To some, time is very important in a young person's life. It's a race against time, as the young girls must marry before their youth expires. This mindset was especially common during the 17th century in Europe. Two works that demonstrate the importance of time in a young person's life are Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and "The Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick.

In the setting that Romeo and Juliet takes place, marriage seems to be an event that should occur when a girl is very young. For instance, in Act I, Scene III, Lady Capulet informed Juliet that many of the younger women in Verona were mothers already. Indeed, Lady Capulet was Juliet's mother at the age that Juliet was then. Another example of this is the fact that Juliet and Romeo became husband and wife at an age when most of...