It's possible for love to happen at first sight, but sometimes that love is based on infatuation, lust, and fantasy, says educator Rebecca Rufo on PBS.org. Even though the art of wooing and the emotional benefits of romance are exciting, true love must also be rational and logical. Romeo and Juliet's plight teaches teenagers that young love can be immature, irresponsible, and destructive if it's based on dishonesty and corruption. It's questionable whether Romeo and Juliet's love would have lasted a lifetime, since it started on such rocky ground.
A hard lesson from Romeo and Juliet's dramatic love story is that one lie often leads to more lies, eventually resulting in distrust and confusion. Juliet's plan to appear dead so she could run away with Romeo without marrying Paris is thwarted when communication about her intentions gets jumbled. If Romeo and Juliet had been honest with their families about their love and marriage, the story wouldn't have ended in despair. This lesson teaches teenagers that honesty -- although sometimes difficult -- is usually the best option.
The long-lasting tension between the Montagues and Capulets had a huge impact on Romeo and Juliet's love life. Teens can learn from this tragic tale that you don't just marry a person, you marry the whole family. The past can't be overlooked. Rather than addressing their family conflicts head-on, the forbidden lovers tried to manipulate the situation and dismiss their family conflicts. Love is about passion, commitment and romance between two people, but baggage from family histories must be addressed to avoid an unhealthy outcome.
Even though the pure and sincere love between Romeo and Juliet is admirable and desirable, desperation can lead to suicide. The realization that suicide is a tragic ending to a love story is a hard lesson to learn, but it teaches that death isn't the answer for star-crossed lovers. Teenagers today can learn from Romeo and Juliet's example: Suicide isn't glamorous, it's sad and disheartening. Shakespeare's play isn't old-fashioned or irrelevant for present-day youth because "suicide remains a chief killer among teenagers," according to Concordia University's analysis of "Romeo and Juliet."