As children mature into adults, memories from their youth establish behavior and learned skills. If a person were to think back to a time when they were younger, with fond memories of their first interactions. Such as a first kiss or a first significant other. They will always remember their first romantic encounter. Those are memories that have monumental value, falling in love for the first time is the foundation of how a person begins to approach love for the rest of their life. Love is everywhere, it varies in different forms, but it is undeniably the main essence of humanity. Teenage love is where it begins, when a person steps out of the confines of loving just their family and friends and onto an unfamiliar person. Teenage romantic relationships cultivate future adult intimacy, implementing conflict resolution skills and emotional discipline.
Modern day teenage love is based on seeking a thrill. Teenager’s brains are drowning in hormones that affect their body, influence their thought, and make them unaware of their lack of emotional control. When falling in love teenagers are focusing on sexual desire and appearance more than anything. Today’s teens find “hook-up” culture acceptable, they think affection through sexual desire is what makes love. Love is not solely based on pleasure and sexual desire, teens are missing what true love is but instead are experiencing insatiable lust.
Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, is a perfect example of teen sensuality. In the play, the character Friar Lawrence states, “Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” Romeo and Juliet’s reason for getting married in such a hurry, was for the simple satisfaction to sleep with each other. Marriage rushed and implied in just a short span of time shows that their physical passion was more substantial than having an emotional connection or even more time to get to know each other. They made a decision out of lust, which is a common factor in teenage relationships. Mistakes are made when teenagers have an influx of overwhelming emotions, and cannot make reasonable decisions due to lack of knowledge that they have on how to manage their feelings and how to act upon them in a mature manner.
Teenagers are indecisive they go through a time in life where they are still learning and are extremely unsure about what they want. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is fickle. He was heartbroken over a girl he was interested in, but she did not return his affection. He then stays in a state of self-pity, and is overrall selfish about his broken heart. This proves he focuses on himself and his own needs before others, just like teenagers today who act off their relationships for pleasure in their own gain. He then moves onto Juliet who he sees for the first time at her family’s party, and he talks about her immense beauty and how his heart has never been in love until that night.Just like Romeo, teenagers are just as confused with desires and easily subjected to being in false love. Romeo allowed his attraction to Juliet consume his broken heart and therefore cloud his judgement, which leaves the impression that being reckless and impulsive is worth such troublesome consequences.
Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet love story, is exactly what teenage romantic relationships should not aspire to be. Romeo and Juliet moved extremely fast, acting reckless and impulsive. Their relationship was built off of lust, those intense emotions that they were not able to control ultimately led to their downfall. Real relationships should focus beyond personal gain and sexual desire, and if that is the only focus then it is not love.
