Answer :
In 'Romeo and Juliet', characters like Mercutio and Nurse defy social class and traditional expectations, acting in ways that support the central theme of love as resistance. Juliet herself challenges societal norms and authority by valuing her love for Romeo over her family name and expected loyalties.
In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, aside from the two protagonists, characters such as Mercutio and Nurse also showcase defiance against social class and authority. Mercutio, a friend to Romeo, openly mocks the pretensions and expectations of their society, showing a clear disregard for social norms.
Similarly, the Nurse aids Juliet in her secret marriage to Romeo, defying the wishes of the Capulets and societal expectations for her to support the arranged marriage with Paris.
Love as resistance plays a central role in the play, with the love between Romeo and Juliet challenging the entrenched feuds and strictures of their family names and social standings. Their love story, while tragic, represents a yearning for autonomy and the struggle against the obligations imposed by the ancién regime.
As such, the tragic narrative does not criticize the lovers for violating societal norms but rather criticizes the norms themselves for being rigid and oppressive.
Juliet, in particular, confronts notions of identity and the distribution of power by questioning the importance of a name and family affiliation, declaring her love for Romeo as a Montague irrelevant to their individual connection. Thus, Juliet exemplifies defiance against her social class and the patriarchal authority her father epitomizes, even if ultimately, she is limited by her youth and societal pressures.
Friar Laurence decides to marry Romeo and Juliet in the attempt to stop the feud between the Capulet and the Montague. This action by Friar shows he also didn't like the splits of the social classes.
