Preview

Decision Making In Romeo And Juliet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
579 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Decision Making In Romeo And Juliet
In the tragic play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, Why do the teenagers make poor choices,is it because of their adolescent brain that is still developing? Sarah Jayne Blakemore’s thesis on adolescent development sheds light on some of the decision making in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” ,as characters certainly face unpredictable mood swings, self consciousness, and impulse control issues Blakemore’s research describes. These adolescent decisions resulted in the death of six people. The characters in Romeo and Juliet had violent mood swings that caused them to make irrational decisions. Romeo killed Paris for getting in the way,even though he didn’t deserve it. For example,Romeo should have calmed down, took a deep breath and thought of any consequences or punishments from the king before he killed Paris, not to mention Tybalt tries to kill Romeo for suspicion of talking bad about him and the Capulet household. For example Tybalt said “Come hither, covered with an antic face, Now, To fleer and …show more content…
Romeo killed Tybalt for killing Mercutio. Romeo should have stopped himself from killing Tybalt, thought of the consequences of killing Tybalt, and told the Prince about the incident.If Romeo didn’t kill Tybalt he would’ve never been banished, then his mother wouldn’t have died over her depression, and Juliet would’ve never drank the poison.Therefore, the court or law would’ve handled the situation with Tybalt sooner or later if Romeo didn’t kill him. For example Romeo said “...That late thou gavest me, for Mercutio’s soul...Either thou or I,or both,must go with him.”(p.1048), Romeo should’ve never thought about anyone’s death in the first place and went for help instead .In addition, Romeo and Juliet kept their marriage a secret.If they had tried to show their parents who they were in love with, maybe their parents would have accepted that they were seeing each

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Impetuous decisions have serious consequences. Allowing passion and emotion to dominate gives one the opportunity to affect the decisions one makes. A love with the influential abilities to alter opinions and decisions must be one that allows no room for rationality. In William Shakespeare’s famous play, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet’s blinding love for each other clouds all reason. Therefore, they create their own “fate” of destruction. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the impulsiveness and recklessness caused by the passion between both characters are their demise, along with Romeo’s unwillingness to take charge of his destiny.…

    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written in the late 1550’s. The play, set in the city of Verona, tells a tale of two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, who come from rivaling families, and fall in love. The progression of their love occurs over the course of only a few days, and their rash decisions affect their lives significantly. Romeo, in particular, rushes through his actions and follows his heart. Over the course of the play, Romeo’s hasty and thoughtless actions increase, ultimately leading to his death, demonstrating the consequences of rash decisions.…

    • 1023 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, is known as the most romantic love story to have ever existed. This love story is centered on the romance that sparks suddenly between the two main characters at first glance, and all the tragedies that take place in order to prevent them from being truly together. It is a story following the struggle they face, and how they’re star-crossed love never truly blossoms. It is quick pace, and filled with action, and various accumulated factors lead to the tragic end of the play, but the greatest one would be the decision the characters make. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet, Tybalt, and Romeo, are the characters that are most the most responsible for the tragic outcome of the play.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Teens have a reputation for disobeying the rules that are given to them. From a teen being scolded for not completing their chores, to being yelled at for promiscuous behavior. Teenagers often make impulsive decisions to justify their lifestyle. The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare involves two teenagers that end up giving up their lives, even after the many warnings given from their parents and peers. This play shows Shakespeare’s ingenious method of accurately portraying the way a teenager tends to act out against rules that limit their impulsive behavior.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo fights and kills Tybalt just because Tybalt slays Mercutio, despite knowing the consequence of fighting -death- he still takes it upon himself as a way to seek repentance for Mercutio’s death. He is able to restrain himself before the death of Mercutio but after his death Romeo falls to his impulsiveness and fights Tybalt. After killing Tybalt and getting banishment instead of a death sentence, Romeo refuses to look on the bright side and goes to Friar Lawrence where he says “Ha, banishment! Be merciful, say ‘death’.” (III, iii, 12), this shows that he deems that life without Juliet is a life not worth living. He then continues to weep and decides to take his own life, the Friar stops him but had Romeo stopped being so quick to make decisions he would have realised banishment is better than death and would be rejoicing instead of weeping. Romeo hears about Juliet's “death” from his servant Balthasar and he instantly decides to kill himself, he doesn't mourn his loss or even cry, he simply buys poison, rides to Verona and kills himself. Had he spoken to anyone, taken any advice or sat down and thought about what had happened then he would realize that suicide is not the answer but he had his mind made in a minute, he wanted to be dead with his wife. Romeo’s nature of making decisions without thinking or barely thinking at all is shown at many key parts in the story and leads to his…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After reading Romeo and Juliet and “Teens and Decision Making” there are some connections that can be drawn between the two texts. In “Teens and Decision making” the author states, “When teens make choices in emotionally charged situations, those choices are often more weighted in feelings (the mature limbic system) over logic (the not-yet-mature prefrontal cortex)”. That relates to Romeo and Juliet because if they were thinking properly when they first meet and weren't overrun with emotions they would have realized that it is not a good idea to date your families enemy. Additionally, later on in the story they agree to get married after knowing each other less than a week. Shakespeare portrays this by saying, “Thy purpose marriage, send me…

