‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Why Sydney Sweeney Likened Issac and Eden to Romeo And Juliet

When Sydney Sweeney joined The Handmaid’s Tale cast as Eden, she had no idea how her character’s journey would end. Brought in as Nick’s child bride, Eden started off her journey on the show as a true believer of Gilead. However, Nick’s lack of affection led her to fall for Issac and run away with him. Unfortunately, the young couple was captured, and ultimately chose to die rather than repent for their alleged sins.

Sydney Sweeney was mad at Eden when she learned of her character’s decision

For her part, Sweeney was shocked when she learned of Eden’s decision. In fact, she recalls screaming when she learned of Eden’s choice while reading her final script for The Handmaid’s Tale. However, the Sharp Objects alum has respect for her young character as well. She acknowledges that Eden giving up her life for her first love was a childish decision, but not one that was made lightly.

Sweeney believes Issac and Eden are the Romeo and Juliet of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

While speaking with BriefTake, Sweeney shared that Eden and Issac’s decision reminded her of another set of star-crossed lovers. “Taking your own life into your hands and making that decision is a huge one to make, and no regular fifteen year-old is going to jump off into the deep end, as it were, and especially for love, too,” The Handmaid’s Tale alum shared. “I thought it was very Romeo and Juliet.”

Continuing on, the Emmy-nominated actor shared that Eden’s love of Issac was exactly what her character in The Handmaid’s Tale was taught to crave. Thus, it makes a sick kind of sense that she’s willing to sacrifice everything to protect what she feels is true love.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ alum explained how Eden rationalized her love of Issac

“What teenage girl doesn’t want to be loved, and especially in a society where she was raised to believe that a man is supposed to have a kid with you?!” Sweeney exclaimed. “Nick doesn’t even want that! She’s relieved that what she is doing with Isaac is truly what God wants her to do, and she also thinks that she loves him, so there’s so many different factors that play into it. She was raised thinking that Gilead wanted her to have a kid with someone, and that’s what Isaac wants, so why is Gilead mad at her for something like that?! There is a lot of confusion with which she has to deal, and I think maybe there is a little moment of ‘this world is messed up.'”

Eden’s decision may have been difficult for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale to grapple with, but Eden’s upbringing provides clarity. Certainly, the forbidden love that Eden and Issac share has similarities to Romeo and Juliet if Shakespeare’s most famous couple lived in a dystopian society.