Romeo and Juliet Group

Question:

mosslakelodge
mosslakelodge
Student
High School - 9th Grade

Why is Romeo self absorbed in Romeo and Juliet?

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Posted by mosslakelodge on Wednesday May 13, 2009 at 1:24 PM and tagged with age, characterization, characters, melancholy, romeo, romeo and juliet, shakespeare, temperament, traits.

Answers:

  1. ms-charleston-yawp
    ms-charleston-yawp Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Romeo is self absorbed because of his age as well as his temperament.  He is a teenager and, as such, is subject to this totally normal behavior.  People in their adolescent stage are still trying to figure things out while they with love, humor, and debate.  Often, the things teens do, they do with great feeling and passion.  Romeo is no exception.  However, I do think that Romeo has quite a bit of what was called the "melancholy humor."  Romeo is certainly more obtuse and distant than most, often alone and speaking in abstraction at the beginning of the play: "O brawling love!  O loving hate! / O anything, of nothing first create!" (1.1.180-181). 

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/romeo/romeo-character-analysis

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    Posted by ms-charleston-yawp on Wednesday May 13, 2009 at 4:58 PM