How Did Romeo And Juliet Make Decisions

The opinions of others do affect our choices and destinies. They especially affected the choices and the destiny of the young couple, Romeo and Juliet. The choice that the searchers made when Friar John was going to Mantua, affected the whole plan that Friar Lawrence had made for Romeo and Juliet, which ended in the death of many people including young lovers. Friar John explains to Friar Lawrence that, “The searchers of the town, suspecting that we both were in a house where the infectious pestilence did reign, sealed up the doors, and would not let us forth, so that my speed to Mantua there was stayed” (Shakespeare 5.2.8-12). Friar Lawrence asks if he at least got the letter to Romeo, which then he replied, “I could not send it—here it is again— nor get a messenger to bring it thee, So fearful were they of infection” (Shakespeare 5.2.14-16).

Had the searchers not quarantined Friar John, he would have gotten the letter to Romeo in time and Friar Lawrence's plan would have gone just as planned, the young couple would have lived happily ever after. However, the decision to quarantine the messenger led to the whole plan falling apart and the tragic ending for all the people involved, if only Romeo got the letter in time, things might have ended differently. Another reason why the opinions and choices of others affected Romeo and Juliet’s choices, was when Romeo arrived too early to Juliet’s tomb and met Paris. Paris urged Romeo to fight Romeo, but Romeo did not want to fight Paris. Paris’s choice to keep pressing Romeo to fight him, led to Romeo eventually killing him, like how he killed Tybalt. This is then one of the many reasons why Romeo drinks the poison and kills