Romeo And Juliet Selfish Quotes

Teenagers are often perceived as being moody and rebellious, and though this is not far from the truth, there are deeper reasons for these emotions. For those who have grown past their teenage years, they can probably remember those feelings of angst, though they do not really remember what they were angry about. It is said that teens are reckless, but there is sometimes much thought that goes through a teenager’s head. Studies show that the teenager’s growing brain is the origin of their irrational actions and thoughts, and that maturity will come to them eventually. When looking at the time period of this play, teenage years are even more complex, as teens had to act as adults and maintain their family’s honor and name. In William Shakespeare’s

At this point in the play, Juliet arranged a plan with Friar Lawrence in which she fakes her death, but Romeo does not know that her death is planned. He goes to Juliet’s grave and determines that life is not worth living without her, and he says, “I sell thee poison; thou hast sold me none…To Juliet’s grave, for there must I use thee” (V.i.83-89). Romeo buys poison from the Apothecary because his grief over Juliet’s death is enough to drive him to suicide. He figures that he would rather be dead than live without Juliet, which is why he bought the poison. This relates to “Beautiful Brains” and impulsivity because Romeo acts solely upon what he hears; he doesn’t actually confirm Juliet’s death, and he just heard about it from Balthasar, a friend. Just the mention of Juliet’s death is enough of motivating factor for him to decide that he will commit suicide. Just like with modern-day teens, Romeo’s impulsive actions lead to regrettable results, as he dies just minutes before Juliet wakes up. If he hadn’t been so impulsive, Juliet would have awoken and neither of them would have died, showing the importance of thinking before acting, something that many teens do not do. This is caused by teens’ developing brains, as they process the risk of things differently, which causes them to not think things through. Similarly, when Tybalt dies and Romeo is banished,

After Juliet’s fake death, Paris goes to Juliet’s tomb to honor her with flowers. He spots Romeo at the tomb and assumes that he is there to tamper with her body, so he fights him. He approaches him and says, “This is that banish’d haughty Montague/That murdered my love’s cousin with which grief/It is supposed the fair creature died-/And here is come to do some villainous shame/To the dead bodies. I will apprehend him” (V.iii.49-53). When viewed from a sociocultural lens, it is easier to understand why Paris dueled Romeo, as men during the Renaissance era often dueled in the name of honor. Though he is often seen as desperate and demanding, Paris demonstrates love for Juliet, as honor was an important factor in nobles’ lives. By dueling in her name, Paris is protecting Juliet. If Paris did not love and care for Juliet, he would have never dueled Romeo. At this point in the play, Paris believes that Juliet is dead, so when he is killed from the duel, he asks Romeo to place him by Juliet. This shows that even in death, he values his marriage and loves her. This duel affects the timing of Romeo’s death. Nothing could stop Romeo’s death, but the duel between him and Paris definitely delayed his death. Another strong demonstration of love is when Juliet has the potion from Friar Lawrence. This potion will make Juliet appear to be dead, but the potion