Often times in literature characters are portrayed as impulsive. The play The Tragedy Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare is one such piece. In this play there are two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, who are from two different feuding families. Tragedy strikes when Juliet drinks a potion to fake her death, but word of the trick never reaches Romeo. This results in Romeo taking his own life by drinking a potion he got from an apothecary. Throughout the play Romeo continued to make impulsive decisions, that led to this tragic ending. Romeo is a teenager who can be described as good-looking, smart, sensitive and passionate. His passion forces him to make blind decisions that he hasn’t yet thought through. Romeo is a loyal friend and lover, and will always be devoted to his friends and family. “Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight.” (V.i.34). This is an example of Romeo being devoted. He is saying he is going to be with Juliet that night, dead in the Capulet tomb. He made this decision and nobody could have stopped him from taking the potion. At the beginning of the play he is very depressed because his first love, Rosaline, didn’t care to be around him. But, he quickly changes upon meeting Juliet. He immediately forgets about Rosaline and becomes infatuated with his new love. Romeo never once thought twice about his actions. As soon as he set his mind on something, nothing could stop him from doing it. For example, once Tybalt killed Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, he was determined to avenge Mercutio. Even his level-headed cousin, Benvolio, couldn’t make Romeo change his mind. Murdering Tybalt influenced a long chain of unfortunate events that eventually led to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The first sign of Romeo’s impulsivity was the drastic emotional switch he made when immediately forgetting his love for Rosaline the second he met Juliet. Prior to meeting Juliet, his world was crashing down because Rosaline would not return his love. It took one love at first-sight look at Juliet for Rosaline to no longer exist in his mind. Soon after meeting Juliet, Romeo impulsively chose to jump over the Capulet wall to profess his love to her. He then proposed to her that very night and they were married the next day in a secret ceremony. After Romeo’s wedding he met up with his friend Mercutio and cousin Benvolio. In a violent exchange, Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, killed Mercutio. In his outrage, Romeo decided that he must avenge Mercutio’s death by killing Tybalt. His impulsivity also flared when he killed Paris, the man set to marry Juliet, after finding him in the Capulet chamber. Finally, when Romeo found Juliet dead in her family’s chamber, he sorrowfully took a drink of the poison he received from an apothecary. The devastation of losing Juliet was enough for Romeo to take his own life. “A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear/ As will disperse itself through all the veins/ That the life-weary taker may fall dead”. (V.i.60-62) He chooses to do this so he could die by Juliet’s side, not knowing that she was not truly dead. Romeo’s death then led to Juliet killing herself with his dagger. The most important impulsive decision that Romeo made was avenging Mercutio, and killing Tybalt. If Romeo had not chosen to get revenge on Tybalt, he would not have been banished from Verona. If he had not have been banished he still would have been able to live a peaceful life with his new wife. Juliet might not have had to marry Paris because Romeo would have told the Capulets that they were already married, which possibly could have ended the families’ feud. But, because Romeo decided to kill Tybalt he was exiled to Mantua and never allowed to return. In his absence, Juliet was forced to marry Paris. If Romeo had listened to Benvolio he wouldn’t have fought Tybalt. If Romeo hadn't had his wedding in private the Capulet and Montague families would have understood what they were going through this would have meant that Tybalt would have known that his cousin, Juliet, was married to Romeo and they wouldn’t have gotten into a fight. Even if Romeo and Juliet had just came out together and said that they were married there would have been much fewer problems. Their families would have stopped fighting and the city of Verona would have been peaceful. Mercutio wouldn’t have died, nor would have Paris, and most importantly, Romeo and Juliet still would have been alive. In conclusion, if Romeo had not made impulsive decisions throughout the play, he might have been able to live a long and fulfilled life with his wife, and future family. His children would have be able to tell his story for generations to come. Without his impulsivity this tragedy could have had a happy ending. by: Justin Rogers -- contributing writer Comments are closed.
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June 2019
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