Choices In Romeo And Juliet

Life is filled with difficult situations and tough choices to make. The question is, should we choose to make them ourselves? Some people feel it's best to do things alone, while others do not. For example, most of the characters in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare that are analyzed in the text, “What’s the Rush?: Young Brains Cause Doomed Love” by Lexi Tucker, do not consider other’s opinions at all. However, the opinions of people who love us positively affect our choices so it would be smart to consider them in most cases, but not in those that are very personal.
For bigger, broader decisions it’s best to ask people for help, and this is useful because usually, others have more life experience than us. For example, Romeo and

Juliet went about their careless ways not saying a word to their parents. They tried to do it all by themselves- in secret. Juliet did not want anyone to come between them, and when the nurse tried to speak wisdom to her, Juliet yelled, “Ancient damnation! O most wicked friend!”(Shakespeare act 5 scene 2 L.237) Juliet cast out her nurse in anger just because she refused to let anyone tell her something other than what she wanted to hear. She went about the entire relationship this way, and in the end, both lovers took their lives, so evidently, things did not go well for them. However, the opposite side may claim that not everyone is wise. Those could use Friar Lawrence's words as proof, because when asked to marry the two he agrees to do so and says, “in one respect I’ll thy assistant be; For this alliance may so happy prove, To turn your households’ rancor to pure love.”(Shakespeare act 2 L. 90) Their spiritual advisor’s motives were pure in the start, though his actions are not fully pardonable. He agreed to marry two young kids who barely knew each other, and if they would not have gone to him, the Friar may not have married them. This is true, though, Romeo and Juliet only confided in one person. Even asking the advice of one more adult could have brought truth and well-made choices. They should have asked for the help of their parents, who are people who love them personally. Along with gaining other’s wisdom, taking opinions into account may provide needed correction.
There may be times where one is going about something wrong and needs to be put back in the right place, and this could be provided by a third party.

For instance, after Romeo met Juliet, he quickly went to Friar Lawrence for advice. Granted, the Friar’s ideas were not always very smart, however, on first notice, he did try to bring some perspective and slow them down. When Friar Lawrence became aware of Romeo’s sudden change of heart, he exclaimed, “Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken? young men's love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes. (Shakespeare 2.3.1125) In this scene, the Friar gave Romeo a needed wake-up call, trying to make the boy aware of his fickle emotions. Romeo was head over heels for Juliet, and yet never even stopped loving Rosaline. He needed someone to snap him out of it and fortunately, the Friar tried to do so. However, correction is only useful when given by a loved one, so some may counter my opinion by saying that negative opinions can bring someone’s morale extremely low. For example, a young girl may see a billboard with a woman who has a body unlike hers, and so she begins to unhealthily strive to become that. This is a real situation and I agree, but to say that all other opinions are null is not wise. Some people may even carry thoughts about us that are really encouraging and uplifting that we can only take in if we ask for their thoughts. In addition to encouraging us, other people who are looking at a situation with fresh eyes may see something important that we did

not.
When in the middle of a chaotic issue, it can be hard to see things clearly so this is where a third party becomes very beneficial. Both Romeo and Juliet thought it would be best to keep their love from their parents. They make these poor choices from the start, “In the play, the teens decide they are madly in love just after meeting each other. Then they get married in secret. Meanwhile, Juliet’s father promises her to another man.”(Tucker) If the two would have reasonably spoken to their parents regarding their relationship, Capulet may have rethought Juliet’s betrothal. That way, Paris would have never gone to visit Juliet when people thought she was dead, Romeo would not have killed him, and one more life could have been spared. In the same scientific article by Lexi Tucker, she talks about the brain’s frontal cortex and its function in making long-term choices, “The only problem is that the frontal cortex is slow to grow. In fact, it does not seem to be fully developed until about age 25.”(Tucker) The story states that Juliet was only thirteen years old, Romeo not being much older. They were not at an age where their long-term choices were always wise. The lovers still thought it was best not to enlist their adult parents for help, who have fully developed brains. A person with a different idea may say that bringing more people into the mix of their romance would only complicate things. This is valid in some cases, however, in a situation involving kids and long term relationships, adults are mandatory. Young teens simply do not have the ability to make well thought out life choices, and bringing in more people could, in turn, bring in the realization of the effects of one’s decision.
To conclude, when the opinions of people who love us are taken into account, we are able to benefit from their life experiences, receive needed correction, and see the situation with fresh eyes. Stories such as Romeo and Juliet and other various fiction can relate to real life situations because people may go through similar events and are able to learn from the choices the characters make. This is true, though sometimes when we ask for help, an unwanted response is received. However, it is almost always worth the risk. Everyone comes to a point where they must decide whether or not to seek assistance, and the answer is usually, never do it alone.