Romeo and Julietis a play by William Shakespeare, and in this play, there are many instances where the two main characters do not think, they work on an impulse instead. They work on an impulse because there is absolutely no impulse control. There are many throughout the play, but the three main ones are the scene in which Romeo and Juliet kill themselves, the scene in which Romeo and Juliet marry each other, and finally yet importantly, the scene in which Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished. Using the two articles: "Understanding the Mysterious Teenage Brain" and "Beautiful Brains", it will be proven how the parallels drawn from the play are related to the scientific research in those articles.
The first instance where impulse was shown by Romeo and Juliet is when Friar Lawrence's letter does not get to Romeo causing him to not know that Juliet was under a potion. In the end, the lack of impulsive control caused Romeo to end up killing himself instead of checking Juliet first. In the book his last lines being, "Here's to my true love o true Apothecary, Thy drugs are quick. With a kiss, I die."(5.3.119-120). This is an example of an impulse because he would do anything for Juliet. Dobbs also suggests, "This upside probably explains why an openness to the new, though it can sometimes kill the cat, remains the highlight of adolescent development. A love of novelty leads directly to useful experience. More broadly, the hunt for sensation provides the inspiration need to "get you out of the house" and into new terrain." The letter that Friar Lawrence sends to Romeo in the hands of Friar John never gets to Romeo. However, from Balthasar Romeo hears that Juliet is "dead". This causes him to "get out of his house" in Mantua and run to Verona to see Juliet and if she actually is dead. Once he gets there and sees Juliet lying in the tomb, instead of checking her first, he kills himself with the potion he got from the Apothecary. This love by the two adolescents and then them killing themselves provides a useful experience because it causes the two disputing families to see how their dispute has affected everyone and that they should put an end to it.
The second example of a sudden impulse is when Romeo falls in love with Juliet and they end up getting married the next day. This causes problems in the future, but in the end, they end up killing themselves. The night before their marriage the nurse tells Juliet, "Then hie you hence to Friar Lawrence' cell. There stays a husband to make you a wife." (2.6.74-75). This part is basically where the sudden impulse comes because they are getting married and risking everything that they have, but this is them taking a risk. This is then backed up by Dobbs, who says, "If you look at the things that characterize adolescence in almost all cultures — risk, novelty-seeking and the affiliation of peers — that's the perfect menu to actually motivate you if you are 14 or 15 or 16 or 18 years old to get out and explore the world, even though it's hard to do and the risk is tremendous. You have to have a taste for risk at that time of your life." By saying this proves that if an adolescent has a taste for risk then he or she will go for it. In the sudden impulse, Romeo and Juliet both have a taste for risk because they risk their lives and their relationships with their families. Without think for even a split-second, the two are getting married, and with that, they dragged in the Nurse and Friar Lawrence.
The last example of a sudden impulse is when Romeo has the impulse to kill Tybalt, but the lack of impulse control causes him to be banished from Verona. This is one of the problems that is caused after Romeo and Juliet get married because Verona is where Juliet is. In the book Benvolio tells Prince Escalus, "There lies the man, slain by young Romeo, that slew thy kinsman brave Mercutio."(3.1.152-153). In this part, Benvolio is telling Prince Escalus the truth. This is a way that Benvolio is acknowledging accountability. Casey states, "I think it's very important that you acknowledge accountability because we don't want teenagers to think that they're just free to be risk-takers and that there is no other way. This is a time when they need to explore, but they also need to recognize the limits within a society of what they can and they cannot do. That's part of transitioning from dependence on parents to independence and being a pro-social adult." In the city of Verona, the fighting in the streets is caused by the Capulet family and the Montague family, and Prince Escalus warned both families that if there was any more ruckus in the streets it would result in death. Knowing this Tybalt right and successfully kills Mercutio. Because Tybalt killed Mercutio, it triggered Romeo to fight and successfully kill Tybalt. However, even though Romeo should have died as the punishment for the ruckus, he was banished. He being banished is a way for him to take accountability for his actions, and this was a way for the Prince to let everyone know that they are free and they have to know their "limits within society".
In the end, the article has shown how teenagers act the way they do, and how that relates to Romeo and Juliet. In the scene where Tybalt dies, Prince Escalus banished Romeo, showing the townspeople that he truly meant it when he said there would be consequences. This told the townspeople what they could and could not do. Next, in the scene where Romeo and Juliet get married, it showed they took the risk to get married even though it could potentially cause problems. This showed hoe adolescents taking a risk is like another meal for them. Lastly, the scene where Romeo and Juliet kill themselves shows how their love can actually be a useful lesson. In this case, the lesson was that the Capulet and Montague disputes were meaningless and unnecessary. The small impulses that Romeo and Juliet had were thoroughly explained by the scientific research presented by the two articles, and these showed that their behaviors were different every time, no matter the instance.
