Unhealthy Relationships In Romeo And Juliet

Although the most popular relationship of the piece, Romeo and Juliet’s courtship in “Romeo and Juliet” was arguably one of the most unhealthy relationships of the play, and one of the most unhealthy in general. In this play, “Romeo and Juliet”, written by William Shakespeare, there are several examples of both good and bad relationships. When these two young lovers see each other at a party, they immediately become attracted to each other. However, they are from opposing families, with Romeo a part of the Montagues and Juliet a member of the Capulets. This family rival leads to Romeo tirelessly pursuing Juliet and ultimately, the tragic death of both of them. Their relationship, although a short one, mainly portrays an unhealthy affair, but there are various other relationships in the play that represent a healthy one. For example,

One of the major downsides of a bad relationship is depression. Studies have suggested that “falling in love makes adolescents more depressed”, which would be perfectly applicable to Romeo and Juliet’s relationship (Study: Teen Love Hurts p.1). When Romeo was banished, Juliet became very depressed and hid away in her room. Another component of an unhealthy relationship is a pressure to be perfect that primarily affects girls in relationships. Several researchers have speculated that something about dating “can be toxic to a girl’s health” (Study: Teen Love Hurts p.2). The relationship between Romeo and Juliet was clearly unhealthy for Juliet, for it made her view Romeo as her main priority after knowing him for one night. She began defying her parents and sneaking around as soon as she met Romeo, which is not a part of a healthy relationship. Overall, negative relationships are harmful to both members of the relationship and often lead to making thoughtless decisions, and this proves that the relationship Romeo and Juliet had was entirely