Defying Authority In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

The eggshell walking romance of Romeo and Juliet -who are of opposing families: the Montagues and the Capulets- causes Romeo and Juliet to defy the authorities of their lives, creating severe tension and suspense. The largely bleak impact of Romeo and Juliet going against their families wishes extends to other lesser seen characters… Which brings up the question of: what is the impact of an individual defying authority? The play, Romeo and Juliet, largely suggests that the impact of defying authority is largely negative but not necessarily regrettable because once the chaos of the action dies down, people realize their irrationality and make a truce to turn over a new leaf -but only after something severe like death happens…

Who is the authority

The majority of the time, these feelings rise from intense emotions like anger or frustration instead of well thought out, calculated logic. This may be because one is being forced to do something they don’t want to do, or have been confined for so long they need to break out of the confines of the power over them. One of the most observable examples of this is with Juliet when she confronts her father (Lord Capulet) about not wanting to marry Paris in Act 3: Scene 5; Juliet: “I pray you, tell my lord and father, madam, I will not marry yet; and when I do, I swear, It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris.” A significant part of why Juliet went against her father is because she gained confidence through being with Romeo in secret, and felt she had enough power to go against her fathers wishes. It’s a significant reason as to why all of us defy authority: to feel like we have power as well as gain back our autonomy; our right to make decisions for ourselves. Juliet wants to marry someone she loves: Romeo, the child of the rivaling Montagues. It becomes obvious from the mentioned dialogue that she would rather live her life proud she chose someone of her own choice. Especially considering back then, women had little say of their own lives. This is further reinforced by Juliet because she seeks out Friar Lawrence who then gives her a potion to appear dead to

The principal reasons for everything and the outcomes are because of their emotions which caused them to act highly irrational and hastily, breaking through the expectations of their families who also in turn act quite angrily. Juliet was breaking out of constraints like Romeo chasing a dangerous feeling entwined in stealthy excitement. The two of them make their own decisions 'earning’ the right of being their own people with their own thoughts and feelings. In the real world, this can also be seen with everyone. Somebody may break a rule earning them a reprimanding. A teenager with strict parents may feel like they’re not experiencing life and rebel against their parents to feel like they’re doing something with their life. They are fighting back. For many, this earns them punishments like being grounded, having an important item taken away or something else. But 90% of the time, these methods do not work as they will find a way to continue their behaviour for a taste of freedom. This parallels Romeo and Juliet who are sneaking around to be with each other because their parents forbid it out of an irrational fear of being beneath the other and subsequently not wanting their children to marry ‘filth.’ The loyalty Juliet feels towards Romeo causes her to lash out and declare that she does not want to marry Paris, causing Capulet to feel angry about his command being broken through, following with