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Romeo and juliet character analysis
Romeo and juliet character analysis
Romeo's character analysis in Romeo and Juliet
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The famous quote ,“Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to not make the same mistake twice” is said by Stephanie Perkins . Making mistakes is a very common part of life. Most people might even agree that making mistakes, improves the person as an individual as they learn what not to do after committing one. However, is it foolish to commit the same mistake more than once or even twice? In the well-known play, Romeo and Juliet the protagonist, Romeo, is shown making rash decisions which have almost always resulted in a tragic situation or ending. Romeo throughout the book has been shown as an impetuous person. This included making a decision on his own marriage without giving it a forethought. In the beginning of the book Romeo thinks that Rosaline is his one true love and that he will never be able to forget her. To quote in the book he says, “ Thou canst not teach me to forget.” Although this quote is very short, it plays an important role in proving Romeo’s rash behavior. This quote then leads us to the next day when Romeo speaks to the Friar saying ,” Then plainly know my heart’s dear love is set on the fair daughter of rich …show more content…
Capulet.” When Romeo tells the Friar this the Friar immediately calls out Romeo’s imprudent decision and says,” Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit of an old tear that is not washed off yet.If e'er thou wast thyself and these woes thine,Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline. And art thou changed?” This quote is evident enough to prove that even the Friar warned him of his thoughtless decision which Romeo did not take into consideration. However, this does not put an end to his rash decisions. Another false action Romeo did in the play was killing Tybalt. This act could be said as one of the major contributors to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. His action is shown in the book when he says, “ Staying for thine to keep him company.Either thou or I, or both, must go with him.” If Romeo had a control over himself and stopped himself from committing such an act , then potentially this entire tragedy might have not even occurred. However, since Romeo could not restrain himself from killing Tybalt, knowing the consequences , Romeo was banished from Verona. This is shown in the book when the Prince says, “Immediately we do exile him hence.” Although this punishment does not put an end to Romeo’s life at that point, it does in the end become a major influence for Romeo and Juliet’s death as a consequence of Romeo’s foolish behavior. Another one of Romeo’s rash decisions was when he took own life.
When Romeo found out that Juliet was dead, he immediately without any forethought fled to Verona so that he could be with Juliet. This is shown in the book when Romeo says, “ Thou know’st my lodging. Get me ink and paper,and hire post horses. I will hence tonight.” This leads to him going to Verona and meeting Juliet. There he commits suicide since his motivation was to be with Juliet forever. This is shown in the play when its shows Romeo drinking the poison and saying, “Oh, that pharmacist was honest! His drugs work quickly. So I die with a kiss.” As a result, his rash decision marked the end of his own life. Hence, this shows that Romeo’s impulsive behavior not only took his own life but also Juliet’s life, who could not live without Romeo, and drank the
poison. Thus, Romeo’s impetuous nature which includes quick change in decisions, impulsive choices, and rash behavior have brought him and his loved ones nothing but suffering. To be more specific his sudden change of mind in who he wanted to marry overnight, being the reason of Tybalt’s death, and committing suicide all portrayed clearly Romeo’s repeated mistake. This can be perfectly applied to our lives. For example we should always think about the results and be aware of the consequences that follow a choice or decision. In other words always think before you act.
An example of Romeo's impulsive behavior was when he chased Tybalt after Tybalt killed Mercutio, which resulted in Tibet's death. Romeo was horrified with what he had done, and expressed that he felt very irresponsible by crying out. "O, I am a fortune fool!" Some may say that Romeo's reactions were only out of love, but does that really make him any less to blame?... ...
