Romeo and Juliet Narrative Essay Example

Whenever something goes wrong, it is almost always due to poor decision-making. The two protagonists, Romeo and Juliet, are from two families with an ongoing feud. Romeo and Juliet meet each other at a ball and instantly fall in love. They rush into marriage and Friar Larwence helps them be together. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, many are responsible for making this love story a tragedy including Romeo, Friar Larwence, and Juliet’s parents.

First, Romeo’s impulsiveness to break the rules plays a big role in this tragedy. Romeo first meets Juliet at the Capulet’s ball, to which he was not invited to. Before going Romeo says, “I fear too early, for my mind misgives / Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars / Shall bitterly begin” (1.4.104-106). He knows that there will be consequences for going to the ball, but he goes anyway. If he never showed up at the ball, he would have never met Juliet and none of this would have ever happened. Another event that Romeo causes is when he kills Tybalt. Tybalt had just killed his best friend, Mercutio, and Romeo couldn’t keep himself together. Romeo and Tybalt fight and Romeo kills him. Because of this, Romeo is banned. If Romeo would have kept his anger inside and not killed Tybalt, then Romeo and Juliet would have been able to run away together and nobody else would’ve died. The last mistake that Romeo made was killing himself over Juliet. He says, “O my love! my wife, / Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath” (5.3.91-92). Romeo is very upset that his love died, so he kills himself. He should’ve thought his decision through before committing to it. Romeo was the one who caused Juliet to kill herself. If he wouldn’t have killed himself, then they would have been able to be together. Romeo made many very poor decisions that should’ve been thought through.

Next, Friar Laurence was at fault for this tragedy because of his self-regarding attitude. He quickly married two kids who were in love. Even though he knew the consequences, he did it anyway. When talking to Romeo he says, “But come, young waverer, come, go with me. / In one respect I’ll thy assistant be, / For this alliance may so happy prove, / To turn your households' rancor to pure love” (2.3.89-92). Friar Laurence doesn’t really believe that Romeo’s love for Juliet is true, but he agrees to marry them anyway. He thinks that if a Montague and a Capulet get married, it will put an end to the feud. He was being selfish and thought that he could get credit for putting an end to the feud. Another mistake he made was giving Juliet the sleeping potion. He gives Juliet the sleeping potion so she could avoid marrying Paris. He says, “Take thou this vial, being then in bed, / And this distilled liquor drink thou off. / When presently through all thy veins shall run / A cold and drowsy humour, for no pulse / Shall keep his native progress, but surcease” (4.1.93-97). Friar Laurence isn’t afraid to take risks to help other people, but he doesn’t really think it through first. Taking the sleeping potion could be dangerous and something could happen to Juliet while she is unconscious. He also didn’t tell Romeo about his plan. Romeo kills himself when he thinks that Juliet is dead, but then Juliet kills herself when she finds Romeo dead after waking up from the sleeping potion. Both the deaths of Romeo and Juliet could have been prevented if Friar Laurence told Romeo about his plan. The disaster at the end was caused by Friar Laurence rushing into his plan. He didn’t think his plan through and made many mistakes when making it. He didn’t tell Romeo about his plan and he didn’t think twice about giving a dangerous sleeping potion to Juliet. Friar Laurence made many bad decisions that were not thought through enough.

Lastly, Juliet’s parents, Lord and Lady Capulet, are two self-absorbed parents who were a cause of this tragedy. Lady Capulet never listens to Juliet and what she wants. Lady Capulet says, "Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word. / Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee" (3.5.203-204). Lady Capulet never wants to give Juliet any attention or listen to her. She doesn’t love Juliet and she cares more about herself than Juliet. Romeo was the only person who she lived for and who loved her. If Lady Capulet loved and cared about Juliet, then Juliet wouldn’t have killed herself. Lord Capulet also doesn’t care how Juliet feels and forces her to marry Paris. When she refuses to marry Paris, he says, “Hang thee, young baggage. Disobedient wretch! / I tell thee what—get thee to church a Thursday, / Or never after look me in the face. / Speak not, reply not, do not answer me. / My fingers itch” (3.5.160-164). He does not care about what Juliet wants. He calls her names and threatens to disown her. If he would have never forced her to marry Paris, she would have never drunk the sleeping potion. Both Lady Capulet and Lord Capulet should’ve kept a better eye on Juliet. If they knew where she was at times, they could’ve prevented her from killing herself. Lady and Lord Capulet should’ve cared more about Juliet and her feelings than themselves.

Overall, many people caused this love story to become a tragedy. Many bad decisions led up the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. When talking to Romeo, Friar Laurence says, “These violent delights have violent ends” (2.6.9) He warns that great emotions, such as love, can often end up in a tragedy. This tragedy should have never happened and could have been prevented if the people who were at fault, such as Romeo, Friar Laurence, and Lord and Lady Capulet, made better choices.