Comparing Mercutio's Words Foreshadow In Romeo And Juliet

459 Words2 Pages

Do Mercutio's words foreshadow significant events later on in the play? According to Dictionary.com, foreshadowing means to indicate something that will happen in the future. In the play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Mercutio's words foreshadow Romeo's banishment, Juliet's arranged marriage, and the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Shortly after Mercutio wishes upon a plague to strike the Capulet and Montague households, Romeo is banished from Verona for killing Tybalt. Now Romeo is separated from his family, which causes great devastation. Romeo's banishment also puts Juliet in many conflicting situations with her family. An example of this is that her cousin Tybalt is killed, and now she has to deal with the loss of her cousin and her husband. Juliet's parents plan an arranged marriage between Juliet and Paris which causes a major conflict between Juliet and her family. Since Romeo is no longer permitted in Verona, the nurse tries to persuade Juliet to forget about Romeo and marry Paris. This completely breaks Juliet's trust in the nurse and she will no longer confide in her for advice. …show more content…

The arranged marriage between Juliet and Paris negatively affects Juliet in numerous ways. Juliet makes it clear that she is not interested in marrying Paris and that Romeo will be her only spouse. However, Juliet's parents threaten to disown her if she refuses to marry Paris. This creates a rocky relationship between Juliet and her family. Not only does the marriage cause broken relationships, but it also causes Juliet to become suicidal. This is just one example of the many troubling occurrences in the