Parental Standards In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Frederick Douglas once said, “‘[i]t is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men’” (Brainy Quotes) proving that a child’s experience growing up will determine who they are when they reach adulthood be. Parents with excessive requirement that seem unachievable are what create figuratively “broken” men and women throughout time. Romeo and Juliet, the tragic play written by William Shakespeare in the 1500s, is about a bitter feud between families that results in devastating effects on their children. Two teenagers from opposing families, Juliet and Romeo, fall in love throughout the play and show their perpetual love for each other by trying to overcome family obstacles that are keeping them apart. Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

For a long time, people have thought that rigid guidelines will be beneficial for a child because it helps shape them into their best self. Now, professionals are saying that unrealistic standards can have a negative effect on one’s child, instead of a positive effect. Throughout time, parental expectations have remained too intense, which result in detrimental effects on their child according to Romeo and Juliet, Shattering Glass, and modern day research. The parental standards in Romeo and Juliet are overly stressful for Romeo and Juliet to handle, causing the teenagers to suffer in various ways that lead up to their death at the end of the play. Juliet and Romeo’s parents expect them to loathe members from the opposing family, so when Romeo and Juliet fall in love, they react by defying their own families. Juliet passionately tells Romeo to “‘[d]eny thy father, and refuse thy name. /Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn [her] love,/ [a]nd [she will] no longer be a Capulet’” (2, 2, 34-36), so she can solidify her approval in the scheme to ignore their parents’ wishes. Realizing the complication of their love due to their families’ hatred, Romeo and Juliet feel as though betraying their family is the only option they have in