Punishment In Romeo And Juliet Essay

The character Romeo Montague in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, makes many poor decisions, specifically, when he kills Tybalt in an enthralling duel and later takes his life to be with Juliet Capulet. After Tybalt kills Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio, Romeo assumes personal responsibility to avenge his death by brutally killing Tybalt in a swordfight. Due to disrupting the streets of Verona, Romeo’s punishment made by Prince Escalus is banishment. Romeo then hides in Friar Laurence’s cell and threatens to commit suicide because he feels there is no world without the Verona walls. For instance, Romeo states, “Then “banishèd,”/ Is death mistermed. Calling death “banishèd,” Thou cutt’st my head off with a golden ax / And smilest upon the stroke that murders me” (Shakespeare 3.1.20-23). However, if Romeo had

/ Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on / The dashing rocks thy seasick, weary bark. / Here’s to my love! O true apothecary, Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die” (5.3.117-120). As a result of Juliet awakening from her deep slumber and finding Romeo dead, she immediately tries to kill herself by kissing Romeo’s lips, hoping there is still fresh poison left. Although her first attempt does not work, she quickly uses Romeo’s dagger to stab herself to death and essentially commit suicide. If Romeo had not killed himself in the first place, Friar Laurence’s plan would have worked, meaning that Juliet would wake up and see Romeo alive and live happily together by fleeing Verona. Furthermore, the play’s ultimate theme, it being a tragedy, would have been changed into a more happy ending, due to the pair of star-crossed lovers spending their lives with each other in peace. Although Romeo plays a pivotal role in the play’s fate, Mercutio is another character who tends to be overdramatic and hasty with a sword, causing him to make substandard