Armijo, Macasaet 1

David Armijo, Patrick Macasaet

Ms. Enad

English I PreAP - Period 1

7 December 2018

Romeo and the Symptoms of Depression

In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo exhibits the signs of

depression through his persistent sadness and the loss of interest in daily activities. After the

servants brawled in the streets in the beginning of the play, Lord Montague, Romeo’s father,

notices that his son has been exhibiting strange behavior, and tells Lady Montague that

LORD MONTAGUE. Away from light steals home my heavy son, and private in

his chamber he pens himself, shuts up his windows, and locks fair daylight out,

and makes himself an artificial night. (I. i. 130-135).

Lord Montague’s account of Romeo’s actions contradicts his characterization, because

throughout the play, Romeo is presented as a well-behaved person, warranting enough respect to

the point where the rival Lord Capulet refuses to let Tybalt fight him for intruding upon their

party. Instead of showing him to be the well-mannered person he was said to be, he was

portrayed as anti-social, by locking himself into a man-made night. The artificial night he cloaks

himself within carries many implications about his emotional state, since night is commonly used

in literature to symbolize death, darkness of the soul, and loss of faith. Romeo locks himself into

that darkness to show how much sadness he carries, and how he has essentially lost faith in

himself. Benvolio and Mercutio misattribute Romeo’s loss of faith as a side effect of unrequited

love, and even Romeo himself thinks that he is a victim of rejection. However, Romeo’s internal

conflict shows indication of depression, because according to the “Journal of Men's Health &
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Gender”, symptoms of depression include “depressed mood, lack of drive, anhedonia, changes in

appetite, sleep disturbances, feelings of guilt and concentration problems.” (Winkler, Dietmar, et

al.) Romeo’s self-induced isolation aligns with anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), lack of

drive, and depressed mood, which establishes a firm association between himself and the

symptoms presented by the article. This association is present because Romeo is in a constant

state of emotional anguish, a consequence of dismissing the opportunity to vent to his close

friends and family. This persistent condition of sadness has weathered down Romeo’s character,

leaving him as a shell of the man he once was. Not having any way to either distract himself or

provide a solution to his own internal suffering. Romeo instead succumbs to it, leaving him with

the lack of drive and inability to acknowledge happiness that leads him to his self-induced

incarceration in his chambers, and the use of the symbolistic imitation night that encompasses his

entire being. Overall, the possibility of Romeo having depression is undeniable. His unending

sadness, isolation, and loss of interest in interaction with close friends and family are

indisputable evidence of his damaged mental state.

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Works Cited

Shakespeare, William, and John Crowther. Romeo and Juliet (No Fear

Shakespeare). Spark Notes, 2003.

Winkler, Dietmar, et al. "Gender-specific symptoms of depression and anger attacks." Journal of

Men's Health & Gender, Mar. 2006, p. 19+. Academic OneFile,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A144563887/GPS?u=j079907006&sid=GPS

&xid=d4ad611f. Accessed 7 Dec. 2018.