The fall of Romeo
and Juliet is a culmination of many factors. A controlling father, an ongoing
feud and a gullible friar all contribute to this catastrophe, but, for the most
part, it was Romeo and Juliet themselves that lent a hand to their own doom.
The two lovers were fated to meet and die, but this never could've happened
without their help. Had they been patient and rational, perhaps the situation
would've worked itself out, but what can one expect from a couple of thirteen
year olds who insist that they are in love?
The first
instance of Romeo's immaturity occurs when he first encounters the lovely
Juliet. He know that the party is hosted by the Capulets, and yet he still
chooses to attend anyway. As a teenager, he loves to party and is sure that
there will be pretty girls there in which to flirt with. Instead of being
rational and realizing that this party was a bad idea for a Montague, he and
his friends enter without fear.
Once the party is
over, Romeo hears Juliet on her balcony talking of how she loves Romeo and
together they speak of their impending marriage. What? It seems that they are
obsessed, not in love. How could they love each other when in fact they have
just met hours earlier? They are children who have crushes and plenty of
melodrama to enhance it.
Romeo
demonstrates his immaturity again when he slays the Capulet, Tybalt. Being an
idealist, he does not think about the consequences of his actions. He knows
that Tybalt is Juliet's cousin, and that injuring him would wreck any chance of
them getting together legitimately, yet he does it anyway. Instead of pausing a
moment and thinking about the situation in an adult manner, Romeo allows
"fire[ey'd] fury be [his] conduct..." and instantly kills Tybalt.
Although a bit
more realistic than Romeo, Juliet has instances of emotional drama and
impatience that symbolize a thirteen year old girl with a terrible infatuation.
True, her father is insisting that she marry Paris, but Juliet never lets her
feeling for Romeo be known to her parents. Instead of telling the truth about
her marriage to Romeo, she leads her parents to believe that it is Tybalt she
is mourning for. When Lady Capulet tries to comfort Juliet, Juliet tells of how
she will "venge her cousin's death" (1082) instead of how it is
really Romeo she is crying for. Her parents may have still forced her to marry
Paris, but maybe they would've reconsidered had they known how strongly Juliet
felt for Romeo. Of course the hate solidified when Romeo killed Tybalt, another
instance of rash behavior.
Juliet is very
rash and impractical also. Though more realistic than Romeo, she has a tendency
to incorporate melodrama into her actions. She goes to the friar desperately
for some of his wisdom, and before he even has a chance to think she threatens
suicide with a knife. How impatient she is! She accepts the friar's potion
without any reservations and drinks it down without considering the
ramifications. The poison could be what "the friar hath minist'red to have
[her] dead"(1085) so that he won't get in trouble for marrying the two
young lovers. Juliet could die and yet she doesn't care because her Romeo has
been banished. Sounds a little too dramatic, Juliet is but a child.
Upon seeing
Juliet "dead" in her tomb, Romeo again acts rashly kills Paris. At
this point, his actions have made it nearly impossible for the Capulets to
accept him. Not only has he killed Tybalt but also the famous Paris, the mate
from a higher social class. Romeo has no choice now but to end his own life and
so "with a kiss [he] dies"(1091) by drinking poison (but not the
short-acting kind).
Perhaps the love
shared between Romeo and Juliet was true and fated, but they were just
children! One can remember the intensity that love brought while a teenager.
The feelings of immortality and tragedy are so intense when love is a new
experience to relish in. This was the case with Romeo and Juliet. They were
young and inexperienced and died as a result of their hasty decisions. Had they
been a bit more mature and reasonable, perhaps things would have been different
for the pair.
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