@history_poet: Juliet was Just Thirteen! Juliet is explicitly 13 years old in Shakespeare’s text. In modern standards that’s very young, but in Elizabethan England early marriages for noble girls were not unusual. Some modern productions “age her up”. Romanticization of Youth The story presents Juliet as the embodiment of youthful passion and beauty. In many cultures “young love” gets idealized and sexualized blurring the line between innocent romance and adult desire. Cultural Fetishization of “Innocence” Western media sometimes eroticizes the idea of innocence or purity Juliet as a “virginal bride” who quickly becomes a passionate lover fits into that troubling trope. Misinterpretation of the Text Shakespeare’s play is more about the intensity and recklessness of youthful love than about sex itself. But audiences often emphasize the sexual tension rather than the tragic consequences which skews perceptions of Juliet. #JulietCapulet
