Terrible Parenting

Evil can arise from the best of intentions. People always intend to benefit humankind, but bring more sacrifice than benefit. In William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, the main characters die at the hands of many resigning characters in the play. As the play progresses, Friar Lawrence, the Capulet family, and the Nurse bring about the untimely demise of the star-crossed lovers.

Friar Lawrence is the primary instigator for the death of Romeo and Juliet’s death. He is regarded as the guiding light for salvation in the town of Verona as he supposed to act as the moral compass for the Veronese; however, he does not carry out his moral responsibility to help the disillusioned Romeo. When Romeo approached him with the intent to marry Juliet, Friar Lawrence replies, “I’ll thy assistant be” (2.3.90) in attempt to “turn [Romeo’s] households’ rancor to pure love” (2.3.93). Regardless of the fact that Friar Lawrence is fully aware of Romeo’s superficial love for Juliet as Romeo clings to any beautiful woman he sees, he still sees this as an opportunity to reconcile the burning hatred between the Capulets and Montague, disregarding the fact that their dangerous infatuation might bring misfortune and misery for the two misguided youth. He continually acts on idea of the greater good, neglecting the safety of the two star-crossed lovers. When Juliet is forced to marry the county, Juliet “long[s] to die” (4.1.68), and as a result, Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a sleeping potion where “[her] pulse… surcease” (4.1.99) to make her seemingly dead to reunite her with Romeo. To avoid bigamy, Friar Lawrence acts impulsively rather than rationally as he concocts a dangerous plan, giving a deadly potion in the hands of an innocent girl without consid...

... middle of paper ...

...he Nurse. When Juliet is forced to marry the County, the Nurse suggest it is “best [to] marr[y] the county” (3.5.218). The Nurse’s advice falls on deaf ears as Juliet is too smitten with love following passion rather than reason leading her to feel abandoned. The Nurse desired only to see her platonic “daughter” happy, she acts independently on instinctive and irrational actions that leads to the untimely end for the star-crossed Juliet and Romeo.

While many act on the good intention, they bring about nothing but wrought and misfortune. In William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, the main characters die at the hands of many resigning characters in the play. Friar Lawrence, the Capulet family, and the Nurse bring about the untimely demise of the star-crossed lovers. The instinctive acts of the characters drive home a ruthless philosophy of passion over reason.