Fools in love are fools in life. Romeo and Juliet are indeed in love, but they are not to blame for their foolhardy actions. At their tender ages, they experience love while influenced by friends and family who indirectly guide their unsound choices. Romeo and Juliet’s fate is driven down a tragic path caused by the constant feuding between their parents, a flawed plan set by the Friar, and the folly of youth. Although Romeo and Juliet die by their own hands, their adolescent judgment as well as the families’ long-lasting feud peppered with advice from a trusted Friar, plays a contributing role to their deaths.
The Montagues and Capulets long lasting feud is at the heart of Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy. Unbeknownst that their children are …show more content…
As adolescents, Romeo and Juliet cannot be blamed for their faulty decisions. The responsibility falls on the immaturity of their youth. Since their mental capacity has not reached its full potential, they cannot be held liable for making irrational decisions. To illustrate, Juliet does not question Friar Laurence when he agrees to marry her and Romeo in secrecy, or when he concocts the plan for her to drink poison in order to deceive her family. As Dr. Holloway states in his article, Understanding the Teen Brain, “The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed...the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and awareness of long-term consequences. Teens process information with the amygdala, the emotional part.” Being young and impulsive, Juliet does not have the full capability to foresee the impact of her decisions, and depends on the Friar’s judgment to help her make the right ones. She trusts the Friar and follows through with his irrational plan. Moreover, Romeo’s youthful perspective on love misguides his actions. His passion for Juliet becomes a priority and he wants to be with her no matter what the cost. In the article, Brain on Love, Ackerman states that “When two people become a couple, the brain extends its idea of self to include the other; instead of the slender pronoun ‘I,’ a plural self emerges who can borrow some of the other’s assets and
The Montagues and Capulets long lasting feud is at the heart of Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy. Unbeknownst that their children are …show more content…
As adolescents, Romeo and Juliet cannot be blamed for their faulty decisions. The responsibility falls on the immaturity of their youth. Since their mental capacity has not reached its full potential, they cannot be held liable for making irrational decisions. To illustrate, Juliet does not question Friar Laurence when he agrees to marry her and Romeo in secrecy, or when he concocts the plan for her to drink poison in order to deceive her family. As Dr. Holloway states in his article, Understanding the Teen Brain, “The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed...the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and awareness of long-term consequences. Teens process information with the amygdala, the emotional part.” Being young and impulsive, Juliet does not have the full capability to foresee the impact of her decisions, and depends on the Friar’s judgment to help her make the right ones. She trusts the Friar and follows through with his irrational plan. Moreover, Romeo’s youthful perspective on love misguides his actions. His passion for Juliet becomes a priority and he wants to be with her no matter what the cost. In the article, Brain on Love, Ackerman states that “When two people become a couple, the brain extends its idea of self to include the other; instead of the slender pronoun ‘I,’ a plural self emerges who can borrow some of the other’s assets and