Autism Spectrum Disorders In The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

When Matthew Lemon was not speaking at 14 months old, his mother, Marlo Lemon, was worried. The people around her (neighbors, friends, and family) told her that it was nothing to worry about, that his abnormal behavior was due to his premature birth. Marlo, however, could not ignore the feeling that something was terribly wrong. So, Marlo took her son to a pediatrician, and Matthew was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The outcome of this was much better than it could have been, the early intervention helping Matthew grow up with the potential for a better life than if it was discovered later on. Back in Shakespeare’s time, the same treatment was not available, and with the lack of psychology in the period, diagnoses were impossible. While those living in the time didn’t know what it was, they knew it existed, Shakespeare included. In the Shakespearean play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the male lead Romeo has mild autism spectrum disorder, based on the signs he exhibits.
Limited or inappropriate social interaction with one sided conversations are strong symptoms of Autism spectrum disorder that are often apparent early on in life. It is difficult to tell if Romeo’s inability to properly communicate or gauge people’s emotions in social
While Romeo’s attachment may be viewed as unconventional, as it is directed at a person, it is undeniable that his complete and utter reliance on her is unusual in any other situation save for when Romeo has Autism Spectrum Disorder. In Act 3, scene 3, lines 17- 51 Romeo goes into great detail of how he would rather be dead in the same town as Juliet lives than be alive in another town. If this does not imply extreme attachment, then there is a severe misunderstanding occurring. In the end Romeo does die for Juliet and the extreme obsession with Juliet he possessed is best explained through a mild case of Autism Spectrum