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Samuel Henderson

David Turley

English I Honors

21 December 2017

Bipolar Disorder in Romeo’s Life

Bipolar disorder deeply affects all people diagnosed with the illness. Romeo depicts

several of the symptoms related to bipolar disorder including: mood swings and suicidal thoughts

(Bipolar Disorder). Romeo has a stressful relationship as a young teen, which triggers his

bipolar disorder. This onset of the disease is what led to Romeo eventually commiting suicide.

Throughout the story, Romeo exhibits many of the symptoms of bipolar disorder, therefore, he

should be diagnosed with the disease.

Romeo is a suicidal character, and repeatedly threatened to kill himself. Suicidal thoughts

are one of the symptoms of bipolar disorder. According to National Institute of Mental Health,

people with bipolar disorder go through manic and depressive episodes, and a symptom of a

depressive episode is suicidal thoughts (NIMH). Romeo frequently has suicidal thoughts: “Thou

cutt’st my head off with a golden axe, And smilest upon the stroke that murders me”

(Shakespeare). Romeo’s suicidal thoughts are a tragic example of the impact bipolar disorder can

have on one’s mind. At the end of the Romeo and Juliet, Romeo kills himself because of his

love. Based on the evidence from the story, ranging from suicidal thoughts, to eventual suicide, it

can be concluded that Romeo has bipolar disorder.

Romeo has several mood swings throughout the story, further demonstrating the

symptoms of bipolar disorder. Those with bipolar disorder can trigger an episode by the

development of stressful events in their life. According to a source from Webmd, “Many people
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find they're more likely to become depressed or manic during stressful times.” Similarly, Romeo

has several mood swings related to the conflicts surrounding his life. Romeo’s life is riddled with

many unfortunate events. For example, he is exiled the same day he was married, his cousin is

killed, and his secret wife is his family’s enemy. All of these stressful events triggered the onset

of the illness (Bipolar Disorder). Romeo’s frequent unfortunate circumstances led to his mood

swings caused by bipolar disorder.

Despite the evidence demonstrating bipolar disorder, people may argue that Romeo is

only undergoing puberty and that he is going through the normal stages of life. Those who

believe this fail to understand that it is not normal to have suicidal thoughts and frequent mood

swings. For example, any have attributed signs of puberty to withdrawal, moodiness and other

behavioral changes (Lauren DiMaria). Although aspects of this argument are enticing, it

ultimately fails to be the stronger argument because aspects of Romeo’s behavior can be seen in

puberty, but most aspects of his behavior are not normal to occur at the extent in which they did.

I believe Romeo is not going through puberty because suicidal thoughts and sudden, frequent,

mood swings are not a factor of puberty, but rather a factor of bipolar disorder.

Romeo's actions and the events in the story lead me to believe that he has bipolar

disorder. Romeo’s actions, ranging from suicidal thoughts to mood swings and depression, are

all symptoms of bipolar disorder (Bipolar Disorder). Evidence of this is shown throughout the

story by the fact that Romeo felt the need to kill himself. Although some of his behaviors are

seen in adolescents going through puberty, the extent of his behaviors are glaring symptoms of

bipolar disorder. Overall, the glaring symptoms of bipolar disorder that Romeo showed, should

lead to his diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

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Works Cited

“Bipolar Disorder.” Verywell, www.verywell.com/bipolar-4014757.

“Bipolar Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml.
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Lauren DiMaria | Reviewed by Steven Gans, MD. “Why Are Children Are More Prone to

Depression During Puberty?” Verywell, www.verywell.com/depression-during-puberty-

1067561.

“Mood Swings and Bipolar Disorder.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/bipolar-

disorder/guide/mood-swings#1.

“NAMI.” Bipolar Disorder | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org/Learn-

More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Bipolar-Disorder.