Concerning Juliets Age

Concerning Juliet’s age

I find a big stumbling block that comes with teaching Romeo and Juliet is explaining Juliet’s age. Juliet is 13 - more precisely, she’s just on the cusp of turning 14. Though it’s not stated explicitly, Romeo is implied to be a teenager just a few years older than her - perhaps 15 or 16. Most people dismiss Juliet’s age by saying “that was normal back then” or “that’s just how it was.” This is fundamentally untrue, and I will explain why.

In Elizabethan England, girls could legally marry at 12 (boys at 14) but only with their father’s permission. However, it was normal for girls to marry after 18 (more commonly in early to mid twenties) and for boys to marry after 21 (more commonly in mid to late twenties). But at 14, a girl could legally marry without papa’s consent. Of course, in doing so she ran the risk of being disowned and left destitute, which is why it was so critical for a young man to obtain the father’s goodwill and permission first. Therein lies the reason why we are repeatedly told that Juliet is about to turn 14 in under 2 weeks. This was a critical turning point in her life.

In modern terms, this would be the equivalent of the law in many countries which states children can marry at 16 with their parents’ permission, or at 18 to whomever they choose - but we see it as pretty weird if someone marries at 16. They’re still a kid, we think to ourselves - why would their parents agree to this?

This is exactly the attitude we should take when we look at Romeo and Juliet’s clandestine marriage. Today it would be like two 16 year olds marrying in secret. This is NOT normal and would NOT have been received without a raised eyebrow from the audience. Modern audiences AND Elizabethan audiences both look at this and think THEY. ARE. KIDS.

Critically, it is also not normal for fathers to force daughters into marriage at this time. Lord Capulet initially makes a point of telling Juliet’s suitor Paris that “my will to her consent is but a part.” He tells Paris he wants to wait a few years before he lets Juliet marry, and informs him to woo her in the meantime. Obtaining the lady’s consent was of CRITICAL importance. It’s why so many of Shakespeare’s plays have such dazzling, well-matched lovers in them, and why men who try to force daughters to marry against their will seldom prosper. You had to let the lady make her own choice. Why?

Put simply, for her health. It was considered a scientific fact that a woman’s health was largely, if not solely, dependant on her womb. Once she reached menarche in her teenage years, it was important to see her fitted with a compatible sexual partner. (For aristocratic girls, who were healthier and enjoyed better diets, menarche generally occurred in the early teens rather than the later teens, as was more normal at the time). The womb was thought to need heat, pleasure, and conception if the woman was to flourish. Catholics might consider virginity a fit state for women, but the reformed English church thought it was borderline unhealthy - sex and marriage was sometimes even prescribed as a medical treatment. A neglected wife or widow could become sick from lack of (pleasurable) sex. Marrying an unfit sexual partner or an older man threatened to put a girl’s health at risk. An unsatisfied woman, made ill by her womb as a result - was a threat to the family unit and the stability of society as a whole. A satisfying sex life with a good husband meant a womb that had the heat it needed to thrive, and by extension a happy and healthy woman.

In Shakespeare’s plays, sexual compatibility between lovers manifests on the stage in wordplay. In Much Ado About Nothing, sparks fly as Benedick and Beatrice quarrel and banter, in comparison to the silence that pervades the relationship between Hero and Claudio, which sours very quickly. Compare to R+J - Lord Capulet tells Paris to woo Juliet, but the two do not communicate. But when Romeo and Juliet meet, their first speech takes the form of a sonnet. They might be young and foolish, but they are in love. Their speech betrays it.

Juliet, on the cusp of 14, would have been recognised as a girl who had reached a legal and biological turning point. Her sexual awakening was upon her, though she cares very little about marriage until she meets the man she loves. They talk, and he wins her wholehearted, unambiguous and enthusiastic consent - all excellent grounds for a relationship, if only she weren’t so young.

When Tybalt dies and Romeo is banished, Lord Capulet undergoes a monstrous change from doting father to tyrannical patriarch. Juilet’s consent has to take a back seat to the issue of securing the Capulet house. He needs to win back the prince’s favour and stabilise his family after the murder of his nephew. Juliet’s marriage to Paris is the best way to make that happen. Fathers didn’t ordinarily throw their daughters around the room to make them marry. Among the nobility, it was sometimes a sad fact that girls were simply expected to agree with their fathers’ choices. They might be coerced with threats of being disowned. But for the VAST majority of people in England - basically everyone non-aristocratic - the idea of forcing a daughter that young to marry would have been received with disgust. And even among the nobility it was only used as a last resort, when the welfare of the family was at stake. Note that aristocratic boys were often in the same position, and would also be coerced into advantageous marriages for the good of the family.

tl;dr:

Q. Was it normal for girls to marry at 13?

A. Hell no!

Q. Was it legal for girls to marry at 13?

A. Not without dad’s consent - Friar Lawrence performs this dodgy ceremony only because he believes it might bring peace between the houses.

