Short-Lived In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

In the story Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, two children fall in love. Although Romeo and Juliet are safely and happily married by the end of Act 2, Shakespeare has clearly indicated that their happiness will be short-lived. There are a number of possibilities that could cause a threat to their happiness. Romeo and Juliet were forced to keep their marriage secret due to the feud between their families. This feud between their families is a major reason that their marriage may fail.

Friar Laurence, the man that married Romeo and Juliet, is very much a man of God. The Friar agreed to keep their marriage secret, but second guessed how Romeo truly felt. He felt that Romeo is moving too quickly with Juliet. The

Friar can oppose a threat to Romeo and Juliet’s happiness because he may begin to feel guilty about marrying the children without the parents consent. The Friar could possibly own up to what he has done and tell Romeo and Juliet’s parents. This could result in their parents forbidding them from seeing each other due to the hatred between the Capulets and Montagues.
Juliet’s Nurse is another person who knows about the marriage. The Nurse acts as a messenger between Romeo and Juliet. She often has the tendency to ramble on when she is talking and this can cause a threat to their happiness as well. When talking to Lady Capulet, the Nurse can accidentally tell Lady Capulet about her daughter’s secret marriage during on of her rambles. The Nurse knowing is most likely a mistake on Juliet and Romeo’s part. If she does not slip up to Lady Capulet, she could to a number of other people in the Capulet household.
The feud between the Capulets and Montagues is what is holding Romeo and Juliet back from going public with their marriage. If either one of them was from another household, their parent’s might be more open to them having a relationship. Although Romeo and Juliet do not care for the feud, the rest of the family does. Tybalt, of the Capulets, and Mercutio, of the Montagues, show they care for the feud when they fight in Act 1 Scene 1 just simply because of what household they belong to. All of Verona is aware of this feud and if Romeo and Juliet were to be seen together, it would not be long before both of the household is hearing of this news.
Out of these three possibilities, all of them lead back to the feud between the Capulets and Montagues. The Friar is most likely to tell the families of their marriage because he is a man of God. He will probably soon realize it was wrong of him to go behind the family’s back and marry two children from rival families. Although the Nurse has a common tendency to ramble, she will probably keep her word of keeping it secret for Juliet. As the Nurse preciously expressed upon the meeting of Romeo and Juliet, she has a lot of love for Juliet and would not want to bring her trouble. Therefore, making the Friar the more likely person to tell the parents of the marriage.