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Karina Castillo

Per 1, Griffin

English Honors

2/25/13

Emotion in addition to Tragedy

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is about two feuding families, the Montagues

and the Capulets. Montagues son, Romeo, and Capulets daughter, Juliet, fall in love with each

other. In a fight between two families, Romeo ends up killing Juliets cousin Tybalt and is

banished. Juliet takes sleeping medicine to fake her death so she can secretly be with Romeo.

Romeo does not know that it is temporary so he takes actual poison to kill himself. Juliet then

wakes, discovers Romeo is dead, and stabs herself to death. Their double suicide leads to the

end of their families feud against each other. Through Romeo, Juliet, Friar Lawrence, and the

feuding families, Shakespeare suggests the idea that when people act solely on emotion, tragedy

results.

The lovers reckless passion leads to their double suicide. When Romeo first lays his eyes

upon Juliet he states, Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight. For i neer saw true beauty

till this night (69). Concluding until now in the story, Romeo has been is utterly infatuated and

heartbroken by Rosaline. Yet, when he sees Juliet, he seems to be infatuated with her now. He

gives no thought towards Rosaline again. Friar Lawrence notices Romeos quick change of heart

and asks Romeo, Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, so soon forsaken? (103). The same

night Romeo and Juliet meet, they decide to marry. They have no self-control over themselves.

Juliet has never loved, and not a thought about the obvious stakes at hand between their
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kingdoms pass through either of their heads. Romeo is attracted to his women by looks, and that

s Romeos fatal flaw. Friar Lawrence proclaims, Young men love with their eyes, then, not truly

with their hearts. (103) Romeos and Juliets hasty and thoughtless decisions cost them their

lives.

Friar Lawrences decision causes a domino effect of chaos. In the same night that Romeo

meets Juliet and they decide to marry, he goes to Friar Lawrence to ask him to marry them. Friar

Lawrence argues with Romeo a bit, then suddenly gives in. Friar Lawrence has the foresight to

see that their marriage may end the fight between the feuding families. But not a lot of reason

was put into his decision. Friar Lawrence didnt think about the feuds effect on Romeo and

Juliet. The night before Juliet marries Paris, she goes to Friar Lawrence and begs him for a

solution.He gives her a potion that will make her sleep for, Two and forty hours. Then he will

take her from her tomb and bring her to Romeo. However, Friar's plan isnt well thought out. A

letter that is sent out never reaches Romeo and he kills himself before word gets to him. Friar

Lawrence made a decision based more on emotion than reason.

The feuding families act on their own selfish desire, resulting in the death of their beloved

children. Capulets insistence on Juliets marriage to Paris causes his daughter to kill herself. The

first time Capulet spoke to Paris, he insisted that Juliet was too young to marry. But after Tybalt

dies, his state of mind turns around entirely. His reason is that the marriage would help Juliet get

rid of her grief over tybalt. But in reality, Capulet is only thinking for himself. The Tybalt,

Capulets nephew killed Mercutio, who is a relative of the Prince. Paris is also a relative of the

prince so capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris for his own benefit. The families pride was too

protected to notice their children. This generation does not know the full story behind the

Capulets and montagues hating each other, they think that the opposing side is selfish and
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unpredictable. No reason was shown to them. The family has no self-control or reason to their

fatal decisions.

In conclusion, these examples provide steady evidence of Shakespeare suggesting the idea

that when people act solely on emotion, tragedy results in Romeo and Juliet. In this case, the

tragedy is Juliet and her Romeo.


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