Romeo And Juliet's Downfall

Romeo and Juliet are ill-fated lovers from William Shakespeare’s world renowned play – Romeo and Juliet, who are destined to die due to their families’ age-old hatred for one another. From the start, the pair are greatly influenced by other characters, certain events occurring throughout the play and most importantly, personal weakness. It is not the fault of one, but many where the downfall occurred, from Romeo’s impulsivity, Juliet’s obedience and Friar Laurence’s arrogance.

Shakespeare’s characterization of Romeo and Juliet causes the downfall upon themselves which involves impulsivity and naivety. Romeo is originally presented as a Petrarchan lover, someone who uses poetic language to express his emotions for his unreciprocated love. In

The two characters, whom impacts the most greatly upon Romeo and Juliet, are Friar Laurence and the Nurse (of Capulet). Friar Laurence is meant to be a responsible adult, offering mature and wise advice to the couple. But when Romeo went to Friar Laurence for advice on marriage, the Friar’s act is quite immature. Instead of explaining about the responsibilities of marriage and what true love is, the Friar immediately concludes to the fact that the marriage could resolve the bitter hate between the families. Another example of the Friar’s shallow-thinking is when Juliet wanted to escape her second marriage, to County Paris. He is the one who suggested Juliet fake her death which would help her escape her situation, alas the plan backfired. And although Friar Laurence has good intentions, his fatal flaw is the final straw for Romeo Montague and then in turn, Juliet

She had the power to tell Juliet’s parents or even suggest that secrecy of a relationship was unhealthy, yet she failed to do both. Shakespeare had characterized the Nurse to be quite susceptible and gullible, following around orders like a dumb folded sheep. And although the Nurse’s impact was not as significant as the Friar’s, the end results still lead to the same fate.

In conclusion, the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet are heavily influenced by a number of aspects, the final consequence was due to characterization of personal weakness. If only there had been more communication amongst the two families, Montague and Capulet could have been proud parents to a pair of happily married couples, resting the city of Verona at