The Brain In Romeo And Juliet

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If a brain is not fully developed until mid-twenties, how could somebody who is only thirteen expected to think through her actions? Romeo and Juliet are only young, therefore there brains are not as developed to think of consequences. With their not quite as devloped brains, could Romeo and Juliet have not a romance, but an addiction to one another? Juliet is only thirteen, just entering the teens. This means her brain is not mature yet. In the teens, Richard Knox- referencing Frances Jenson- states that a part of the brain that helps control impulse, is not connected. ‘“But it's not. To begin with, she says, a crucial part of the brain — the frontal lobes — are not fully connected. Really. "It's the part of the brain that says: 'Is this …show more content…

In the article they discuss how teens become addicted more easily, “Their brain chemistry is tuned to be responsive to everything in their environment. … “But this can work in ways that are not so good. Take alcohol, for example. Or nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy.” (Knox, The Teen Brain: It's Just Not Grown Up Yet). If teens become addicted to love more easily, then they could be addicted to love. After all, they’ve never experienced it, so perhaps they crave it. Juliet has never experiened romantic love, and Romeo claims to have fallen for Rosaline. In the sense of addiction, perhaps they want to experience true love so desperately they become addicted to it the moment love appears. If they do have an addiction, why should they persecuted? We do not blame drug addicts, and love addicts are not that different. This, along with the frontal lobe not being completely connected, they should not be held resposible for their impulsive behavior. Romeo and Juliet should not be held responsible for their actions. They are only teens, therefore their brains frontal lobe, the part of the brain that helps them think over their actions, is not connected. They also may have been addicted to the idea of love and were too blind to think of anything else. Finally, they have never had romantic love and would