    • 210 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare follows two ill-fated lovers who marry against their feuding families’ wishes. In the tragedy, Juliet makes several impulsive decisions. The Nurse sticks by her side and tries to help with the consequences of Juliet’s hasty decisions. Yet, when the hard times progress, the Nurse feels the need to share her feelings about the predicament. The Nurse uses her motherly instincts to protect Juliet; yet, Juliet misperceives the advice as betrayal and is unaware that these suggestions encourage her own well-being.…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do teenagers today make the smartest decisions? Or do teenagers today have the opportunity to make many of their own decisions? In comparison to past decades, children in this current society are making many of their decisions primarily on the basis that our society is more guarded and protective. Children very seldom run around the neighborhood freely and have random playmates. Everything is organized and scheduled allowing little freedom for kids to make their own mistakes. This mentality consequently runs over into the parents dictating who their child dates. Once again this lack of decision making prevents teens from learning from their mistakes and taking the responsibility for their own lives. Therefore, teenagers today should be able to choose who they do and do not date without their parent's consent.…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, an important decision made by a character in the text is Romeo's decision to sneak into the Capulet's household after the party to see Juliet. Romeo's decision to sneak into the Capulet's house after the party to see Juliet is important because if he did not go back to see Juliet they would have never confessed their love for each other and plan their marriage. Romeo and Juliet would probably not have met ever again if he did not go back that night. Romeo's decision to kill Tybalt is an important decision because in result of Tybalt's murder Romeo is banished from Verona and unable to see Juliet ever again and Romeo's decision to kill Tybalt.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There has been debate on whether Romeo and juliet's lives ended because fate or personal choices. In the play Romeo and Juliet both romeo and Juliet went through complicated situations. Romeo and some friends crashed a party they weren’t invited to. This is when Romeo and Juliet first met each other. Shortly later the two maid plans to go get married. Personal choices have greater impact on the characters than fate.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tybalt’s abhorrence of the Montagues was the reason why he picked a fight with Romeo. Tybalt said to Romeo, “Therefore turn and draw” (III.1.38). Romeo refused to fight him, so Mercutio decided to duel with him instead. Mercutio ended up getting killed by Tybalt, who was at fault because he challenged people to duels and murdered Mercutio. Romeo was enraged that Tybalt killed his best friend, so without thinking rationally, Romeo killed Tybalt in revenge (III.1.93). Tybalt’s death was Romeo’s fault, because even though Tybalt killed Mercutio, it does not mean it was right for Romeo to kill Tybalt.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Flaws In Romeo And Juliet

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Driven by these traits, he acts upon his emotions not logic. At the start of the play he pursues Juliet even though she is the daughter of his family’s enemy; putting his feelings before sense. This impulsiveness is in the middle of the play once he kills Tybalt acting upon his emotions in a passion of hate. ‘Alive in triumph—and Mercutio slain!, Away to heaven, respective lenity, and fire-eyed fury be my conduct now. Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again, that late thou gavest me’ .Reason would have told Romeo that Tybalt would have been slayed in the justice of the law. This impulsiveness then puts him at the end of the play; he banished and Juliet faking death. Once Balthasar reveals Juliet’s death, Romeo immediately thinks upon his emotions once again and is determined to kill himself so that he and Juliet could be together. ‘Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight’ – (Romeo. . Throughout the course of the play his impulsiveness still remains the same and this in turn prevents him from developing as a character. His obsession with love also prevent him from changing. His love for Mercutio that made him fight Tybalt, his love for Juliet that made him want to kill himself. Together the two traits, impulsiveness and obsession with love, tie in together to prevent Romeo from changing as a character and maturing as a…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “ This shall determine that. [They fight, Tybalt falls.]” (III, I, 124) If Romeo had not killed Tybalt then Tybalt would have eventually had to pay for the death of Mercutio and Romeo Would not have been banished, but Romeo acts violently he doesn't think thoroughly before he does things this is also seen when he killed Paris, “ O I am slain! [falls] If thou be merciful. Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet. [Dies].” (V, III, 72-73.) Romeo should not have killed Tybalt but he acted violently and did a mistake, he also made the mistake of killing himself, “ Here's to my love! [drinks] O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die. [falls].” (V, III, 199-120]. If Romeo did not drink the poison he would have seen Juliet wake up and eventually they would finally be together, but he was very compulsive, which led him to his own…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In modern times, teenagers are often seen as irrational and irresponsible. Some would argue that this is because the brain is not yet fully developed or because of emotional challenges. Whatever the cause, in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, teenage irresponsibility and irrational thinking is put at extreme, which ultimately causes the death of the star-crossed lovers. The friar is often blamed for the couple’s death because it is though that he falsely led the couple down a path that was far more dangerous than needed. However, this argument is flawed because even though the friar does indeed give the couple advice as what to do about their situation, he is not their guardian and it is ultimately Romeo who is accountable for his actions. Romeo often dismisses the warnings the friar gives him. A considerable example of this is his quickness to marry Juliet despite the friar saying it was not wise. This is not an unusual action for Romeo as he often does things without thinking with these actions causing mayhem. Romeo’s overall…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Essay Romeo and Juliet

    • 2238 Words
    • 9 Pages

    "The older you are, the wiser you get." is a well known proverb that provides insight in human tendencies to be impulsive, perfunctory and hasty. Part of maturing as a human being comes from understanding a predicament, deducing a solution and carefully reasoning whether there will be any consequences and if they would be worth it. Impulsive acts flaunt incompetence and immaturity. Albeit embarrassing regardless, there are often more resilient consequences than merely looking foolish for acting in manners that jeopardize goals and contravene strategies of success. Failing to analyze any situation appropriately in the heat of the moment incurs undesirable outcomes such as a punishment of some sort or in some cases, death. This is the message that William Shakespeare tries to convey in his infamous play, Romeo and Juliet. This play revolves around characters from two rival families that elicit their deaths and that of several others due to their impulsive personalities. Romeo, Juliet and Tybalt each let a particular emotion cloud their judgement, causing them to make decisions with no prior thoughts of consideration for consequences. Their lack of will to resist and control their desires becomes the cause of their demise.…

    • 2238 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays