What was the Elizabethan audience reaction with romeo and Juliet's marriage?

Answer 1

The 16th century viewed love, romance, betrothal and marriage very differently than the way we do in the 21st. A pair of young aristocrats, one of them engaged to marry another man, goes behind their elders' backs, conduct a love affair, and marry - we today smile at this story indulgently and say, "ah, young love! The chances they take; the rules they break." But in the 16th century many people would not have smiled, but would have taken a dim view of the lovers' actions. They might have argued that Juliet's betrothal to Paris was a binding agreement, that neither Romeo nor Juliet was free to ignore or take lightly that arrangement, and that their behavior was irresponsible and reckless. The couple's deaths would be seen not as deserved, exactly, but as the sad but predictable result of the couple's own recklessness.

Answer 2

The Elizabethan audience would have likely been intrigued by Romeo and Juliet's secret marriage because it went against societal norms of the time. They may have been captivated by the forbidden love aspect of the story and the potential for tragedy. The element of youthful passion and reckless decisions in the play would have resonated with the audience's appreciation for drama and emotion.