The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet- essay

The Consequences of Impetuosity


"For never was a story of more woe/ Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." (5.3.320-321) Perhaps this was true only because The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet could have been prevented. Though some things may have been fated, the lovers' actions were not. So in the end, it was their own impetuosity that brought them to their untimely deaths. Their impetuous actions show that fate played no part in the tragedies that unfolded. As most of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare was a telling of impetuous actions and their consequences, we learn through Romeo and Juliet's impulsive actions and decisions that impetuosity often leads to dire results, so if they used rationality rather than impetuosity, perhaps there would be no tragedy for the play to tell.

The suicides of Romeo and Juliet were the acts of impetuosity that ended it all. For if they thought rationally before acting, they would not have died. They would have realized that life is too precious to waste, and that by killing themselves, they would make those around them, those who loved them, suffer as well. As Lady Capulet said, "My child, my only life," (4.5.24) it shows that there were people other than Romeo who loved Juliet, and Juliet failed to realize this when she chose impetuosity over rationality. And as Romeo said, "Here's to my love... Thus with a kiss I die," (5.3.119, 120) it shows that he too forgot about those who loved him and therefore would suffer if he died, as he thought of only Juliet when he made his impulsive decision. And in the end, it was those who loved Romeo and Juliet who truly suffered for the lovers' impetuosity. 

While the lovers' suicides marked their ends, it would not have come to be if not for Romeo's second main act of impulse. If Romeo did not seek revenge on Tybalt for killing Mercutio, he would not have killed him, and therefore would not have been banished. And if he was not banished, he would not have missed Friar Lawrence's letter (about Juliet) and therefore would not have believed Juliet's death was real. When he faced Tybalt to avenge Mercutio's death, he said, "And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now... Either thou or I, or both, must go with him" (3.1.129, 134). This shows that he let impulse take control of his actions before considering the consequences that would result from the death of Tybalt. By the time logic caught up with his actions, it was much too late.

 Despite Romeo and Juliet's continuous acts of impulse throughout the play, the course of tragedies truly came to be from their first few "blissful" and impulsive moments together, starting from the moment they met and fell in love. As the Chorus said, "Alike bewitchèd by the charm of looks," (2.0.6) Romeo and Juliet fell in love impulsively as they were drawn to each other's physical appearance. And since they fell for each other's looks, there was really only a very limited amount of true love involved, or perhaps none at all. They were too impetuous, as they agreed to marry each other after only one meeting. Romeo proposed to Juliet on impulse as after one meeting he already asked "Th' exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine," (2.2.134) to Juliet. He acted irrationally, without considering the low probability of true love at first sight (as it is highly improbable that love can be "faithful" after just one meeting). Juliet was equally impulsive as Romeo when she accepted his proposal by saying, "I gave thee mine before thou didst request it," (2.2.135) (as it is senseless to say such seemingly sincere words when they have only just met). Their thoughts and fantasies of love made them impetuous which blocked all rationality. Their love was the root of the problem in the play since if they didn't fall in love they wouldn't have experienced all the tragedies in the play and therefore would not ultimately lose their lives.

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet did not have to be a tragedy if not for the lovers' impetuosity and lack of rational reasoning. Their impetuosity doomed them from the moment they fell in love, but they could have changed their fate if they thought rationally throughout the rest of the play. Unfortunately, though, they did not. This tragic play that ended with the deaths of the young lovers shows that there are almost always consequences with impetuosity and rash/impulsive decisions. Perhaps Shakespeare wanted to teach the audience through his play to always use rationality over impetuosity so we will not have to face tragic situations such as those in Romeo and Juliet. And perhaps The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is not only the greatest love story ever told, but also the story that we always can, and should, learn from.