Impulsiveness in Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

Everyone has impulsive thoughts whether they are positive or negative. The story of the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare ended in a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet are members of two different families, the Capulets and the Montagues who are sworn to hatred, but they had met and fell in love at first sight. After finding out the other was from the opposing family, the lovers had figured that they would have to get married secretly, the plan however, had led to a disaster resulting in the lover's death. Juliet contributes the most to the play as she was acting irrationally and thinking impulsively resulting in the tragic ending. 

Juliet had forced and begged Friar Lawrence to create a plan, so she would not have to marry Count Paris. Count Paris is a suitor Juliet’s father had picked out for her to marry. The plan resulted in Juliet agreeing to drink a potion to fall into a deep sleep, so she would deceive her family into thinking she was dead. Juliet cries, “Lord give me strength, and strength shall help afford farewell, dear father!” (4.1.125-126). From crying to Friar Lawrence to find a solution because she did not want to get married to Count Paris, had led to drinking a potion where then someone important to Juliet got deceived by the mere plan and the love that the person had for Juliet had ended to be too strong to even stay alive.

The moment when Juliet drinks the potion can be considered a crucial part of the play as well as the plot. When Juliet drank the potion, she did it regarding her feelings as well as Romeo’s. She did not seem to think about her family or what it would bear to them seeing their only child leaving them for a love that seemed to be out of her hands, a love that seemed impossible for it to happen graciously. Juliet at that moment was irresponsible about what her actions were and who they would hurt. Juliet screams, “Upon a rapier's point. Stay, Tybalt, stay! Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink —I drink to thee”(4.5.56-57). The moment after Juliet had faked her death, everyone, even someone very dear to her, was fooled which plays a great deal to the tragic ending of the play.

Towards the end of the play, when the Capulets put Juliet into a coffin, it showed the result of Juliet's impulsiveness as well as her irresponsibility and of not thinking about the consequences of her actions and how there were many holes in the plan in which it could all go awry. Romeo cries, “Why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe That unsubstantial Death is amorous” (5.3.102-103). Romeo had no information on the plan that was set by Juliet and Friar Lawrence on Juliet faking her death. The language in the scene describes him saying that Juliet being so fair and almost looking alive while being dead was normal. He was essentially fooled by this. This again is another example of why most of this was acted on impulsivity and not an actual thought out plan was created on what can go wrong and how to solve the problems that can arise. 

From drinking a potion and putting oneself into a deep sleep to killing themselves because their lover had done so since they thought they were dead is all irrational thinking. Many people think that if they do something the consequences would not be serious, but in truth, those actions can lead to something even bigger that cannot be controlled and this can be shown in the play, Romeo and Juliet, which shows great examples of how love can lead to those thoughts that make them think irrationally because at that moment nothing matters only their love does.