Q. Was it normal for fathers to force girls into marriage?

A. Not at this time in England. In noble families, daughters were expected to conform to their parents wishes, but a girl’s consent was encouraged, and the importance of compatibility was recognised.

Q. How should we explain Juliet’s age in modern terms?

A. A modern Juliet would be a 17 year old girl who’s close to turning 18. We all agree that girls should marry whomever they love, but not at 17, right? We’d say she’s still a kid and needs to wait a bit before rushing into this marriage. We acknowledge that she’d be experiencing her sexual awakening, but marrying at this age is odd - she’s still a child and legally neither her nor Romeo should be marrying without parental permission.

Q. Would Elizabethans have seen Juliet as a child?

A. YES. The force of this tragedy comes from the youth of the lovers. The Montagues and Capulets have created such a hateful, violent and dangerous world for their kids to grow up in that the pangs of teenage passion are enough to destroy the future of their houses. Something as simple as two kids falling in love is enough to lead to tragedy. That is the crux of the story and it should not be glossed over - Shakespeare made Juliet 13 going on 14 for a reason. 

To Court a Senju part 2

Befriending Tobirama was slow going. The younger man was reserved, antisocial even. Outside of his brother and cousin he didn’t seem to be interested in people. In fact he seemed to be rather uncomfortable around them. But Madara was up for the challenge. He just had to let the stubborn bastard know he wasn’t faking it. That he really wanted to get to know him. That he wasn’t trying to use him for something. It burned, learning that someone had tried to use him in the past. Had faked caring about him and in the process made it so much harder for anyone else to get to know the man. There was a reason Hashirama was so damned protective.

Over the past few weeks Madara had been slowly starting to spend more time around Tobirama. They’d had tea together a couple more times, always with Hashirama joining them. Madara would have been annoyed, but Tobirama always seemed so pleased that Hashirama wanted to join them that he just didn’t have the heart to deny him. But the only time he was able spend any time alone with him was while working on a ranking system for the village shinobi. That time however was devoted entirely to work. And Tobirama was nothing short of a workaholic. One who had more than once forgotten to take a break or stop for lunch. Who would go for days without sleeping. Learning about that particular habit also lead him to the single most adorable thing he’d ever seen. Tobirama had gone for about five days without sleep, working on something he refused to talk about. According to the harpy, this was fairly normal behavior when he was developing a new technique. He would go for days without rest if Hashirama didn’t drag him to bed. This time “bed” happened to be a comfy cushion that had been dragged next to Hashirama’s own so Tobirama could curl into a surprisingly compact ball under his brother’s outer robes, while Hashirama himself acted as a pillow.

Hashirama was absently petting his brothers hair, the only visible part of him, as he read his reports smiling gently at the soft snuffles coming from beneath the robe.

Madara couldn’t bring himself to disturb them and had backed out of the office.

And that was only one of the things he’d seen. Honestly, how anyone in that clan could see Tobirama as anything but adorable was beyond him. The man was like a cat. Ever curious, surprisingly playful, somewhat standoffish, hell, he even sneezed like a kitten! (Madara completely ignored the fact that some cats, particularly the larger ones, were terrifying) But it seemed like most of the Senju clan was uncomfortable around him. They wouldn’t make eye contact, or try to talk to him. Some even flat out avoided him as much as the Uchiha would. It hurt to see someone’s clan treat them like that. It hurt even more to see Tobirama treat it as normal.

At least the children weren’t shy around him.

***

A few days after Tobirama’s research binge he showed up at Madara’s office. He looked a bit worn down, but there was a distinct light of triumph in his eyes.

“You look smugger than usual. What did you do and how much is Hashirama going to pout about it?”

A small, barely there smile curved pale lips and he fought to keep from staring. Tobirama didn’t seem to notice.

“Anija shouldn’t be too upset about this one. He may even enjoy it.”

