Romeo and Juliet Impulsive Behavior Free Essay Example

Teenagers are known to make impulsive decisions that have negative consequences. Romeo and Juliet fit this stereotype and made poor choices that caused their story to end in a tragedy. The play Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is a story of two lovers who cannot get married due to their families' rivalry. In the play Romeo and Juliet, the characters' hasty decisions led to problems in the play. This tendency was demonstrated through the characters Juliet and Romeo. 

To begin, Juliet made numerous impetuous decisions that caused problems in the play. One instance of Juliet's impulsive behavior was shown when she made the choice to propose to Romeo. Romeo and Juliet had just met, and after their short time of knowing each other, Juliet insisted on a proposal. Their families, the Montagues and Capulets, had a feud and despised each other. Despite this, Juliet decided she wanted to marry Romeo. Juliet said:

JULIET. Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed. 

If that thy bent of love be honourable,

Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow

By one that I'll procure to come to thee,

Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite, 

And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay, 

And follow thee my lord throughout the world. (2.2.141-147)

In this quotation, Juliet decides that getting married to Romeo was the right thing to do, and after just less than a day of knowing him, she believed that their marriage would work out. Clearly, she did not take into consideration the consequences of this rash decision. Their marriage would cause complications due to the rivalry between their families, so Romeo and Juliet would have to keep their relationship hidden. This became a problem because Juliet was arranged to marry Paris, but she could not because she was already married to Romeo. She had to make a plan to fake her death so she would not have to marry Paris. Shakespearian critic Edward Dowden also believes that Juliet's proposal was impetuous. Dowden explains, "Juliet at once takes the lead. It is she who proposes and urges on the sudden marriage. She is impatient for complete self-surrender, eager that the deed should become perfect and irreversible" (Dowden 53). Dowden confirms that Juliet's decision was not one that was thought through carefully. Juliet wanted to marry Romeo to have a bond with him forever. It was a decision that would have a long-lasting impact, yet Juliet made the choice just after meeting Romeo. Evidently, she did not take into consideration the difficulties of marrying Romeo in secret and the issues it would cause. 

Furthermore, Romeo's rash choices contributed to complications in the play. One example that demonstrates his impulsive behavior throughout the play was when Romeo made the decision to poison himself after hearing of Juliet's death from Balthasar. Romeo believed that Juliet was dead, so he bought poison from the Apothecary because he felt he could not live without her. Romeo said:

ROMEO. Come hither man. I see that thou art poor.

Hold, there is forty ducats. Let me have

A dram of poison, such soon-spreading gear

As will disperse itself through all the veins,

That the life-weary taker may fall dead,

And that the trunk may be discharged of breath 

As violently as hasty powder fired 

Doth hurry from the faithful cannon's womb. (5.1.58-66)

Romeo, despite just hearing of the news, made a hasty decision to buy the poison. This choice was not logical because he did not take time to further investigate her death, and he did not question Bathalsar when he told him the news. He did not think through all his choices and believed he could not live without her. In reality, he had just met her and did not truly know her. His decision to buy this poison without hesitation was what ultimately caused his and Juliet's death. He took his life next to her grave while she was still asleep. Once she woke up and found Romeo dead next to her, she stabbed herself with Romeo's dagger. If Romeo had waited to figure out if she was actually dead instead of just believing what he heard from Balthasar, these complications would have been avoided. Bert Cardullo, a Shakespearian critic, believed that Romeo jumped to conclusions when buying poison from the Apothecary. Cardullo writes, "The most obvious example of impulsive behavior on Romeo's part occurs when, upon hearing from Balthasar that Juliet is dead, he goes immediately to the Apothecary's to buy poison with which to kill himself at her side, instead of first investigating the circumstances of her ‘death’" (Cardullo 61). Cardullo's comment verifies that Romeo did not take time to consider his options. Instead of questioning her death, Romeo immediately believed it was true after hearing the news from just one person. He chose to do what felt right in the moment, instead of thinking of what the logical thing to do was. The issues caused from this miscommunication could have been avoided if Romeo had looked into Juliet's rumored death.

Thus, both Juliet and Romeo's impulsive actions caused problems in the play. This is evident because of Juliet's rash choice to propose to Romeo, and Romeo's decision to poison himself after hearing about Juliet's death. Everyday, teenagers make hasty choices that have a negative impact on their lives. Romeo and Juliet are proof that no matter the time period, the stereotype that teenagers are impetuous remains true.