Romeo And Juliet Essay, Research Paper

Tim Eisenhauer

1/30/01

English 1, room 39

This is an essay on the play Romeo and Juliet. In the play these two lovers are responsible for their own tragedy because of immature and impacient behavor. I feel that if they took things slower and thought about what they were actually doing then it would not have resulted in such a tragic ending. Yes, Mercutio and Tybalt would be dead. But, Romeo and Juliet would still be alive and living happily ever after. This is why I think these two lovers are responsible for their own tragedy

Juliet is very immature in the balcony scene when she agrees to marry Romeo after knowing him only a day and she is not even sure that Romeo wants to marry her. “If that thy bent of love be honorable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow. . . And all my fortunes at thy foot I”ll lay, and follow thee my lord throughout the world” (Lines 142-143, 146-147, Scene 2, Act 2). After the marriage she is told by her nurse she is to marry Paris. She flips out and runs to Friar Lawrence with a knife, thinking that her only choice was to kill herself or hear a plan from by Friar Lawrence to get her out of the marriage with Paris. “If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help, do thou but call my resolution wise, and with this knife I”ll help it presently. . .”Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife shall play umpire. . .” (Lines 53-55, 63-64, Scene 1, Act 4).

Romeo s responsibility for his own tragedy I feel is shown by the way he handled Tybalt”s killing of Mercutio. He didnt think of the consequences of killing Tybalt which made his life crash around him also hurting the person he loves in his downfall. Also Romeo s falling in love easily, I think was another responsibility for his tragedy because he was very imature and is first shown in when he loved Rosaline. It was shown when he first met Juliet. “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight. For I ne”er saw true beauty till this night”. (Lines 50-51, Scene 5, Act 1) He said this but he seemed to forget about Rosaline, even though he talks about Juliet as he talked about Rosaline only a few hours before. “One fairer than my love! The all-seeing sun ne”er saw her match, since first the world begun” (Lines 94-95, Scene 2, Act 1).

Romeo and Juliet”s individual decisions to kill themselves was just bad timing. Assuming Juliet was dead, Romeo thought that his only option was to kill himself so he could be with Juliet. His impatience killed Paris, himself and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet chose killing themselvs to quick they did nt think about their other options.

Romeo and Juliet s immaturity, I feel, caused them both to die. If they did nt rush into the marriage and took it slow for a while like Friar Lawrence had told them both, then they wouldn t have had the problem of them dieing. I think this is the main reason for their tragedy. If they were responsible and not so impacient then nobody would have died except Tybalt and Mercutio.