Beautiful Brains Character Analysis

In Romeo and Juliet, the teenage characters make poor decisions throughout the play. David Dobbs, the author of “Beautiful Brains”, elucidates to us that the teen brain sometimes tends to do things perfunctory. Due to teenager’s age, their brain is not fully developed, so they would not know the full consequences of their actions. This continuously happens in the story, and many choices that they make are kept secret, which is even worse for them to do. The articles, “Beautiful Brains” and “Insight into the Teenage Brain”, helps us further understand why they are making these decision and why they don’t know when to stop.
During the second scene of Act II, Romeo and Juliet decide to get married after having met hours before at the Capulet party. In the scene that follows, Romeo asks Friar Lawrence, “But this I pray, that thou consent to marry us today” (Shakespeare 410). Here, Romeo is requesting that Friar Lawrence marry him and Juliet that same day, the morning after they met. This is surprising to both the audience and Friar Lawrence because prior to Romeo attending the party, he was in love with Rosaline and depressed over the fact that she did not love him back. According to the TED Talk: “Insight into the Teenage Brain,” “Because the teenage brain is still

“On Thursday, sir? The time is very short”(Shakespeare 451). Paris is planning to have his wedding very soon, and this interrupts the plan that Friar Lawrence had for Romeo and Juliet. But Friar Lawrence had a plan, and the plan was, “Hold, then. Go home, be merry, give consent To marry Paris”(Shakespeare 453). Friar Lawrence wants Juliet to give consent for Paris to marry her, but there is a twist. She is to take a potion which will send her in a death like sleep which will last for fourty-eight hours, and when she wakes up, she will escape from her tomb and run with Romeo to