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Rh Juliet's age is reduced by Shakespeare from the sixteen years of his original (the Romeus and Juliet of Brooke) to fourteen. "Death lies on her," exclaims Capulet (. v.),

At the close of Act. of The Jew of Malta Don Mathias describes the Jew's daughter, now entered into a convent:

Still more striking is the resemblance between the opening lines of Juliet's soliloquy (. ii.), "Gallop apace, you fiery footed steeds," etc., and lines in Marlowe's Edward II.. iii.:

Shakespeare was much influenced by Marlowe in some early plays; but Romeo and Juliet is not written in discipleship to Marlowe, and it must be remembered that in plays as late as As You Like It and Troilus and Cressida reminiscences of Marlowe are found.

These echoes from Marlowe have a certain bearing on the supposed imitation of lines of Romeo and Juliet,