After first hearing about Romeo and Juliet in Grade 6, I was always curious about its meaning and intent. This year, I finally had the chance to watch the play, and it left a strong and tragic impression on me. More than just a love story, it made me wonder about several aspects of the characters as well as their surroundings. One of the first things that shocked me was how young Juliet was! She is only 14 years old and already expected to marry. It was strange to think that this was considered normal at the time. Despite understanding that times were different back then, it is still wild to see the little control Juliet actually had over her own life. As the story progressed, another moment stood out to me, the fight between Romeo and Tybalt. When Mercutio was killed, Romeo’s grief quickly turned into rage, but even then, there was hesitation. He didn’t want to kill Tybalt, especially since they had just become relatives through his secret marriage to Juliet. However, in his emotional confusion, he acted without thinking, and Tybalt’s death was inevitable. This was frustrating for me because, at first, Tybalt was portrayed as an aggressive character, almost a villain. Could Tybalt and Romeo have eventually become allies or even friends if there had been no bloodshed?
This moment led me to several questions: What would have happened to Tybalt if he had killed more than one person? Would he have been arrested, tortured, or executed? And what about Mercutio—if he had lived long enough to find out about Romeo’s marriage to Juliet, how would he have reacted? Would he have felt betrayed by his closest friend for falling in love with the enemy, or would he have supported him? Overall, Romeo and Juliet left me with more than just emotions; it made me think about the characters’ choices and how different things could have been if they had made even one different decision. The tragedy of the story lies not just in the love between Romeo and Juliet but also in the way fate and impulsive actions sealed their doom.