Heck, we can go back further and say marriage was dead the moment a bunch of hedonistic "artists" started hyping up "passion and romance" as the most important part of couplehood.
That's exactly what Romeo and Juliet was trying to present as a terrible idea.
Normalize interpreting R&J as a warning against teaching teenagers the concept of a "soul mate". They are too stupid to know the difference between love and lust, and if they think soul mates exist, they'll base their entire life around the first person to give them tinglies downstairs.
The only mistake Shakespeare made was being too subtle. So instead of the intended effect, instead 95% of people read it as a tragic story of true love between the lovingest lovers who ever loved, which is the polar opposite of what he was trying to get across.
That's exactly what Romeo and Juliet was trying to present as a terrible idea.
Normalize interpreting R&J as a warning against teaching teenagers the concept of a "soul mate". They are too stupid to know the difference between love and lust, and if they think soul mates exist, they'll base their entire life around the first person to give them tinglies downstairs.
The only mistake Shakespeare made was being too subtle. So instead of the intended effect, instead 95% of people read it as a tragic story of true love between the lovingest lovers who ever loved, which is the polar opposite of what he was trying to get across.
I had a really good English teacher that year.