Romeo And Juliet Versus The Teenage Brain

Romeo seeks out Friar Lawrence to ask, “but this I pray, That thou consent to marry us today” (Shakespeare 410). Here Romeo is asking Friar Lawrence to marry them that same day, even though he and Juliet met the night before. Both the audience and Friar Lawrence are surprised by this, as only twenty four hours earlier Romeo was in love with Rosaline and depressed that she did not love him back. According to the TED Talk: “Insight into the Teenage Brain,” the area of the brain that anticipates major consequences is still developing in teenagers (Galvan). Therefore, Romeo and Juliet seem to rush into marriage because of their inability to think about any possible negative outcomes. Their underdeveloped prefrontal cortex may cause them to focus more on the excitement of their new relationship rather than the possibility that anything could go wrong. As Romeo and Juliet see it, everything about their relationship feels right, therefore marriage makes the most

Mercutio and Tybalt are about to fight when Romeo

In a speech titled “Insight into the Teenage Brain” Adriana Galvan explains that the teenage brain gets really excited about rewards, emotions, and new experiences. Due to the fact that teengers get really excited about rewards, it becomes the only thing that they think about. This ties back into Romeo and Juliet and their actions. In the play “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” it states “We met, we woo’d and made exchange of vow, I’ll tell thee as we pass; but this I pray, that thou consent to marry us to-day.” (2:3: 63-65). Romeo and Juliet wish to get married only about a day after meeting each other because they believe that they are in love. They don’t think of the problems that their marriage may cause, they only think of the fact that they’ll finally be able to be with each other without having to sneak around. They only wish to satisfy their own needs rather than thinking of the people around them. Friar Lawrence is the one who marries them in hopes that it will end the grudge between the two families, which proves that he is also at fault for their foolish decisions. The Nurse is responsible for bringing Romeo the news of Juliet’s wishes to get married. If she didn’t bring this message to him, then Juliet may never see him ever again and their relationship would have never advanced as far as it did, which would prevent

They were focusing on trying to find the quickest way to sew together their torn emotions. Romeo was struggling to put back the pieces of his heart that were shattered by Rosaline, while Juliet was determined that the perfect man for her was not Paris. "...the period from roughly 15 to 25 brings peaks in all sorts of risky ventures and ugly outcomes,” (Dobbs). It is already common for teenagers to make cheap decisions, but it can become worse when strong emotions are added. Teenagers take plenty of risks due to their heart-felt decision making. When these damaged teens first met each other they were prone to making quick decisions, like falling for each other without thinking about the consequences

This causes tension as Tybalt and Mercutio become even more frustrated with Romeo. Mercutio draws his sword in order to defend Romeos reputation. He says “Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?” challenging him to a duel. A feeling of foreboding hangs in the air.

The teenage brain Teenagers are known for many things but especially for being unpredictable. They don’t think things through and are always making a scene. Many articles have been written to improve our knowledge and understand these behaviours. Research shows that a teenager’s brain doesn’t begin to resemble that of an adult until the early 20’s (TBHKI). Typical adolescent mannerism is well demonstrated all throughout the play Romeo and Juliet.

The play, “Romeo and Juliet,” by William Shakespeare, and the article, “The Teenage Brain: Still under construction,” from the National Institute of Mental Health, prove that hormones affect teens in multiple ways. In the play, Romeo falls in love at first sight with Juliet, but their families hate each other. In the end the hate is relieved from the families due to the death of the two children. Also, in the article it explains what causes teenagers to act out, and why it happens. As soon as teenagers stop letting their hormones control them, they will be able to make better decisions and control how they feel.

Romeo and Juliet definitely believed that they were ready for much more than they were capable of handling. Now knowing when teen’s minds actually are developed we can see why Juliet made so many poor mistakes. One example of a poor choice by Juliet was actually agreeing to go along with the plan that Friar Lawrence concocted. ( Act 4. Scene 3. Line 58.) Another piece of evidence of being blind to love is when she falls for a young man, Romeo, that she has known for like a short amount of time. ( Act 1. Scene 5. Line 108.) The fact that Romeo’s brain was underdeveloped could show us why he was drawn to such a younger girl. Juliet’s mother tells us that she is only 13 when they were discussing the idea of marriage.(Act 1.Scene 3. line 13.) Juliet’s poor choices and the under developement of the teen brain shows the reader why teen love is futile and

“The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” written by William Shakespeare, reveals how hormones can cause teenagers to choose rewards over risks. This play is a tragic love story of two young star-crossed lovers who are forbidden to be together. Their banned love led to to their deaths. Modern theories on the adolescent brain prove how changes in the brain in this time period of one’s life can affect their behavior to certain situations. When hormones are left uncontrolled, teens can be attracted to temptations that can lead to dangerous outcomes.

Romeo and Juliet- A Story of Love or the Poorly Functioning Biological Properties of the Teenage Brain?

Mercutio is very prideful and he decides to fight Tybalt in Romeo’s place. Mercutio says, “O calm, dishonorable, vile submission!/Alla stoccata carries it away./Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?” (3, 1, 70-72). His pride is pushing him to fight someone who has considerable training and skill even though Romeo is trying to stop him. His pride consequently leads to his early death.

This shows that Romeo is naive because Friar Lawrence warned him, and he still took it upon himself to get married with Juliet within the first few days of meeting her. In Act 2 Scene 6, Romeo says, “Come, come with me, and we will make short work. For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone. This choice leads to secrecy between the two, they have to now sneak out of their homes to see each other, and them not being able to say anything or else they will be killed because of the feud. This was definitely not the wisest decision to make for Romeo, these major consequences could’ve easily been avoided by getting to know Juliet before he decided that he wanted to marry her so

They couldn’t even tell the difference between love and lust at their age. In the article “The Teen Brain: 6 Things to Know” published by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), it is stated “For both boys and girls, although your brain may be as large as it will ever be, your brain doesn't finish developing and maturing until your mid- to late-20s. The front part of the brain, called the prefrontal cortex, is one of the last brain regions to mature. It is the area responsible for planning, prioritizing and controlling impulses” This proves that Romeo and Juliet were not able to make the best decisions for themselves. Friar Lawrence and the Nurse both knew what they were doing was wrong.

Mercutio got bold, starts to corner Tybalt into fighting him and says, “Tybalt, you rat catcher, will you walk?” (199). Even though Mercutio is neither a Montague nor a Capulet he almost always sticks to the side of the Montague's and never the Capulet’s. Mercutio asks Tybalt “will you walk?” which means will you fight or will you be a coward and leave. What Mercutio does not realize is that he is fighting a fight he is not remotely part of.

Romeo begged Friar Lawrence, “I pray,/ That thou consent to marry us today” (2, 3, 63-64), and Friar Lawrence argued, “Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear,/ So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies/ Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes” (2, 3, 66-68). Romeo is made aware of his irrational decision, yet he still marries Juliet and faces his consequential death, as a result.