Teenagers, the infamous age in between elementary years and adulthood, have existed since the first human evolved. In Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedy the entire play is based on the behavior of immature teenagers. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Juliet demonstrates to readers through her actions that she reflects the claims in the brochure regarding the teenage brain.
Juliet proves to readers throughout the duration of Act I in Romeo and Juliet that her impulsive and rebellious behavior is a result of a developing brain. To start, the pamphlet, The Teen Brain, claims “Genes, childhood experience, and the environment in which a young person reaches adolescence all shape behavior” (pg.1). In other words, one’s family, the way they were
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“I’ll look to like, if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make [it] fly” (41). In this quote Juliet is telling her mother that she will look at Paris, her arranged suitor, to see if she could ever like him, but she will not allow herself to love him anymore than her mother’s permission allows. When looking back on what the pamphlet stated regarding an environment’s effect on behavior, Juliet is being pressured to marry someone she has no interest in because it is the way she was raised. This example clearly demonstrates how Juliet’s future behavior could be a result of the way she was brought up. An additional example of Juliet exemplifying the behavior of a changing brain is shown to readers during the Capulet’s party. “Then have my lips the sin that they have took” (59). In this quote, Juliet is kissing Romeo, and is completely disregarding the fact that she has known him for a very short amount of time. The Teen Brain provides an explanation, once again, for her performance. “The parts of the brain responsible for more “top-down” control, controlling impulses, and planning ahead, the hallmarks of adult behavior, are among the last to mature” (pg.1). We can conclude that Juliet’s