Teens problems today have not changed much over time as seen in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The play is about two feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets. Romeo and Juliet were just young teens that were not supposed to fall in love. It makes one wonder that if Romeo never showed up at the Capulet party, would the two of them still fall in love. They are rival families and Juliet is arranged to marry Paris soon. In today's society teens struggle with arranged marriages, gang violence and teen suicide similar to The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Gang violence is also an issue that many teens struggle with. Several teens join gangs to feel like they have protection. Gangs usually consist several people and are similar to one big …show more content…
Nowadays alcohol and drugs are more accessible to people under the legal age. Certain substances are quite easy to overdose on causing sickness or death. The substances used are also a way for people to cope or escape from the problems they are having. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet takes a drug from Friar Lawrence that makes her unconscious for two days to push off the marriage with Paris. As a result of Juliet appearing dead, Romeo took a potion that killed him. Another cause of teen suicide is emotional and physical abuse. “Child abuse reports have maintained a steady growth for the past 10 years, with total numbers of reports nationwide increasing 45% since 1987” (Child Abuse Statistics). In act 4 scene 1, while angry, Juliet's father pushes her around and scares her enough for her to hide behind the nurse. Juliet's father was frustrated and calling her ungrateful for not wanting to marry Paris, the man he is arranging her to marry(Shakespeare, William). The last reason for teen suicide in today's society is the loss of a loved one. Losing someone like a parent, friend, acquaintances can be very difficult to understand and often have people blaming themselves. When Juliet appears dead to Romeo, he took the drug immediately. Romeo's love for Juliet was so strong and unbreakable that he would take his life to lie with Juliet in death. This part of the play represents the feeling of uncertainty for whether one can live without someone who was important to