Romeo and Juliet is one of the most iconic love stories in history. The story of two star-crossed lovers from rival families has been retold countless times, in many different ways.
The original Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century. It tells the story of two young lovers from the rival houses of Montague and Capulet who are caught up in a tragic cycle of violence and misunderstanding.
The play has been adapted to film, TV, opera, ballet, and even musical theatre. But no matter how it’s told, the story always captures audiences with its passion and tragedy. Let’s take a closer look at some of the characters in Romeo and Juliet and see how they contribute to the story.
Romeo Montague is the son of Lord and Lady Montague. He is in love with Juliet Capulet, who is the daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet. Romeo is a romantic and impulsive young man who falls in love quickly and easily.
Juliet Capulet is the daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet. She is in love with Romeo Montague, who is the son of Lord and Lady Montague. Juliet is a passionate young woman who falls in love just as quickly and easily as Romeo does.
Mercutio is Romeo’s best friend. He is a hot-headed young man who loves to fight and make jokes. Mercutio is killed by Tybalt in a sword fight. Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin. He is a hot-headed young man who loves to fight and is very loyal to the Capulet family. Tybalt is killed by Romeo in a sword fight.
Lord and Lady Montague are Romeo’s parents. They are very worried about their son and his safety. Lord and Lady Capulet are Juliet’s parents. They are very worried about their daughter and her safety.
Friar Laurence is a kind and wise priest who helps Romeo and Juliet get married secretly. He also comes up with the plan to fake Juliet’s death so that she can escape from her arranged marriage to Paris. Nurse is Juliet’s faithful servant. She has known Juliet since she was a baby and loves her like her own daughter.
In Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the immaturity of the characters influenced the resolution of the star-crossed lovers because they make illogical decisions and aren’t mature enough to perform the most sensible actions. While reading, you may come across the deaths of key characters as a result of their own actions rather than fate.
In the play Romeo and Juliet there are many things that could be seen as decisions that lead to death but are actually just bad luck. The first example is when Tybalt killed Mercutio. This was a result of a decision because Tybalt decided to start the fight with Mercutio, even though Romeo told him no. If Tybalt had just let it go then maybe Mercutio would still be alive and things would have been different.
Another example is when Romeo got banished instead of put to death. This was also a decision because if the Prince had just put Romeo to death then he would have never met up with Juliet again and they both would have been dead already. The last example is when Friar Lawrence decided not to go to the tomb when he was supposed to. This is also a decision because if he would have just gone then Romeo and Juliet would have known that Juliet wasn’t really dead and they both wouldn’t have killed themselves.
All of these things could be seen as bad luck but are really just decisions that people made that led to death. If any of these things would have been different then maybe Romeo and Juliet would still be alive.
While reading the play you can see how immaturity played a big role in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The first example of this is when Romeo decided to marry Juliet after only knowing her for one day. This was a very irrational decision because they didn’t know each other very well and they were both already married to other people.
Another example is when Romeo decided to kill himself after finding Juliet dead. This was also a very irrational decision because he didn’t know for sure that she was actually dead and he could have just waited a little longer to find out. The last example is when Juliet decided to kill herself after finding Romeo dead.
The decision to continue the rivalry between the Capulets and the Montegues was one of many untimely decisions that resulted in Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. It was not until near the conclusion of the play that they made up their minds to put an end to the conflict and join together, as a result of which several children from both families were slain. “As rich shall Romeo’s by his lady’s lie, Poor sacrifices of our enmity” (V.III.307-308) Capulet said at the end.
This feuding also led to the tragic end of Romeo and Juliet because it caused communication problems. When Romeo was banished, he could not tell Juliet and she thought he was dead. The Nurse was the only one who knew how to get a message to Romeo, but she could not remember the message. This is what led Juliet to make the decision to fake her own death with the potion, so Romeo would believe she was actually dead and come find her in the tomb.
Another immature decision that lead to their deaths, was when Romeo decided to kill himself after finding Juliet “dead”. If Romeo had just waited a little longer he would have realized that Juliet was only faking her death and then they both would have woke up from the potion and been able to live happily ever after. But because Romeo was impatient, he decided to kill himself and when Juliet woke up and found his corpse beside her, she killed herself as well.
The last big decision that lead to their deaths, was when Friar Lawrence came up with the plan for Juliet to take the potion and fake her own death. He thought that this would help end the feud between the two families and allow Romeo and Juliet to be together. But he did not realize that Romeo would not be able to get the message in time about Juliet faking her own death, which ultimately led to their deaths.
If any of these immature decisions had not been made, Romeo and Juliet may have had a chance at a happy ending. But because of the choices that were made, they both ended up dead and their deaths ultimately could have been prevented.