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Romeo and Juliet, a la Shmoop: A Case of Crazy, Stupid Love in the 16th Century.

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Everybody remembers their first love . . . . . . but some of them are more memorable

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than others. When it doesn't last . . .

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. . . it feels like the whole world is coming apart . . .

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. . . and nothing will ever be right again. Take those impetuous teenagers, Romeo and

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Juliet. These two were head over heels for each other,

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. . . with a communication issue . . . . . . that didn't end all too well.

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But, what would have happened if that poison hadn't worked?

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What kind of future would they have had if they hadn't died?

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Well, one thing's for sure . . . . . . their feuding parents would have been

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very relieved . . . . . . so relieved that they might have forgotten

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about their disagreements . . . . . . and become one big, happy family.

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Or not.

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Maybe their initial relief . . . . . . would have turned into a blame game

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. . . . . . that strengthened their resolve to keep

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the young lovers apart. Then again, maybe Romeo and Juliet would have

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had enough of all that bickering . . . . . . and high-tailed it out of Verona . . .

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. . . to try to make their marriage work without their pesky families.

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Of course, they were just a couple of kids . . .

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. . . who had stars in their eyes and a whole lot of hormones running through their bodies.

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Maybe that kind of passion didn't stand a chance of lasting . . .

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. . . and they would have broken up not long after reality set in.

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First love may be memorable . . . . . . but it doesn't always have a long shelf-life.

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So what do you think would have happened? Would they have gotten tired of each other

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. . . . . . been split up by their parents . . .

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. . . run away to get a fresh start . . . . . . or ended up an old married couple fighting

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with their in-laws? And would they have had a happy ending after

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all? Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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