Madara gave that the snort it deserved. Hashirama constantly dispaired over Tobirama’s techniques. To dangerous for most people to use or simply to complicated. They drove the elder Senju nuts.

Tobirama kept his smug little grin in place. “Lunch?”

Madara froze for a second, shocked. Tobirama had actually remembered food without prompting, and most importantly, he’d sought out Madara for the first time.

Heart thundering in his chest, he agreed as he quickly shuffled his pappers into a messy stack. “Lead the way, Senju.”

To Court a Senju pt. 7

Holy shit an update.

***

Tobirama felt a small twinge in his chest when he realized that he would be having lunch alone for the third day in a row. Had it really been so long since he’d gone more than a day without someone joining him on his break? Thinking back it he’d had consistent company ever since Madara had invited him to tea that first time. He hadn’t realized he’d grown so accustomed to Madara joining him. And a lot of the time Hashirama joined them too.

Madara was going to be gone for a few more days though, and he really didn’t want to eat alone again… maybe he’d ask Hashirama to join him for lunch. Or Touka. She had been fairly depressed recently. Perhaps he should take pity on her if Izuna hadn’t found an appropriate puzzle box for her. It had been days since he had let the man know. Surely he had found something by now.

He had nearly convinced himself to tell her the truth when he sensed Izuna heading her way, making his decision for him.

With a small sigh he abandoned the papers on his desk and drifted over to Hashirama’s office. His older brother was in the middle of a back cracking stretch when he walked in. For once Hashirama’s desk was neater than his own. Noticing the shock his baby brother was feeling Hashirama gave a sheepish grin even as his face flushed.

“Mito said if I make it home early enough she has a surprise for me.”

Tobirama blinked, then firmly killed that train of thought. He was not willing to go there. Ever.

“Right. Well. You seem fairly ahead of schedule, so perhaps you could join me for lunch?”

The brightest of smiles was directed at him and Tobirama nearly sighed. Honestly, his brother was such a dork.

Lunch was a very noisy affair. But well worth it. It was always nice to see his brother so genuinely happy. No matter how much he might complain. They both know he would kill anyone who threatened his brother’s happiness.

After lunch Tobirama decided to finish up only what was necessary for the day. He knew the look he’d seem on Hashirama’s face, it ment he didn’t want to be home come night fall. He’d just crash on his couch in the office and get an early start in the morning. Leaving him with most of the afternoon to do with as he pleased.

The tiger cubs should be big enough to play some new games with. It would be the perfect way to spend his free time.

***

Touka has been stunned when her little cousin had gone about his life without a single sign that anything was wrong. She had been almost certian that she would need the shio yokan she kept hidden in her desk.

But he had been fine. Just… fine. Like his partner hadn’t left on a mission that would keep him away for at least a week. It was a little concerning honestly. There were a few people that were rather offended on Madara’s behalf. Perhaps if she could talk to him about it, somewhere that Uchiha Kaoru could overhear…

She could gossip like no other. If she heard Tobirama admit to missing Madara that would kill the nastiest of rumors.

With that plan in mind she had every intention to corner her little cousin after work. It would make for a good distraction as well. A distraction from the man who had just shuffled into her office looking very sheepish.

“So. I um. I didn’t realize fans were a symbol of friendship in your clan. In fact, until a few days ago I thought, maybe you were just… I dunno. Playing with me. But then Tobi swore Madara hadn’t given him a fan and I thought that was so strange! And then Tobi said they’re for friends to give, like our charms! And I don’t want you to think that’s what I ment. I mean! If that’s what you want then of course I’ll accept that! But…”

Touka watched, hope flaring in her chest, breath seeming to stop entirely. When the puzzle box was shoved towards her she felt dizzy with joy. Instead of taking the puzzle she grabbed his wrist and pulled him across the desk for a clumsy first kiss. One he was all to eager to return.

All of the fans he had given her were suddenly ten times more beautiful in her mind. And his rambling had never been so sweet.

***

For the first time in his life Tobirama fled his office without cleaning up. In fact he didn’t even bother making sure the door was locked or the window shut. Hearing his sister-in-law gasping “hokage-sama!” was more than enough to send him running from the tower and to the safety of the compound without a second thought.

He was happier when he thought his brother didn’t know what sex was. Now it was a struggle to keep from over hearing far to much.

He didn’t stop running until he made it to his room and sealed himself inside. If he was lucky he’d still be able to look his brother in the eye come morning. Or he could just… take the day off. Get some training done. Peek in on Madara’s garden and see if everything was in order. He had given him an open invitation to his home…

So long as he didn’t have to face his brother in the office anything would suffice.

