Romeo And Juliet Decisions Essay

The tragedy Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare tells a story of Romeo and Juliet’s love. They are both children of the enemy families in Verona during the 1300s, the families are the Capulets and Montagues. The two lovers go through many obstacles throughout the play. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses a tragic pattern of risk and quick decisions it is shown through actions and decisions.Specifically, Friar, Juliet, and Romeo make quick decisions that put both themselves and others at risk.

Throughout the play Romeo takes many risks with his choices. His risky choices begin with Juliet. “If any of my kinsmen find thee here.../If they do see thee, they will murder thee” (2.2.70-75). Romeo is risking getting Juliet in trouble and

his life by sneaking over the walls to see Juliet at night. During each of their secret night meetings he makes the decision to put them both at risk in order to continue their love.

Romeo then continues this pattern with the next step of his love with marrying Juliet. Romeo tells Friar Lawrence, “I have been feasting with mine enemy” (2.3.53). By this Romeo is risking telling Friar and is quick to love and marry Juliet. This puts the strength of their love at risk as they just met. As the play progresses Romeo becomes more willing to take risks. For example he gets between Tybalt and Mercutio which leads to the death of Tybalt, Mercutio, and his banishment. As one thing leads to another, it becomes too hard when Romeo finds that the love of his life is dead he is quick to choose death. At this point for Romeo it is the final stage of the tragic pattern. When Balthasar informs Romeo of Juliet’s death he says, “Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight” (5.1.37). Romeo’s immediate reaction is to go to Juliet in the tomb and “lie with thee” meaning kill himself so they can be together again. By jumping to the extreme decision of killing himself he puts his life in danger without checking with Friar who was supposed to be sending him news of Juliet and Verona. On his way to Verona he goes to an apothecary, he says, “Let me have/A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear/As will disperse

itself through all the veins,/That the life-weary taker may fall dead (5.1.63-66). This again puts him at risk because the poison will kill him and if anyone were to find him alive in Verona they would kill him thus not allowing him to see Juliet. This also puts Friar,Balthasar, and the Apothecary at risk as Friar knows everything, Balthasar helps Romeo into Verona, and it is illegal for the Apothecary to sell him the poison. As Romeo becomes desperate to see Juliet he becomes more daring with his decisions.

In the play Juliet makes many decisions and does many actions that cause risk and give danger as the outcome. For Juliet the path through the tragic pattern begins with Romeo. The first time she meets him at the party she allows Romeo to kiss her. She allows it without knowing who he is and with the knowledge that her parents have Paris in mind for her to marry. This risks her getting in trouble and having this boy she doesn’t know punished. It is also her first act of rebellion against her parents. She is given a loophole in the pattern when she finds out who Romeo is. The Nurse tells her, “His name is Romeo, and a Montague, / The only son of your great enemy” (1.5.150-151). When she is given this information she could have chosen to forget Romeo. Shakespeare chooses to continue the pattern and Juliet puts herself and Romeo at risk she finds out he is the enemy. She also puts herself at risk when she disregards the fact that they are enemies and allows him to visit her in 2.2. Similar to Romeo, the danger progresses until she is at the brink of death. After Romeo is banished She is quick to decide without Romeo she should die just as she was quick to allow him to kiss and marry her. She pulls out her knife and tells Friar, “And with this knife will help it presently” (4.1.55). This is an obvious threat to herself and to Friar because based on his way of dealing with the situation he could be easily punished by the Capulets. Her suicidal actions are enough to convince Friar to give her the poison. Before she drinks it she says, “What if this mixture do not work at all?/...Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink. I drink to thee” (4.3.59) Juliet although skeptical and sees the risk of the poison she drinks it risking marriage in the morning or forever ending her life. She is willing to do anything to be with Romeo. (End sentence)

Friar Lawrence takes many risk-filled chances with his decisions regarding Romeo and Juliet.

The first time the pattern is shown in context with Friar is when Romeo tells him of Juliet. Friar disregards the warnings that surround the confession such as the fact that it is a secret love. He says, “For this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households’ rancor to pure love” (2.3.98-99). Although he is doing this with the thought of helping he doesn’t think to check with either families. By marrying them he risks being punished and potentially killed. This is the first time Romeo has brought up Juliet to him and he is quick to make a decision. Friar officially puts himself in grave danger when he marries the two lovers, up until then he had been all talk. If the families were to find out their reaction choses his life path. To Romeo and Juliet he said, “you shall not stay alone/Till Holy Church incorporate two in one” (2.6.36-37) directly before he marries them. Again Friar puts himself at risk for Romeo and Juliet. For Romeo he helps him see Juliet after his banishment and is devising a plan for the two to be together. He says, “Go hence, good night—and here stands all your/state:/Either be gone before the watch be set/Or by the break of day” (3.3.176-179). He tells Romeo to go see Juliet then leave to Mantua. This puts both himself and Romeo at stake because Romeo is supposed to be banished and if he is found in Verona he will be killed, also everything could lead

back to Friar. Friar then helps Juliet, “Take thou this vial, being then in bed/… No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest” (4.1.95-100). Friar tells Juliet to drink the vial knowing that the plan could easily fail. Juliet could truly die, and when the Capulets find her they could find the vial which leads to Friar. In this case he not only puts himself and Juliet at risk but the Capulet family as a whole, because although he doesn’t know at the time Lady Montague killed herself after Romeo’s banishment. He does not know what will happen to the Capulet’s when they lose their last child. His last part in the pattern is when he finds out that the letter he sent to Romeo with the plan for Juliet failed to reach Romeo. He then decides to go to the tomb which leads to Friar finding Paris and Romeo dead, and Juliet awakening to only then kill herself. He says, “Romeo! O, pale! Who else? What, Paris too?” (5.3.149). When Friar is eventually found this is the end of his part in the pattern. Shakespeare through the Prince will decide what happens next. Throughout the play Friar makes numerous attempts to help, all of them being high risk choices.

In Romeo and Juliet, Friar, Romeo, and Juliet all make quick decisions that lead to risk for them and those around them. As the play progresses the amount of risk increases as the characters become more desperate. For example, it goes from kisses justified by holiness, to secret meetings and marriage, to banishments and death. After reading the play it is clear that many people when faced with pressure situations tend to choose the quickest and easiest way to end the problem. Which is often the most dangerous, and although it often temporarily fixes the problem the plans are never fully thought out due to the lack of time. Friar is an example of quick dangerous decisions under pressure. When he deals with Romeo and Juliet both being suicidal teens who are willing to do anything including kill themselves. This causes the decision to seem easy, if they are willing to die then they will easily take risks without fully understanding the consequences. Romeo and Juliet would have never been given the chance to experience the love they feel when together; if it was not for the pattern of tragedy that creates the base for their love.