Fatal Characteristics In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Romeo’s Fatal Characteristics

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

He begins to flirt with her and they build an immediate connection. It is uncommon for someone to fall in love so fast, however Romeo does, displaying his intense passion. Later in the play, this emotionality causes Romeo to do irrational things. When Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo becomes extremely angry and kills Tybalt with his sword. He lets his anger get the better of him after Mercutio is killed: “Again in triumph, and Mercutio slain? Away to heaven, respective lenity, And fire-ey’d fury be my conduct now!” (3.1.118-120). Romeo shows that he is ready to fight and that he does not care anymore that Tybalt and Juliet are cousins. This is clearly an unadvised decision, as he knows there will be grave consequences for his actions, however his emotion clouds his judgement. His emotion is further expressed in the play after he is kicked out of Verona. In act five scene one of the play Romeo learns from Balthasar that Juliet is dead. He decides to return to Verona despite being banished, risking his own life. Again, Romeo lets his strong emotions get the better of him causing him to risk his own life. It is this same strong emotion that eventually leads to his death,

His idealistic nature consists of two strong beliefs: the power of love, and the power of language. As for his belief in the power of love, Romeo believes that love can transcend hate and violence. He falls in love with Juliet knowing that their families have been feuding, however he believes that their love can transcend the hatred and violence that surrounds the Capulets and the Montagues. He makes the decision to marry Juliet based on this belief system, rather than using logic and realising that their relationship is not going to work within the feud of the two families. This proved true, as Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin Tybalt as a part of the ongoing feud, leading to his banishment from Verona as well as his eventual death. This ideology of the power of love can also help explain Romeo’s decision to kill himself, as he feels that his love for Juliet is so strong that he cannot live without her. Moreover, his belief in the power of language also causes him to make poor decisions throughout the play. Romeo relies on using language to express his feelings, sometimes using language to manipulate others. Romeo uses a lot of figurative language, for example when Romeo first meets Juliet, he says: "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night. As a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear" (1.5.43-45). However this reliance on words and expressions ultimately causes him to