Extreme Loyalty In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Friendships are tested in many ways. Often, close friends, will come to each other with their darkest secrets, secrets that could be harmful to themself or others, for example, an eating disorder. In these times, the recipient of the secret is faced with a dangerous choice- to betray the friends loyalty and trust by seeking help, or stand back and watch the situation unfold, potentially ending in calamity. Oftentimes, teenagers especially feel bound to keep the others secret, no matter what problems arise. This is an example of the perils of excessive loyalty. In the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare warns about the dangers of extreme loyalty through the behavior of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet is one of the most faithful characters in the play, and also the most tragic, which is Shakespeare’s way of showing the dangers of acute loyalty. When Juliet visits Friar Lawrence after she fights with her parents, she says all the things she’d rather do than

Early in the play, when Romeo is listening in on Juliet’s soliloquy on the balcony, Juliet says she wishes Romeo had some other name. Romeo immediately steps forward and replies, “Call me but love and I’ll be baptized. Henceforth, I never will be Romeo” (2.2.54). Although Romeo and Juliet have met just that very night, Romeo is already ready to forsake his family name, a source of great pride, and begin a new life with a girl he barely knows. This headstrong devotion leads to his demise. Later, when Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo seeks revenge. After Mercutio’s death, Romeo says “This but begins the woe others must end” (3.1.125). Although Prince Escalus has publicly decreed the penalty of fighting in the streets of Verona is death, Romeo still feels he “must end” the fight. Romeo’s indubitable loyalty causes his banishment. Romeo’s over the top steadfastness is what causes the tragedy of Romeo and