Adult Decisions Of Teens In Romeo And Juliet

November 27, 2020 by Essay Writer

In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, two young teens fall in love at first sight, they are willing to risk it all to be together forever. With the help of their friends and Friar Lawrance they held an unfortunate ending. Being from rival families made it challenging to be together. Romeo and Juliet were young, stubborn and careless which cloud their judgment causing them to make irresponsible and immature decisions like getting married, proving teens are not mature enough to make adult decisions. Rosaline was all Romeo could think and talk about earlier that day he met Juliet then after meeting Juliet they “fall in love” and rushed into marriage after only knowing each other for a few hours. A close friend once told me, young love may not be real love, get to know them before you turn temporary feelings into permanent actions.

Marriage is a serious and life-changing decision to make. Romeo and Juliet are not mature enough to make adult decisions because they rushed into marriage after knowing each other for a short period of time, it was an immature and irresponsible decision. Juliet states, “If that thy bent of love be honorable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow. “(2.2.150-151). Juliet is saying if Romeo truly loves her like he claims he does then he should propose to her because they are in love. Therefore proving Romeo and Juliet made an immature decision to marry each other after a couple hours of meeting. They barely knew anything about one another but they knew they came from rival families and all the trouble it may cause, they went through with the decision without a thought.

It is absurd to believe looks are the way to determine someone is your soulmate. Earlier in the day Romeo was head over heels for Rosaline, a girl he saw once and fell madly in love without meeting her. Romeo and Juliet are not mature enough to make adult decisions because Romeo was claiming he was in love with another earlier in the day he met Juliet. Romeo proclaims his love for Juliet to Friar Lawrence and he responds, “Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, so soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes” (2.3.65-67). Friar Lawrence is unsure of Romeo’s feelings for Juliet because it wasn’t that long ago Romeo came to him heartbroken over Rosaline, he claims young men love with there eyes not their hearts. This proves how inconsistent Romeo’s feelings are, he doesn’t know much about Juliet or Rosaline besides their beautiful appearances. Romeo and Juliet Stuck on the concept of “Love at first sight”.

My cousin is an example of teens not being mature enough to make adult decisions. When she was 17 years old, her parents split and her mom became very ill and unable to care for her kids, leaving her to raise her younger siblings, she began finding ways to escape her home life. She met a boy who was almost 2 years older than her, he was her escape. She ran away from home 5 months later to be with the love of her life. She returned after a year decided on marrying him, she was gullible and he was manipulative. As much as her family and even I would talk to her about the huge mistake she was going to commit, she was blinded by the love he was giving her. Her mom did not give her the blessing to marry him but she left anyway. After yet another year she came back home with a 1-year old and another on the way. The supposed love of her life cheated on her and now wants nothing to do with her or the kids.

Not all teens are mature enough to make adult decisions. There are teens who are mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions but nonetheless should still be aware of who it may affect. Although many may feel their age defines their maturity, most cases it does not. When it comes to making important life changing decisions one should know whom it may affect in the long run and the impact it will have on their lives, good or bad. If Romeo and Juliet had the chance to truly know each other and profess their love for one another in a more peaceful way, they could have spared the lives lost and achieved the happy ending they were longing for.

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