Romeo And Juliet Make Decisions Essay

Everyday, people make many decisions. Some are small and do not affect lifestyles very much. But there are others that can change lives completely. They can change the life of the person who made the selection and the lives of the people around them. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo And Juliet the citizens of Verona all make choices that not only affect them but also the people dearest to them. It is the decisions made by those closest to Romeo and Juliet that cause their downfall. Lord Capulet, Juliet’s father, forces Juliet to marry Paris and Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, starts a duel in the streets. Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend, begins fighting when Romeo does not want to and Benvolio, Romeo’s friend and servant, is the first to tell Romeo

It is the Lord Capulet and Tybalt that have the most effect on Romeo and Juliet’s lives as members of the Capulet household. Lord Capulet declares that Juliet must marry Paris or else he will disown her. When Juliet disobeys her father, he angrily states, “But fettle your joints ‘gainst Thursday next/To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church/Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither” (3.5.157-159). Lord Capulet forces Juliet to marry Paris without knowing that she is already married to Romeo. This choice causes Juliet to make quick decisions and see the Friar to get a potion that would make it seem like she is dead. In addition, Tybalt’s actions severely affect the lives of the adolescents by starting a brawl in the streets leaving him and Mercutio dead. After Tybalt duels and kills Mercutio, he agrees to continue the conflict with Romeo. Romeo says, “That late thou gavest me, for Mercutio’s soul/Is but a little way above our head/Slaying thine to keep him company” (3.1.121-123). When Tybalt brawls with Mercutio, Mercutio dies and when fighting with Romeo, he dies. For this reason, Romeo was banished from Verona, and caused Juliet to become hopeless and make impulsive choices. Overall, the agreements of the members of the Capulet household results in the stream of events that in the end lead to the couple’s suicides.

Next, it is the decisions that the friends of the two teenagers

Friar Laurence and the nurse’s actions equally contribute to the deaths of their friends. Friar Laurence trusted Juliet with with a fake-death potion intended not to kill her but make her appear dead for 42 hours. Juliet goes to see the Friar to get advice after Lord Capulet, her father, demands she marry Paris. To help Juliet solve her problem, Friar Laurence gives her a potion and instructs her, “Take thou this vial, being then in bed/And this distilling liquor drink thou off ” (4.1.94-95). By putting his trust in Juliet, Friar Laurence was the reason why she passes. When Capulet changes the wedding date, Juliet is forced to make irresponsible decisions and take the fake-death potion early. This leads to plenty of confusion such as Romeo not getting the letter in time and believing that Juliet truly was dead and killing himself. Equally important, Juliet’s nurse gives up on helping Juliet with Romeo after he is banished. She turnes against Juliet and takes the side of her parents when they obligate Juliet to get married to Paris. The nurse, believing Romeo would never return, tells Juliet, “I think it is best you married with the County./O, he’s a lovely gentleman./Romeo’s a dishclout to him...” (3.1.228-230). When Juliet hears what her nurse says, she is shocked. The nurse has helped her all along with Romeo and now she is giving up and agrees with her parents. This causes