What happens when people come together and express emotions of aggression as gangs or groups? Items such as plays, magazine articles and scientific journals all suggest that each individual's emotions of aggression are increased and this ultimately leads to a dramatic exhibition of aggressive emotions. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, characters such as Mercutio and Tybalt are undoubtfully devoted to honoring their family's name, and are not hesitant in using violence to do so. This particular devotion is also seen in the article in the Bulletin titled 'Bondi, Beirut and the big lie' published on page 30 where young Lebanese gangs are being blamed for a series of attacks and brawls. Also, with the age of technology advancing, scientists such as Konrad Lorenz are now able to prove the connection between intense aggression and groups of people, through particular experiments such as that of the rats.
             When Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet four hundred years ago, he gave no or little consideration to the future. However, what he did not realize was that the aggressive attacks displayed by the Montague's and the Capulets in the seventeenth century would span generations, to encompass youths of the contemporary worlds and their behaviours. As Tybalt, a violently fierce character, said to Mercutio "what, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee." (Act I scene I) Tybalt's own aggression fuelled the aggression of the whole Capulet family, which resulted in various outbreaks of violence. Therefore, it is obvious to see how one character's aggression can encourage others to become aggressive also, as seen in Mercutio's response to Tybalt's aggression "And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something; make it a word and a blow." (Act III scene I)
             The text that I have studied during the course of this unit...