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How did Romeo fall in love with Juliet just seconds after seeing her, and then forget all about Rosaline?

It seems a bit silly, doesn't it? That Romeo and Juliet have hardly known each other for minutes and they believe themselves to be in love? I think the best answer I can give you is that hormones easily make fools of us all.


Romeo and Juliet are the teenage children of two noble Italian families. They have spent their lives in the sort of precious social isolation all noble children were subjected to in...

It seems a bit silly, doesn't it? That Romeo and Juliet have hardly known each other for minutes and they believe themselves to be in love? I think the best answer I can give you is that hormones easily make fools of us all.


Romeo and Juliet are the teenage children of two noble Italian families. They have spent their lives in the sort of precious social isolation all noble children were subjected to in order to keep them out of trouble. They have most likely not had a lot of opportunity to meet other people their age, and we already know that Romeo has become infatuated Rosaline. It is very possible that Rosaline was the first pretty ladies (or one of very few) he has ever had the opportunity to spend time with and this has overwhelmed him. Seeing Juliet without Rosaline present for comparison could easily win him over just as well. 


The theme of young love is what makes Romeo and Juliet so relevant even today. Most people have experienced the sort of excitement these two had for each other. Even if it was not a true love or a romantic love, Romeo and Juliet interpreted their intense feelings for one another as love. Both being pubescent and full of hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and oxytocin surely fueled the flame of liking for one another and- combined with a lack of social experience- ultimately lead to their death.

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