Examples Of Impulsiveness In Romeo And Juliet

In life, people often have aspects that may make them seem almost unchangeable. The reader sees this in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, one of the most famous and influential acts of literature ever written. The play is set in Verona, Italy and it details the forbidden love between two members of rival families, and in the end, the lovers end up dying. In the play, one of the main tragic heroes, Juliet, is a static character who is hasteful throughout and sometimes even impulsive. These traits are seen throughout the play in her and contribute to the reason that she dies at the end. The reader can see these traits mainly when she faces decisions that are about love and life-changing and even life-ending decisions.

Juliet

The reader sees that Juliet exhibits impulsiveness when Romeo is banished, she immediately wants to see him and does not think twice and does not think about any consequences. This is especially shown when she tells the nurse to find Romeo so she can see him one last time “O, find him! Give this ring to my true knight and bid him come to take his last farewell.” (3.2.143-144). This shows that she is hasteful because without even thinking of the consequences of meeting Romeo one last time she wants to see him, the reader also sees this when they meet as Juliet just wants Romeo to stay with her and she even lies to him yet without even thinking that Romeo could be killed if someone found out that he was there. The reader sees her lack of thoughtfulness when she decides that she would decide if something she wanted, did not happen. This is evident when she goes to the Friar for help and decides that if the plan she makes with the Friar is not successful she will kill herself. The reader sees this specifically when she says that if the plan fails she will kill herself “If all else fail, myself have the power to die.” (3.5.244). This shows that she is hasteful because she is saying that if she isn’t helped by the Friar she will take her life prematurely. This shows that when Juliet is making a decision that affects her and others she makes them without fully thinking it

The reader sees this when she drinks the potion that Friar Laurence gave her as she does in fact drink the vial. This is shown in the line before she drinks the potion “Romeo, I come! This do I drink to thee.” (4.4.59). This shows that Juliet is hasteful because she does indeed drink the potion. This makes her hasteful because she makes a decision that affects her and others without thinking it through fully. The reader also sees that Juliet is hasteful when she decides to kill herself. When Juliet kills herself, she does not think through the decision that ends her life and she impulsively does it after seeing that Romeo was dead. This impulsivity is shown in the line before she stabs herself “This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.” (5.3.170). This shows that Juliet is hasteful and even impulsive because she kills herself almost immediately after seeing Romeo’s dead body before thinking through her life-ending decision. This all shows that when faced with decisions including that of suicide Juliet is quick to make these