Romeo And Juliet Deception Essay

A person can deceive another person for many reasons. Though these reasons can be good or bad, lying tends to lead to a negative outcome. In William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, everything could have been avoided had it not been for deception in the first place. The two main characters deceive those around them to solve their problems, but the lies only make the issue bigger and lead to more deception. In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare demonstrates deception eventually leads to tragedy.

At the masque, Romeo’s identity-related deception begins a series of events that ultimately leads to Romeo and Juliet’s untimely deaths. After much begging on Benvolio’s part, Romeo agrees to go to the Capulet’s masque in secret, saying,

“I’ll go along, no such sight to be shown / but to rejoice in splendour of my own” (1.3.105-106). Romeo hesitantly accepts Benvolio’s proposal. The party happens to be a masque, so Romeo and Benvolio are able to walk in without being noticed. At the masque, Juliet and Romeo begin to talk without knowing each other’s true identity, furthering their grasp into fate’s hands. Romeo’s deception results in complications between her and Romeo, and begins the timeline that results in their tragic deaths. After the party, a distraught Juliet describes Romeo as, “My only love, sprung from my only hate! / Too early seen unknown, and known too late! / Prodigious birth of love it is to me / that I must love a loathed enemy” (1.5.147-150). As a result of Romeo and Benvolio’s trickery, Juliet has the chance to meet Romeo. After Juliet falls for Romeo(due to his sneaky method of getting into the party), the both lovers learn the other’s identity and realize how much more complicated their lives became in one night. Romeo’s deceptive method into the party results in his meeting - and promptly falling in love with - Juliet, sealing their fate as star-crossed lovers.
In addition to Romeo’s deception at the Capulet party determining his and Juliet’s destiny, the lovers’ secret wedding causes future conflict within Juliet’s decided engagement with Paris.

Mere hours after the masque, Juliet and Romeo are surreptitiously married under the supervision of Friar Lawrence, who hesitantly states, “Come, come with me, and we will make short work; / For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone / Till Holy Church incorporate two in one” (2.6.35-37). Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in hopes of ending the feud between their families. Though he has good intentions, the Friar creates far more problems than he solves in his action of marrying the two partners, mainly because he agrees to keep it a secret and deceive the rest of Verona. Soon after the star-crossed lovers’ wedding, Juliet’s father marries her to Paris because he is unaware of her situation. Because of Romeo and Juliet’s secret wedding, Juliet resolves to do anything in her power to avoid a decided marriage with Paris. She observes, “Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble- / And I will do it without fear or doubt, / To live an unstain’d wife to my sweet love” (4.1.87-89). Juliet is willing to go to drastic measures to stay true to Romeo, which, while admirable, leads to future deception that

eventually
Following her engagement, Juliet must craft a risky secret plan with Friar Lawrence that has deadly consequences. Juliet decides she will do most anything to avoid marrying Paris after finding love with Romeo, and so confronts Friar Lawrence for help. The Friar ensures Juliet, “Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift / And hither shall he come, and he and I / Will watch thy waking, and that very night / Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua” (4.1.115-118). The plan involves Juliet drinking a potion to appear dead, Romeo receiving word in Mantua of his wife’s fake “death,” and the Friar and Romeo being at the Capulet tomb just in time for Juliet’s waking. Though the Friar seems fairly confident his plan will succeed, there are a number of things that could bring about the newlyweds’ downfall. These flaws become apparent when Romeo does not hear word from Friar Lawrence and fails to realize Juliet is, in fact, alive. So, while the Friar’s deceit regarding Juliet’s flee to Mantua was not meant to be a secret kept from Juliet’s husband, the lie regarding Juliet’s death literally kills Romeo when the plan, predictably, goes wrong. While visiting Juliet’s tomb, Romeo says, “Death, that hath suck’d the honey of thy breath, / hath had no power yet upon thy beauty” (5.3.92-93). Upon seeing Juliet “dead,” Romeo’s first reaction is how alive she looks. Unfortunately, however, he has no idea she is truly alive, because of miscommunications and the Friar’s deception, and he takes drastic measures. Romeo takes his own life because of lies that Juliet is dead, and essentially causes Juliet’s actual death when she realizes her love is dead.
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, deception ultimately leads to Romeo and Juliet’s downfall. Romeo’s deception as a way into the Capulet masque leads him to meet Julie34\43e33e3wt, beginning the events leading to their deaths. The couple’s secret wedding leads to Juliet becoming engaged to Paris, as the other characters are unaware of her married state. Friar Lawrence’s surreptitious plan for Juliet to meet Romeo in Mantua results in tragedy when Romeo fails to learn the truth. Though, in these cases, Romeo and Juliet meant well, their lies created a lot more problems than they solved. No matter how