If you've not read the book or gone further to analysize the book Romeo and Juliet by Williams Shakespeare, I advise that you don't comment until those who know better do, please.
If you've actually read the book, you should see sense in what am saying (I won't write anything about the plot or summary).

And I'll prove my point, using key components I've gathered after doing a bit of cross-match with those components and a lot of literary terms and analysis.

1). The Book began with an arguement between some servants from both families. From this, one can feel how deep the hatred is.
2). The book was a bit of a Climax. It started with the servants, a relative and a family friend joins for either family, Romeo falls in love with Juliet, Romeo kills Tybalt, Romeo gets banished, Juliet fakes her death, Romeo is informed of Juliet's death, Romeo returns... Romeo kills himself, Juliet wakes up before killing herself, the Friar reveals the truth about the whole thing, and then the head of both families agree to stop the hatred. Story ends. See?!
3). Romeo was childish and naive? He had only just felt heartbreak from Rosaline. He claims he would never fall in love again. Moments later he and his friend sneak into the Juliet family mansion for the party, he sees Juliet and he falls in love again. Imagine.

(I'll continue later)...

Two households both alike in dignity
In fair Veronna where we lay our scene
from civil grudge break to new mutiny
where civil hands make civil blood unclean
from the fatal loins of these two foes
a pair of star crossed lovers take their souls

Op, do you deny that the theme of romantic love permeates the story, as do the themes of hatred, reconciliation, civil authority, pretense/deception etc?
Let's not jump the gun anyway. Roll out your argument first... But I must say that your deconstruction seems faulty from the start.
Waiting...

mazado: Op, do you deny that the theme of romantic love permeates the story, as do the themes of hatred, reconciliation, civil authority, pretense/deception etc?
Let's not jump the gun anyway. Roll out your argument first... But I must say that your deconstruction seems faulty from the start.
Waiting...

Oh no, you missed my point. Romeo and Juliet romance?
Romeo claimed he would never fall in love again after Rosaline, but falls instantly in love with Juliet at first sight. Wasn't he a little naive?
Juliet was not even up to 18 years! Meaning she wasn't psychologically fit for a relationship.
The Friar who agreed to wed them secretly, only did so because he felt, that by doing so it could unite both families. Infact that was even the bases for his argument after Romeo and Juliet died.
The story ends with both families putting away their differences.
What I got from the story, was how conflict between two people or a group of people, can affect the lives of everyone around them. If both families were living in peace from the start, romantic idea about this book would be the same with every other book. Romeo and Juliet were the characters used, to pull both families out of conflict and into friendship, via a naive romance, secret wedding and suicide.

So do you get my point now? Because I get a little upset when somepeople talk about the book as if romance clouded all that happenend from start to finish...
I do hope you'll share your ideas as to why you think am wrong, or inaccurate.

abubaka101:
Oh no, you missed my point. Romeo and Juliet romance?
Romeo claimed he would never fall in love again after Rosaline, but falls instantly in love with Juliet at first sight. Wasn't he a little naive?
Juliet was not even up to 18 years! Meaning she wasn't psychologically fit for a relationship.
The Friar who agreed to wed them secretly, only did so because he felt, that by doing so it could unite both families. Infact that was even the bases for his argument after Romeo and Juliet died.
The story ends with both families putting away their differences.
What I got from the story, was how conflict between two people or a group of people, can affect the lives of everyone around them. If both families were living in peace from the start, romantic idea about this book would be the same with every other book. Romeo and Juliet were the characters used, to pull both families out of conflict and into friendship, via a naive romance, secret wedding and suicide.

So do you get my point now? Because I get a little upset when some people talk about the book as if romance clouded all that happenend from start to finish...
I do hope you'll share your ideas as to why you think am wrong, or inaccurate.

Then I think your topic is wrong and misleading. You should say 'Romeo and Juliet is not just about Romance' as that would be the right thing to say. Romeo and juliet is about romance, but like most other books of literature it also has a couple of other themes, like the one you have mentioned above.

Or if you mean that what Romeo had for Juliet was lust and not love, then I'd say you should know that in the days of shakespeare, the way people fell in love is different from what they do now and love at first sight was the norm then. Besides, back then people got married from 16, and 20 was considered late marriage.

Having said that I think Romeo and Juliet is a book mainly about love and its influence on society. Romance really did cloud everything that happened in the book, so you shouldn't get upset when people say that. Afterall which of the actions of Romeo and Juliet or their families can you define as sane and not clouded by emotions.

breathing:

Then I think your topic is wrong and misleading. You should say 'Romeo and Juliet is not just about Romance' as that would be the right thing to say. Romeo and juliet is about romance, but like most other books of literature it also has a couple of other themes, like the one you have mentioned above.

Or if you mean that what Romeo had for Juliet was lust and not love, then I'd say you should know that in the days of shakespeare, the way people fell in love is different from what they do now and love at first sight was the norm then. Besides, back then people got married from 16, and 20 was considered late marriage.

