Child Abuse In Romeo And Juliet

In literary criticism, psychoanalysis argues that literary pieces express the understanding of a character’s conscious and unconscious mind. This theory is used to further analyze a character's human behavior from experiences such as trauma, anxieties, dreams, etc. By using psychoanalysis, readers can help to identify how a character's experiences affects their current life and psychological problems. Neglection, or lack of attention and care, is a type of abuse that is often overlooked, when in reality, neglection is one of the worst forms of child abuse. In fact, children who have suffered from parental neglect grow to have psychological difficulties which could easily affect something as simple as their everyday lives. The article, “Stop

Parental neglection can be easily identified when seen in Romeo and Juliet by Lady Capulet refusing to acknowledge Juliet. Juliet is torn by her mother choosing her spouse for her without her consent. However, no matter how much abandonment and despair Juliet feels, her mother refuses to comfort her, or even listen to her. As Juliet is begging her mom to try to understand her, Lady Capulet howls, “Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee” (Shakespeare 3.5.203-204). Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet, wants nothing to do with her own daughter, since she does not want to marry the person her mother has chosen for her. Lady Capulet shows no empathy towards Juliet's pleads, and makes it clear that she does not even want Juliet speaking to her, even though Juliet is crushed over the fact her parents are forcing her to marry someone that she does not want to be with. Lady Capulet does not consider or even take the time to let Juliet explain how she feels. Instead, she walks away from her daughter leaving her to be miserable by

William Shakespeare reveals the parental neglect that Juliet receives from Lady Capulet when Juliet does not obey her mother’s every wish. Parallelly, Laurie Halse Anderson divulges the same dysfunction by displaying Melinda’s neglect from Joyce’s absence in Melinda’s life, especially in her most vulnerable time. These parent-child relationships contrast when the two children take their neglection out on themselves physically. Additionally, when Juliet dies, Lady Capulet is woeful, and is in disbelief. After all the neglect that Lady Capulet has put Juliet through, she is still able to care and feel for what was her only daughter. On the contrary, when Melinda cuts herself as a cry for help, Joyce is completely apathetic. In fact, Joyce only neglects Melinda further in this situation by gaslighting Melinda into thinking that she is just causing her extra stress. In reality, Melinda just needed her mother to be there for her especially because she had no one but herself. Ultimately, after analyzing both parent-child relationships using psychoanalysis reveal the effects that Lady Capulet and Joyce had on Juliet and Melinda. Both Juliet and Melinda’s traumas were disclosed by the examination of