“Family feuds lead to senseless violence and tragic deaths of six young people” could easily be the title of an article in today's newspaper, but that's the plot for a play written a long time ago. is over four hundred years old. Romeo and Juliet (1597) by William Shakespeare tells the story of two young lovers from Verona, from opposing families who are constantly at war, making it impossible for their relationship to work properly and ending their lives tragically. This play has a dark underlying theme of toxic masculinity affecting society, portraying the male characters as bullies, sexual harassers, domineering, and ultimately murderers. Not being able to cry, not being able to talk to someone when you're feeling down or depressed. Constantly hurting yourself, physically and verbally. These are all traits of toxic masculinity, a term that describes men as violent, emotionless and sexually aggressive. This prevents men from giving their best and seems to be passed down from generation to generation. The impact this toxicity can have on women today is clearly illustrated by acts of domestic violence, sexual harassment and sometimes death. Although our modern laws provide that these types of acts committed by men are punished, this theme is still very relevant in today's society. The theme of toxic masculinity, bullying, aggression, sexual harassment and the way some men behave towards women runs throughout this piece and today I will talk more about why it is important that Romeo and Juliet is studied in schools as well as explain why it is relevant in today's society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In the very first scene of the play Romeo and Juliet, toxic masculinity is immediately introduced when Sampson and Gregory, from one of the families in conflict, talk. These men are full of hatred and rage and are looking for an opportunity to fight. They want to prove that they are men. They act impulsively and speak disrespectfully about women. Samson, one of the servants of the house, declares: “When I have fought with men, I will be cruel to the maids; I will cut off their heads. This quote shows that men only view women as objects and could easily get rid of them if they wanted. In modern times, this toxic masculinity is still visible, from young boys fighting to prove their manhood, incessant reports of male athletes displaying inappropriate behavior towards women, sexual harassment of women in the workplace and the lack of empathy shown by some men when they are victims of sexual violence. they are criticized for their behavior. Another quote from the play that describes how men felt about women is when Benvolio says to Romeo, "Compare her face with some that I will show, and I will make you take your swan for a raven." This shows men as people who only see women for their beauty and fall deeply in and then quickly out of love if a prettier woman comes with them. Since the Weinstein affair and the ME TOO campaign, people have had many more opportunities to discuss this issue of toxic masculinity and reading Romeo and Juliet would allow teenagers to discuss these issues in a classroom. The reason why toxic masculinity isso damaging to society. is that men still have difficulty showing their emotional side. They are often bullied and teased by their peers for being "soft" or showing their "softer side" and as a result, young men, because of peer pressure, often shut down emotionally. In some cases, this can lead to self-harming behaviors, impulsivity, depression or suicide. Romeo displays this behavior when he feels remorse for avenging Mercutio's death. When Tybalt leaves seriously injured, Romeo says: “O sweet Juliet. Your beauty has made me effeminate. And in my character the steel of valor has softened. He felt he had to resort to fighting to prove to himself and those around him that he was not meek, that he was a man. When he flees to Friar Laurence, distressed by what he has done, the Friar says: “Hold your desperate hand! Are you a man? Your form screams that you are. Your tears are feminine; your savage acts denote.” Here, the brother calls Romeo a "feminine" wimp for crying and threatening suicide because in Romeo and Juliet, boys don't cry. This aggression, this impulsiveness and this need to “be a man” are still visible today. Instead of swords to solve a problem, modern men use guns and fists. The “One Punch” wave of deaths is due to the impulsiveness of young men fueled by alcohol to prove themselves. This campaign is a program that was developed out of necessity and shows that some men still struggle to contain their reckless and impulsive behavior and are unable to "turn the other cheek or walk away without believing it will make them look weak or “soft”. The negative attitude of men towards women is also explored in the plot of this play. The belief that a man owned a woman and that she should obey him without question is highlighted when Juliet's father "chooses" her husband. Capulet said: “Hang yourself, young baggage, you disobedient wretch!” I tell you what: go to church on Thursday, or never look at me in the face again. Juliette's father cannot accept that Juliette refuses to marry Paris and treats his daughter as property that he can simply give up to another man. This is repeated when talking about how men's love depends on a woman's beauty and the lack of respect towards women through verbal and sexual harassment, both in and outside of relationships . Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Many may argue that in modern society only a small percentage of men exhibit these traits and that men have many more positive traits and this may be true, however, that minority of men who grow up and display These negative traits are numerous enough that incidents of domestic violence and sexual harassment frequently make headlines. This shows that toxic masculinity still remains one of the major problems in our society today. The violent nature of these men means that the statistics on domestic violence are incredibly high: 1 in 4 women experience psychological violence from their partner, 1 in 5 are sexually assaulted, 85% of Australian women have been sexually harassed and one woman per week is murdered by her partner. . These statistics show how damaging toxic masculinity is to modern society. It's also why women are fighting for gender equality in the workplace and for the right to feel safe at home and in the community., 11(4), 433-450.