Peer Pressure In The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

A white veil drapes her face, shadowing innocence and naivete. He stares as if he sees the most beautiful masterpiece only he is capable of appreciating. She is about to wed a boy she barely knows but feels a passion that is everlasting. Their lips touch like hands do: warm and rough, yet tender; not wanting to break, but wanting to relish in the unity of two people, and only two people--as it should be. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, paints the image of boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy weds girl--except boy’s family hates girl’s family and boy loves girl to the point of death. Many stigmatize the story written by Shakespeare as two teenagers who engage in a toxic relationship or as the basis of most teenage melodramas. But when looked

Romeo tells Friar the news that he has “been feasting with [his] enemy,” and has fallen for her ( Shakespeare 2.3.48). Romeo is unwilling to tell his parents because he knows their pride over their names will trump their judgment over acceptance. He feels safe confiding with Friar because he knows that Friar will actually pay him attention and listen to his problems. He is pushed into following Friar’s advice because his parents are pushing him away. The difference of Friar and Romeo’s parents is that he will “give [Romeo]... adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy, to comfort [him] through tho [he] is banished” (Shakespeare 3.3.54-56). The reason why Romeo is more connected to Friar rather than his own parents is because Friar invests his time towards Romeo. Where his parent’s leave a gap of absence, Friar has filled the gap by offering comfort and warmth in Romeo’s troubles. Teenagers who are put in a tense situation have difficulty resisting peer pressure; therefore, they rely on their companions to become their voice of reason (Laurence 5). Romeo was put under the pressure of love towards Juliet and the threat of the feud driving a wedge between them; therefore, he is reliant towards Friar for guidance. Romeo under severe stress only turns to Friar as a peer who would understand him. Unfortunately, he overly depends on Friar, to the point where he doesn’t think out the

The death of Tybalt wasn’t caused by the Montague’s, but rather as an effect of their lack of involvement towards Romeo. After Tybalt slays Mercutio, Romeo believes that Juliet “hath made [him] effeminate..” (Shakespeare 3.1.107). When teenagers grow in a permissive and neglectful environment, they tend to become rather self-conscious (Source 5). Romeo feels inferior and insecure that his masculinity diminished because he did not fight with Tybalt. He thinks highly of himself, as he cares over his manhood causes him to make snap decisions. Also, the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published in 2004 that “peer approval has [...] shown to be highly rewarding to teens” (Source 6). To no surprise, Benvolio, who kept egging Romeo to avenge the murder, caused Romeo to kill Tybalt without hesitation. Romeo wanted to gain approval and acceptance from a male peer, to showcase that he is not weak, but manly. He didn’t want to tarnish his ego nor his reputation, particularly in front of his peer. The characteristics Romeo developed from his parent 's lack of involvement, is a reason for killing