Shallow Romeo and Stupid Juliet :: Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Shallow Romeo and Stupid Juliet We just finished reading the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In this play we are introduced to the tragic story of their forbidden "love" which ultimately leads to their deaths. Although Romeo and Juliet is considered to be a timeless love story, I find Romeo to be too immature for this to be so. When we are first introduced to Romeo, he is involved with a girl by the name of Rosaline. Benvolio inquired about Romeo's situation with her to see if she was the cause for his melancholiness, when he discovered she was, he advised him to forget her and move on to another girl. "Tut man, one fire burns out another's burning; One pain is lessened by another's anguish. Turn giddy, and be helped by backward turning. One desperate grief cures with another's languish. Take thou some new infection to thy eye, And the rank poison of the old will die." Romeo takes the advise Benvolio offered, and not another word about loving Rosaline is spoken. On the same day, Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio went to the Capulet's party dressed in masks so their identities wouldn't be known. At the party, Romeo saw a beautiful girl dancing with Paris and instantly fell in love with her. He asked a servingman what her name was but he didn't know. "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night As rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear- Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear. So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forsweare it, sight, For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." I find this hard to believe that Romeo could instantly fall in love with Juliet by her looks alone. Even harder to believe, is that if he was