If we accept Romeo's love for Juliet as immature, how does it affect our predisposition that this play is an archetypal love story?This question...

In studying Shakespeare's Romeo and
Juliet, I do not believe that it serves as an archetypal love story. I
believe it is archetypical of the "star-crossed lovers" love
story.

In terms of Shakespeare and prevalent themes in his
plays, change plays an enormous role in providing his plays with in-depth and believable
characters, and these changes drive the plot. The protagonists, for example, in
Macbeth and Hamlet, go through extensive
changes based upon who they are, their journeys of self-discovery, and their interaction
with the other characters.

Romeo is a young man, and his
experience of life is limited. It would appear that he has never truly been in love, but
has been infatuated with Rosaline, another member of the Capulet household. We never
meet the object of his affection, but certainly see enough of his
immaturity—perhaps a "puppy love"—that has no real substance; but we see a great deal of
"suffering" on the part of Romeo. The fact that he transfers his affections so quickly
to Juliet may be the clearest, and perhaps the last, indicator of his immature outlook
on love, and life.

Once Romeo commits himself to Juliet,
every step seems sincere, and the very adult world around him brings clarity where there
has been none before. Mercutio, Romeo's close friend, is killed by Tybalt; Romeo kills
Tybalt, Juliet's cousin. The casual nature of Romeo's existence, once spent mooning over
Rosaline, has altered forever. It could be argued that these things, as well as Juliet's
total acceptance of him regardless of his family's name, force him to turn a distinct
corner in "growing up." The fact that he takes his own life when he believes Juliet is
dead could be an indication of the depth of his dedication, but
this is debatable: is it mature to commit suicide in the face of
loss?

I personally see no difficulty in perceiving Romeo as
an immature young man at the start of the play. However, I do not believe an audience is
predisposed to see this as an archetypal love story—there are many doomed romances in
Shakespeare's tragedies. Romeo and Juliet are seen as archetypical sweethearts whose
fate is predestined—they are doomed before they meet, their ending "written in the
stars." (See the Prologue.) There is much discussion, in fact, as to whether the lovers
could have done anything to change the outcome of the
play.

The archetypical love story, in general, does not, I
believe, require death and/or unrequited love. If we look at this love story as
archetypical of Shakespearean love in his tragedies, where there
are no happy endings, perhaps there is validity to the concept. The Bard's happy endings
seem reserved (obviously) for his comedies. However, in general
terms, I don't see Romeo and Juliet's tragic relationship as the model for an
archetypical love story.