Romeo and Juliet The tragic story that unfolds in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is known all over the world. Although Shakespeare was not a teenager when he wrote the story, he seems to have a good understanding of the adolescent brain, and how it is constantly growing and developing. Nowadays, there are many studies that have been done to find out how the teenage brain works, but Romeo and Juliet shows that Shakespeare was ahead of his time in his knowledge of how teenagers think and act. There are many examples within the play that show how Romeo and Juliet’s developing adolescent brains could have caused them to be more impulsive, have heightened emotions, and engage in more risky behavior. Romeo and Juliet’s actions in the play Romeo …show more content…
When Juliet drinks the vial given to her by Friar Lawrence, she does not know if it will work and just make her fall asleep, or if it has the possibility to make her never wake up again. Her venturesome behavior is clear when she says “What is it be a poison which the Friar subtly hath ministered to have me dead, lest in this marriage he should be dishonoured,”(4.3). Romeo takes a risk when he goes to the apothecary to get the poison that will end his life. This is dangerous, because both him and the apothecary could get in serious trouble for being in possession of the drug. After the apothecary sells Romeo the poison Romeo says “I sell thee poison, thou hast sold me none farewell, buy food, and get thyself in flesh”(5.1). Romeo is aware that he has put himself and the apothecary at risk by buying the poison, but he does not care, because he says that money is more of a poison. He is willing to take the risk of buying the poison if it will bring him to be with Juliet. In the article by NIMH it says that “Such a changing balance might provide clues to a youthful appetitive for novelty, and a tendency to act on impulse-without regard for risk.” Romeo and Juliet both acted on impulse and engaged in risky behavior and in the end it resulted in both of their