Impetuosity In Juliet

In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, there were several acts of impetuosity shown through several characters. The definition of impetuous according to the website merriam-webster.com is: marked by impulsive vehemence or passion. Romeo, Juliet, and the friar all act on impulse. The three of them believe they are doing what is best for their situations, but in reality they are adding to the plot of the demise of the two lovers. In the play, the three characters Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence act on impetuosity, which leads to the final tragedy of the play.

In the play, the actions of Friar Lawrence contribute to the death of both Romeo and Juliet. Although the friar is not in love, he is still as involved as both Romeo and Juliet.

He proves to show extreme emotions and he lets them control him. In Act I, he mopes around thinking of his beloved Rosaline and how she will never love him back, but when he sees Juliet, his emotions immediately radiate towards her. In Act II, he spots Juliet upon her balcony and says to himself, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East and Juliet is the sun!… It is my lady. O’ it is my love!” (Shakespeare 403). After a brief dance and a short conversation with Juliet, he already declares her his love. He feels happiness to have found someone other than Rosaline; someone who could potentially love him back, so he stretches out that happiness and turns it to what he believes is love, when moments ago he was so focused on someone else. This justifies Romeo’s unstable feelings bouncing from one thought to another. In other parts of the play, Romeo once again allows his feelings turn to action such as in Act III. Tybalt and Mercutio began to duel in the streets, leading to Mercutio’s death. Romeo, who had just witnessed one of his closest companions be slain before his eyes, felt loads of anger and grief. He transferred those strong feelings to his sword, causing Tybalt to face the same fate as Mercutio. Romeo proves through his actions that his feelings are everywhere and causing him to be very impetuous. Without giving himself much time to process what has happened, he quickly ran and performed an act that he later regretted. The slaying of Tybalt caused him to be banished from Verona, adding to the plot of his