Romeo & Juliet’s love vs. Eren & Mikasa’s odd love

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One word that I’d use to describe Romeo and Juliet’s “love” is “tragic.” In all honesty, I didn’t really feel any pity for their situation because their “love” felt more like lust, which is why the word is in quotes. Although I didn’t feel very empathetic towards Romeo and Juliet’s tale, it was tragic that two young lives were lost due to cheap “love.” At such a young age, rash decisions are bound to happen, but suicide? Ok, so maybe the plan that Juliet partook in was semi reasonable from her perspective because she was extremely desperate to find a way to not marry Paris. Romeo didn’t know of the plan, which is why it ultimately led to his death. However, it’s way too hasty to just kill yourself over a girl that you fell in “love” with because of her looks. He forgot about his other love in about a second when he saw Juliet at the party…says a lot about Romeo’s “love.” I wouldn’t be surprised if Shakespeare had thought about ending the tale with a scene where Romeo falls in “love” with another beautiful girl as he’s breaking into Juliet’s tomb. That kind of ending would have made Shakespeare’s message of lust and “love” between youths even more obvious.

In AOT, the love between Eren and Mikasa isn’t exactly romantic love but sort of like sibling love. Eren and Mikasa aren’t related by blood, but she was taken in as a child by Eren’s dad because her parents had been murdered. The murderers had killed both her parents in order to kidnap Mikasa and sell her into human trafficking because Mikasa is half asian, and asians are rare during this time because nearly all of them have been wiped out. This happened when Mikasa and Eren were still children, which is why the scene that followed the kidnapping was a life changing experience for Mikasa and is also the reason why Mikasa tries so hard to protect Eren. Eren somehow found where the kidnappers had taken Mikasa, and long story short, both Eren and Mikasa became killers that day in order to save themselves. Let me mention the fact that they were both KIDS during this time. After that incident occurs, Mikasa feels indebted to Eren because he showed courage and inspired her by screaming she had to fight to survive while they were getting beat up by the kidnappers/murderers.

Ever since that day, Mikasa’s always trying to protect Eren and joined the military just so she could watch over him. Eren’s a hothead and this pisses him off because he thinks he can protect himself, making Mikasa’s love for him seem one-sided. However, Eren’s anger can also be seen as a form of love because he doesn’t want to lose anyone else to the titans. As the show progresses, the audience can slightly get the feeling that the reason for Eren’s rage is because he’s constantly blaming himself for the deaths caused by titans, and he even blames himself for not being able to save his mom. In one episode, all the characters think that Eren’s dead, which tears Mikasa apart on the inside, but instead of killing herself, she pulls herself together and continues to fight the titans. Now, you might be thinking that the love between Eren and Mikasa isn’t comparable to the “love” between Romeo and Juliet because we’re comparing sibling love to romantic love. That’s true and is a good point, but remember the fact that Mikasa joined the military just to be with Eren and protect him. Hmm, that seems to suggest something other than sibling love doesn’t it? Just a thought though, just a thought.

Anyway, the main point is that Romeo and Juliet’s lack of experience in life was the reason for their pointless deaths. But it wasn’t pointless! They did it for love! No. They let their emotions influence their reckless decisions, and their deaths were built upon a foundation of “love” driven merely by lust. Decisions made in the heat of the moment are caused by less experience in life most of the time. If Romeo had given it time, he would have been able to get over Juliet’s “death.” I, myself, find that way too harsh a statement as well, but they gave up something they could never take back again-life. Their “love” was a weak reason to suicide because I see it as lust and nothing more like I’ve mentioned before. Mikasa and Eren, that’s a different story. They grew up together and overcame a traumatizing experience as kids, which could be the reason why they’re also more capable of actually making rational decisions during dire situations.

Overall, I believe that love isn’t something you find on the first try, unless your life is a Disney tale. It requires experience and maturity.