Love, Anger, and Impulsiveness: Emotions That Impact Behavior

People, throughout time, are impinged by their emotions. These strong emotions have connected people today with others from centuries ago. In his play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare tells the story of two young lovers who arrange a secret wedding despite being from opposing households; they sacrifice their lives in order to be with each other eternally. Shakespeare demonstrates his understanding of human nature by effectively utilizing human emotions through the characters of this play. From the Elizabethan era to modern times, people have been united by this idea of human nature through the effects that love, anger, and impulsiveness have on behavior.

The love shared between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet is one of the most prominent emotions in the play that continues to influence behavior. When Juliet asks Romeo how he was able to climb her balcony, he responds, “With love’s light wings I do o’erperch these walls,/For stony limits cannot hold love out,/And what love can do, that dares love attempt” (Rom. 2.2.71-73). Romeo expresses the strength and influence love has on his behavior in order to be with Juliet. But when Friar Lawrence attempts to be optimistic about his banishment, Romeo obstinately asserts that, “Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel./Wert thou as young as I…”(3.3.67-68). While love can provide strength, it can also prompt, especially amongst young lovers, irrationality. It is evident that “His [Romeo’s] whole love affair betrays a cast of mind that is hopeful against obstacle and impatient of cold reason” (Draper 122). This “cast of mind” is a portion of the human nature that Shakespeare clearly conveys in the play. Shakespeare, through Romeo, portrays the positive and negat...

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...onnects his audience to the characters and although the play is written for the Elizabethan era, it remains pertinent by invoking the notion of human nature. He implements themes of love, anger, and impulsiveness and demonstrates the influence these emotions have on human behavior. It is evident that because human nature is constant, people have and will continue to be affected by these emotions.

Works Cited

Cardullo, Bert. “The Character’s Impulsiveness Is the Villain of the Play.” Readings on Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Don Nardo. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 1997. 60-67. Print.

Draper, John. “The Influence of Astrology.” Readings on Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Don Nardo. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 1997. 113-123. Print.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2011. Print.