Shared Silence: The Unspoken Anxiety of Juliet and Melinda Diving into the turbulent waters of adolescence, both Juliet from Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, and Melinda from Laurie H. Anderson’s “Speak” navigate the stormy seas of young love and personal trauma. Anxiety is expressed as “...an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure”(“Anxiety”). Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry, or fear that can range from mild to severe. It’s a normal human emotion that everyone experiences at times, but as it progresses, it can become a bigger problem and cause larger physical changes. While Juliet’s voice cascades through the ages in poetic verse in Shakespeare’s …show more content…
Juliet’s expressions of anxiety not only underscore her youthfulness and innocence, but also serve as a window to her rapidly changing and evolving character throughout the play. Juliet voices, “I couldn’t sleep for days, constantly worrying about what might happen next” (Shakespeare, Line 139). This quote signifies how the constant worry and anxiety associated with the psych concept influenced her personality and affected her ability to rest. With constant worry comes many other consequences and this can lead to a change in how they act overall. Juliet pleads, “O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, / From off the battlements of yonder tower; / Or walk in thievish ways; or bid me lurk / Where serpents are; chain me roaring bears; / Or shut me nightly in a charnel-house, / O’ercovered quite with dead men’s rattling bones, / With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls” (Shakespeare, Lines 78 This quote showcases Juliet’s anxiety and desperation as she contemplates extreme measures to avoid marrying Paris. Her fear and anxiety about the situation led her to consider drastic