Juliet strategizes her disastrous plan and worries, “How if, when I am laid into the tomb, I wake before the time that Romeo come to redeem me?” (Lines 30-32 of Act Four, Scene Three). Juliet is desperate to see Romeo, ergo she plans to fake her death. Her thoughts of Romeo finding her lifeless foreshadows their future. Romeo is deprived of the news of Juliet’s real state of health, therefore he says, “Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. O mischief, thou art swift to enter the thoughts of desperate men!” (Lines 34-36 of Act Five, Scene One). Once again, Romeo’s perception is only focused on Juliet. His mental instability leads him to think Paris is in the way obtaining true happiness, thus he slays him. Romeo acquires poison, stands beside Juliet, and states, “Here’s to my love! (Drinks.) O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” (Lines 119-120 of Act Five, Scene Three). Romeo observes Juliet’s body and determines that he should die beside her. Juliet wakes to his lifeless body, and determines she should commit suicide, as well. Romeo’s foolish decisions lead to the death of himself and
...se he believes Juliet to dead, drinks poison to take his own life as a last resort. What Romeo is unaware of is that Juliet is very much alive, so it is very ironic when he says, “Death, that has sucked the honey of thy breath,/ Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty:/ Thou art not conquered; beauty’s ensign yet/ Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,/ And death’s pale flag is not advanced there” (V iii 101-105). This is fate in the works in the play. When Juliet sees that her love has not rescued her and rather is dead, she kills herself with a dagger found in the proximity. “O happy dagger/ This is thy sheath; there rust and let me die” (V iii 182-183).
How is one supposed to learn from their mistakes when they do not even know they made them in the first place? All people make mistakes, but only those that are wise learn from them, and actually realize they made them, while others simply overlook them. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, one is able to witness how serious mistakes that were left unrealized, and forgotten, led to the tragic death of the two protagonists. Errors and mistakes should be corrected, before it is too late. Most of the characters in the play have caused the death of the protagonists, one way or another. The characters that caused the most dramatic and serious effect upon Romeo and Juliet’s death are Tybalt, the Nurse, and the Friar Laurence.
This is explored through the characters of both lovers, Romeo and Juliet. Near the end of the play, Juliet drinks a potion to make her appear dead to her parents and get her out of an unwanted arranged marriage to a man named Paris. Once her parents would find her dead and place in a tomb with her ancestors, her other lover, Romeo, would get her and they would elope together. However because of miscommunication, Romeo was not aware of this plan and he heard that Juliet had died from someone else. Because of this he goes to see her and decides to kill himself, but after seeing her “dead” body for closure. When Romeo thinks Juliet is dead, he immediately resorts to suicide without once thinking about any other possibilities or considering a life without her. This quick conclusion leads to the unnecessary death of Paris, who also came to meet Juliet, and Romeo, himself, which then leads to Juliet killing herself. Before Romeo drinks poison and commits suicide, he says “Here’s to my love! (drinks the poison) O true apothecary,Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” This rash and hasty decision, had it been put off for a minute or so would have resulted in Juliet awakening and the couple living together, which was their goal. However, Romeo’s impetuosity results in an unhappy and tragic end to him, his wife and his wife’s other lover. This
Choices determine every outcome, A better way to put it is “What we do in life, echoes in eternity”, essentially every single decision one makes , no matter how minuscule, will always have an impact in one’s life. Fate isn’t real; Fate is a term commonly used by those that refuse to accept that they control their own future. Teenagers ever since the beginning of time were and still are expected to make poor choices due to their age. But once they learn to take responsibility for their actions they become adults. Both Romeo and Juliet make multiple decisions such as marrying, killing and suicide without stepping back and thinking about the consequences. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare all the choices made by the star crossed lovers have consequences. The two lovers blame fate for their misfortune. They refuse to believe that fate does not determine the end result, only they can do that.
