itself is plunged into chaos — but all without a cause that the audience can clearly understand.

This lack of explanation is both powerful and frustrating. On one hand, it highlights the futility of generational hatred: no one even remembers why the violence started, yet it continues to destroy lives. On the other hand, modern readers often want backstory and logic. The absence of detail can make the feud feel like a weak plot device rather than a believable social conflict.

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet rests on this feud, but because it is so vague, the deaths of the lovers can feel avoidable, even senseless. That may be Shakespeare’s point — that hatred itself is senseless — but it makes for a story that many readers struggle to accept at face value.

Romeo and Juliet is often remembered as the ultimate love story, but when examined carefully it is far more troubling. Juliet’s youth and Romeo’s immaturity, the strange imbalance in the parents’ ages, the unrealistic speed of events, the unexplained feud, and the pervasive violence all combine to create a play that is deeply problematic.

Instead of a pure romance, we see a tale of reckless decisions, family pressures, and social divisions that crush the young before they have a chance to grow up. Perhaps that is why the play endures: not because it is a simple story of love, but because it forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about family, society, and the destructive power of hatred.