Who Is Responsible For Romeo's Downfall

In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo Montague suffers a tragic downfall ultimately ending in his death. While much of his downfall can be attributed to the vicious feud between the Capulet and Montague families, Romeo displays certain traits throughout the story that prove that his demise was inevitable. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo’s qualities such as his intense emotion, his idealistic nature, and his impulsiveness lead to his tragic demise. Firstly, Romeo’s intense emotion and passion contribute to his ultimate downfall and eventual death. His intense emotion is displayed several times throughout the play, and is first shown when he falls in love with Juliet. As soon as he sees Juliet at the Capulets’

The first impulsive decision he makes in the story, and perhaps the most important one, was falling in love with Juliet so fast and immediately getting married. He and Juliet have a ‘love at first sight’ experience at the Capulet’s party, directly after they meet. Romeo says to Juliet the morning after they meet: “Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine” (2.2.127). Romeo proclaims his love for Juliet without even getting to know her properly, a clear showing of his impulsivity. Romeo makes the decision for the two of them to get married this same morning, an unorthodox decision considering the fact that their families are in the midst of a violent feud. This impulsive marriage leads to Romeo’s suicide, as he cannot imagine living without his wife, whom he thinks is dead. If the marriage had not happened so soon, Juliet would not have been as opposed to marrying Paris as she would not be committing bigamy, preventing her from faking her own death. Furthermore, Romeo displays his impulsivity through the murder of Tybalt. After Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo is consumed by grief and anger and retaliates by killing Tybalt. Romeo could have resolved this conflict in a more civil manner by staying calm, however he fails to use proper judgement and reasoning and acts on the spur of the moment. This causes a great detriment to Romeo, as he becomes banished from Verona for his actions. Ultimately, his suicide is also a display of impulsivity as he decides to kill himself as soon as he learns of Juliet’s death. Romeo’s impulsivity prevents him from realizing the fact that Juliet was actually still alive, and that she had taken a potion to make her appear dead. Through his actions, we can learn the dangers of acting based on instinct rather than using proper