Hastiness In Romeo And Juliet Essay

In the play “Romeo and Juliet”, by William Shakespeare, hastiness seem to be the initial cause for many of the life-changing events Romeo experiences. In Act 3, Romeo undergoes a series of unfortunate events, mainly due to his impulsive actions that motivate him to act without consideration of the consequences. One of the incidents is the death of Mercutio. While Tybalt and Mercutio are fighting, Romeo hastily tries to end their brawl by drawing his sword to physically stop them while yelling, ‘The Prince expressly hath/ Forbid this bandying in Verona streets./ Hold Tybalt! Good Mercutio!” (3.1.89-91). Although he talks of peace, Romeo contradicts himself by drawing his weapon and joining the fight. As Romeo attempts to stop Tybalt and Mercutio with his own sword, Tybalt sees the opportunity to stab and kill Mercutio.

Although it’s uncertain if Mercutio would have lived without the interference, Romeo’s actions did lead to his friend death, all because he had hastily attempted to end the problem without considering the possible aftermath. Another example of Romeo’s hasty actions is his reaction to Mercutio’s death. Driven by anger and grief, Romeo fight Tybalt to revenge his murdered friend without realizing the possible repercussions of doing so. Soon after the fight ends, Romeo initiates a duel with Tybalt and expresses his rage by saying, “Away to heaven, respective lenity,/ And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now” (3.1.128-129). Romeo’s fury motivates his to act hastily and forget the rationality he had. Wrath controls him to the point where he slays Tybalt soon after. Had Romeo thought wisely and took his time, he could have evaded punishment. But Romeo did not consider the great consequences that would result from the murderous act, and he was eventually banished from