Why Do Romeo And Juliet Commit Suicide Essay

Wherefore art thou Romeo? Dead. And so is Juliet. They decided to commit suicide because of the nature of their relationship. The same is true for teens today. According to Mental Help, the leading cause of death for today’s teens is suicide. Dating as a teen is detrimental due to teens not being emotionally or socially sane, which can cause dramatic or devastating endings.

To begin, dating as a teen can invite problems such as depression and other problems. In Romeo and Juliet, at the very beginning Romeo is depressed. He was upset because Rosaline didn’t want to date him or anyone in that matter. As soon as Romeo was told that , he became depressed. He would shut himself in his room and draw all the curtains and even would go down to a

tree and just cry. His cousin, Benvolio explains, “Madam, an hour before the worshiped sun peered forth the golden window of the east, A troubled mind drove me to walk abroad, where underneath the grove of Sycamore”(Shakespeare). This happens today. Once a relationship ends, teens go to desperate measures and shut everyone out of their life. They cry, and then become depressed. To continue, according to the Cornell Chronicle, “The greater vulnerability of teen girls to romances might explain, to a great extent, why females begin exhibiting higher rates of depression in adolescence than males”(Lang). Females have a higher tendency to express signs of depression compared to males. This should be a major red flag for parents. Parents today choose not to allow their teens to date because of these facts and how the brain is not fully developed, which can cause depression and invite major problems into their lives.
Continuing, dating can cause impulsive decisions that will lead into huge problems.

In the Science News for Students,it explains how the brain is on a constant run for a chemical dopamine. Dopamine is released when one does something good, and the brain and body find that chemical to be extremely addictive. The article explains,“the adolescent brain is locked in a tug-of-war between the logical pull of the prefrontal cortex and the impulsive pull of the ventral striatum. Although teens can make good decisions, in the heat of the moment- even when they know better, the reward system can out muscle the master planner. That can lead to poor decisions” (Mascarelli). The reward system can out muscle the master planner, so when teens are in a relationship, they are trying to please the other partner which can lead to impulsive decisions… just like in Romeo and Juliet. This quote is just after Juliet found Romeo in the Capulet tomb,“Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O’happy dagger, This is thy sheath. There rust and let me die”(Shakespeare). This is one of the last scenes in Romeo and Juliet. She, after seeing Romeo dead because of an impulsive decision, makes another impulsive decision. She kills herself. She could have gone to the nunnery where she could have lived out her life, but no. She made an impulsive decision, just like most teens, whether it would be suicide, drugs, or even to defy their parents. The teen makes impulsive decisions, and due to their brain not being fully

developed, and is not fully emotionally or mentally stable for a relationship.
Finally, relationships bring humans together, but at what cost?

As stated, the top reason for teen death is suicide. Say a relationship goes south, the brain automatically will try and isolate itself in order to grieve. Then heavier emotions will come upon to that said person and they will feel if they have one option, an impulsive option. In Science News for Students, they talk about how it is a necessary mark in life and many believe that it is what a teen needs. The article states,“experts believe that this tendency marks a necessary phase in teen development”(Mascarelli). At what cost? The cost of a teen’s happiness? Their life? Their future? Their happiness? There has to be a firm line at where teens can be happy and be in danger. Dating as a teen can cause that. Many saw it in Romeo and Juliet, and many young adults see it today. The next source is a very compelling piece towards this theory. The prince is announcing the death of the two heirs to their rivaling families and says, “A glooming peace this morning with it brings”(Shakespeare).The Prince said that as he was making the announcement to the rest of Verona; that the young adults of the Capulet and Montague families are dead. That happens today. A police might find a teen at a party overdosed because their boyfriend/ girlfriend is addicted to drugs and they just wanted to feel good. But at what cost? To conclude, teenagers shouldn’t have partner relationships because of the risks and how it has all played out

before and has irresponsibly ended.
Dating as a teen is detrimental because teens are not fully ready to understand the consequences that will come with it. Teen relationships, and in Romeo and Juliet are detrimental. Dating as a teen could lead to bigger problems other than a devastating end. The mind of a teen is not fully developed, hungry for the chemical dopamine, making impulsive decisions. Parents out there are thinking, not my child, but teens will make impulsive decisions because of the reward part of their brain. To conclude, dating as a teen will cause a disaster and wreak havoc, just like in Romeo and Juliet.