Having said that I think Romeo and Juliet is a book mainly about love and its influence on society. Romance really did cloud everything that happened in the book, so you shouldn't get upset when people say that. Afterall which of the actions of Romeo and Juliet or their families can you define as sane and not clouded by emotions.

Have u heard about Pocahontas (not sure if that's the correct spelling)?
If you have, I want you to relate the connection between the romance of Pocahontas and Smith with how that stopped the conflict between the native dwellers and the White settlers.
If you haven't heard of Pocahontas, please say so I can share a bit of the story.

abubaka101:
Have u heard about Pocahontas (not sure if that's the correct spelling)?
If you have, I want you to relate the connection between the romance of Pocahontas and Smith with how that stopped the conflict between the native dwellers and the White settlers.
If you haven't heard of Pocahontas, please say so I can share a bit of the story.

Now I think you should change the topic of this thread to 'Pocahontas, is not a romance story' and you may be right. Yes, I know the story of pocahontas but pocahontas and Romeo&Juliet are two different stories and I don't see why we should be taking examples from one to prove a point in the other.

breathing:
Now I think you should change the topic of this thread to 'Pocahontas, is not a romance story' and you may be right. Yes, I know the story of pocahontas but pocahontas and Romeo&Juliet are two different stories and I don't see why we should be taking examples from one to prove a point in the other.

Pocahontas is similar a little to the topic. The corrolation is this: two individual from two opposite sides, which are in conflict with one another, unite by virtue of circumstance. The strong bond this two had with each other overshadowed the conflict between both sides, and ultimately led to the reconciliation of both enemies.
Now you may be right to point out that the thread should have been "Romeo and Juliet Not about Romance Alone". But I hope you're getting the point am to put out?

abubaka101:
Pocahontas is similar a little to the topic. The corrolation is this: two individual from two opposite sides, which are in conflict with one another, unite by virtue of circumstance. The strong bond this two had with each other overshadowed the conflict between both sides, and ultimately led to the reconciliation of both enemies.
Now you may be right to point out that the thread should have been "Romeo and Juliet Not about Romance Alone". But I hope you're getting the point am to put out?

No, I don't get your point. That so called strong bond that over-shadowed the conflict is called love

breathing:

No, I don't get your point. That so called strong bond that over-shadowed the conflict is called love

My point is simple: I want to promote the idea to show that "LOVE" or "ROMANCE" is not the most dominant theme in the book Romeo and Juliet. Also, I am trying share the idea that conflict, and to what extent it affected the lives of the people around them, as well as conflict resolution, is the major theme. Why am doing this is to dispell that Hollywood fantasy of a love worth dying for (though exists), that they've put in d minds of most people today.
If you've ever interacted with secondary school students or anybdy in general about Romeo and Juliet, the first thought that comes to that person's mind is "Romance". This person hasn't even read the book, but Hollywood and other sources makes the person to believe that that is what it entails. Infact, some years ago when I wrote JAMB, the minute the teacher said let's work on this book, everybdy started speculating that they would hear some really romantic words, like Songs of Solomon book of the Bibld. But that wasn't the case.
So now do you understand my point?

abubaka101:
My point is simple: I want to promote the idea to show that "LOVE" or "ROMANCE" is not the most dominant theme in the book Romeo and Juliet. Also, I am trying share the idea that conflict, and to what extent it affected the lives of the people around them, as well as conflict resolution, is the major theme. Why am doing this is to dispell that Hollywood fantasy of a love worth dying for (though exists), that they've put in d minds of most people today.
If you've ever interacted with secondary school students or anybody in general about Romeo and Juliet, the first thought that comes to that person's mind is "Romance". This person hasn't even read the book, but Hollywood and other sources makes the person to believe that that is what it entails. Infact, some years ago when I wrote JAMB, the minute the teacher said let's work on this book, everybdy started speculating that they would hear some really romantic words, like Songs of Solomon book of the Bibld. But that wasn't the case.
So now do you understand my point?

Oh, ok I get it now, you are trying to protect secondary school students by changing the major themes of Romeo and Juliet. Nice

But really I get your point now, you are saying there's more to the book than romance and you want other people to see that too.

I just got to read your comments, and I get the feeling you think that the love affair between Juliet and her Romeo is unnecessarily blown out of proportion. You may be right, though.

However, that's Shakespeare's message,exactly. In his genius, he uses the hatred between the two families to push the love to the fore. He knows that love blossoming in that atmosphere is bound to have long lasting appeal and effect. This is almost, always true of love stories that defied and survived wars, family feuds and natural catastrophes. External conditions just can't extinguish true love except the lovers allow it to happen.

"Romeo and Juliet" is the story of brief, unfulfilled love truncated by external forces. It may not be entirely wrong to say that the author sacrifices hero and heroine in order to idolise love. Hence, their love is naive, brave, pure, short lived but enduring and universal.

In fact, it is my opinion that the hatred and reconciliation are no match for the love. This is why people forget all else in the story except the love. Because, the true test of love is sacrifice, and the ultimate sacrifice is death, which Romeo and Juliet executed.