Collection 13 
The Destruction of Innocence 

Whoever loved that loved not at first sight? 
—Christopher Marlowe 

What can anyone tell you about love? There’s nothing anyone can say that will let you know how wonderful—and horrible—it is. When you fall in love, and you know that it’s reciprocated, the world’s a bright and glorious place. But if love falls apart, if you begin to feel abandoned or excluded, or if someone else interferes, the agony can be intense. You feel betrayal and loss, and they hurt worse than you ever imagined they would. Love does strange things to people. The lovers in this play stumble into it, full of hope and innocence. But they learn a hard lesson: that hopes can be ruined and innocence can be destroyed, in part by the very people they trust the most. 

Speaking and Listening Focus: Staging the Play 

Writing Focus: Research Paper 

Writer’s Notebook 

For the Writer’s Workshop on page 868, you’ll write a research paper. Your topic will probably come from something that interested you about Shakespeare or about Romeo and Juliet. Just from what you’ve thought about so far, and from what you notice in the illustrations as you flip through the play, jot down some ideas you’d be interested in pursuing. Think about what you know, and what you’d like to know more about.