He burried his head under his pillow and tried not to think of it.

***

Hashirama was in a fantastic mood as he made his way to his brothers office, thinking to invite him to lunch. The day before had been perfect and he was kinda hoping for a repeat. Lunch with his baby brother and an early night. Maybe see if his lovely wife would agree to another night out. Those plans fizzled out when he poked his head in and saw an open window and a half signed paper abandoned on the desk. He struck by the sudden horrified realization that his baby brother might just have been working late in an attempt to give he and Mito a bit of privacy after being told about Mito’s surprise. A mortified blush spread over his face as he realized his baby brother knew exactly what that surprise had been.

Closing the door Hashirama want back to his office and burried himself in paperwork. He didn’t want to know what Tobirama had heard. Didn’t want to think about it. He should have activated the privacy seals. Checked to make sure his workaholic sibling wasn’t there. Anything.

This was almost worse than Tobi walking in on them the other day.

Sometime later, he wasn’t entirely sure how long he’d been working but his paperwork was nearly done, someone poked their head in the door. He blinked at them, trying to clear the haze of politics from his mind. His mind gratefully latched ontoa new distraction.

“Ah, Kaoru-san. How can I help you?”

“I was looking for Tobirama-sama. I had a few questions for him about the ranking system he and Madara-sama are working on.”

Hashirama froze for the barest instant as he remembered exactly why his brother wasn’t in the office. Kaoru didn’t seem to notice his slip, thank goodness.

“Aah. I gave him the day off! He seems so down recently I thought it might help for him to get out of the office!”

Kaoru raised a skeptical brow at him, obviously not convinced.

“He seemed just fine yesterday when you took him to lunch, Hokage-sama.”

Hashirama blinked as he thought back to lunch. Tobi had seemed fine really, just a bit melancholy. But.. He had sought Hashirama out for company. And that was a bit unusual. Now that he was thinking about it and not wrapped up in how happy he was that had spent time with his most loved people, he was a bit concerned. Perhaps Tobi really was a bit sad.

“I think he missed having lunch with Madara to be honest. He doesn’t normally ask to join me for lunch since I usually eat with my wife.”

Something in her eyes softened. Why, he wasn’t sure. But it made her appear much more friendly.

“I see. Well, I’m sure my questions can wait til tomorrow. Good-day Hokage-sama. Thank you for your time.”

He nodded absently, still thinking about his brother. Perhaps Tobi was closer to Madara than he’d thought. That was surprising. But… when he thought about all the good that had come from it so far he couldn’t be upset. Worried for his baby brother’s happiness, always. But Madara was his best friend. And he was doing everything right, not rushing in. Not trying to force things. Not asking for a contract had been the biggest indication that he’d ment it when he said he wanted a relationship. And he had proved that every day so far.

He smiled. Madara needed to come home soon.

***

The mission had been surprisingly pleasant. The daimyo’s daughter hasn’t been as horribly stuck up as he had feared and was honestly quite funny once she realized he wasn’t to treat her like she was made of glass. The first crass joke that slipped from her lips had him howling as she flushed bright red. It had been after an attempted attack and well, dicklesshad been the nicest thing she had called them.

Still, it was a relief to be done. Funny as she was she was still a civilian and slow. So slow. He wanted to go home. But, he had been correct in thinkinghe would be forced to endure a formal dinner as thanks.

So he had a few hours to kill before that and bed. He planned on heading out first thing in the morning, as soon as he possibly could.

Until then,Madara was looking around the capitol’s bazaar. That’s where he found it. The perfect courting gift. A puzzle box that when complete would form a decorative fan. Not one of the functional fans his clan prefered to give to their intended. But, it was the perfect mix to both of their courting customs. No one from either clan could bitch that he wasn’t doing it right. And the fact that fans were a gift of friendship to the Senju ment that it was three gifts in one.

He had spent a lot of time thinking on this mission. And a lot more time missing the quiet company Tobirama offered. Izuna had been right. There was no way he wanted to end up just friends. It was time to start transitioning into a real, formal courtship. He just hoped the younger man was as open to that as he was to being friends.

Day 6: Secret Relationship // Rice Wine

I went overboard and did this in full colour, which takes so much time with watercolours and markers, so ofc I’m late. But worth it~

“ You’re home!! “

study