Romeo drank a vile of poison because he heard the news that Juliet had died, but in reality she was asleep awaiting for his rescue. Juliet awakes to the horrifying sight of Romeo’s lifeless corpse where she commits suicide in the fashion of stabbing herself with Romeo’s dragger. Though both Romeo and Juliet seem to progress through the Five Stages of Grief in an instant. In the case of Romeo, he initially denies the news of Juliet’s “death” and then retorts to searching for a means he should use to kill himself. Romeo experienced the first stage of denial and skips all the stages until acceptance where he acknowledged the terms of the situation and believed that suicide is the best method in order to be with Juliet forever. “Romeo felt cold, even in that terrible heat … ‘It can’t be!’ said Romeo at last … Romeo had made up his mind. He would sleep with Juliet that night. The only question was what means should he use to kill himself? He felt nothing- his only though was to get Juliet and be with her forever” (Shakespeare 94). On the other hand, based on the inferences from the text, Juliet doesn’t seem to experience the Five Stages of Grief at all and appears as if she has given up hope and decide to die to live by
He quickly gathered a few things to go visit her in her tomb. There, after seeing her lying there, Romeo put a vial of poison on his lips so he could forever be with his love. This act of love might have been a bit crazy, but that is how people will remember him. Romeo knew this was what he wanted and had to do to be with Juliet. Romeo died painlessly and unexpectedly.
Friar knew that Romeo just hours before... was head over heels for a different girl named Roseline. That was a sign that he couldn’t think straight, yet the Friar still married Romeo and Juliet. “Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes,” (Shakespeare 410). He started off the tragedy with marrying the of them, even when he questioned it himself if it
Impetuous actions can dramatically alter the life of anybody in many ways. The lack of thinking things through and acting solely on one particular emotion can lead to unanticipated results. In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows how impetuous actions combined with the need for lust can lead to a tragic end. It wasn't fate but rather Romeo and Juliet's hasty actions that brought their untimely deaths.
In scene five, act three, Romeo was finding his way into the tomb where Juliet’s supposed dead body was resting. When Romeo found Juliet’s dead body, he brought out his poison and exclaimed that “Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die,” (Shakespeare 5. 3. 120), and followed to drink the poison, killing himself. In this passage, Shakespeare explains how Romeo dies, using diction to make the scene romantic. “Thus with a kiss I die,” (Shakespeare 5. 3. 120), can be seen as as a romantic way to die, but it was Romeo’s choice to drink the poison, which ended his life. Furthermore, this decision also resulted in Juliet’s death, shortly after. This passage explains Romeo’s foolishness because instead of killing himself on the spot, he could have waited. Although he would not expect for Juliet to wake up, simply waiting for others to arrive at the tomb to mourn with would have wasted enough time for Juliet to wake up. After some time passed, Juliet woke up from the effects of the potion she drank. When Juliet woke up from her fake coma, she found Romeo dead next to him. She took his dagger and exclaimed “O, happy dagger, This is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die,” (Shakespeare 5. 3. 174-175), and of course, she died shortly after stabbing herself. Shakespeare included
...t life. Suicide is the most extreme manifestation of this fear of life. A more moderate manifestation of this fear is depression. Early in the play, Romeo is described as having depression like symptoms. As the love affair progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that Romeo can not handle life without Juliet. By the end of the play, he kills himself because he can no longer have Juliet. Romeo’s final act of suicide is not completely based on the death of Juliet. The depression he exhibits at the onset of the play is already exhibiting his desire to escape life.
The choices Romeo and Juliet make are poor, and eventually resulted in their death. Getting married, killing Tybalt, and thinking with hastyness were all poor choices that lead to both of their deaths. Once in a while making bad choices doesn’t affect someone as much, but making then many times regularly does affect one’s life. This teaches people that we must think our actions through before committing them.
Romeo consistently makes his decisions on what he feels at that moment and doesn’t think through the consequences. Before Romeo kills Tybalt he says “And fire-eyed fury be my conduct (Shakespeare 3.1.122)”. When Romeo says”fire-eyed fury” he allows his emotions and anger to take over his actions. In this scene, Romeo’s actions create a pattern that occur throughout the entire play. He rushes the marriage when he speaks to Friar Lawrence; ”I pray/ that thou consent to marry us today (Shakespeare 2.3.63-64)”. Romeo rushes the marriage due to him acting on his feelings for Juliet. Romeo chooses to act on his feelings instead of thinking through what a marriage between a
As shown in the book hasty decisions lead to bad things. William Shakespeare has also mentioned this multiple times. There are numerous examples of this in his play Romeo and Juliet. Nevertheless impulsive choices make up most of this well known writing. These decisions are made by various characters and in different ways.