Lord Capulet And Friar Lawrence In William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet remains one of the world’s greatest and most tragic romances in literature. Most, if not all, know of the play’s blooming romance and the cataclysmic end of it. The audiences and readers were informed of the story’s beginning, middle and end; summarized in the Prologue in the form of a sonnet. Two star-crossed lovers, met by chance and separated by consequence, met a tragic ending to their fleeting passions. In every aspect of literature, factors were needed to drive the plot from its beginning to its end. In the case of Romeo and Juliet the catalysts lie in their characters. From the beginning, every, if not all of the actions taken in Romeo and Juliet were decidedly harmless or well-intentioned. However,

Romeo, since his very appearance in the play, has been displayed as a romantic and a soft boy at heart. The decisions he has made and the actions he has done were motivated by his emotions. It illustrates his naivity and lack of wisdom with clarity. He was, as seen throughout the play, as impulsive and immature. In his first meeting with Juliet, he was quick to forget about his unrequited love for Rosaline, “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” (Act I, Scene v, l. 52-53). Romeo, as illustrated here, played right into the heart of ‘love at first sight,’ spouting romantic vows despite the fact that he knew next to nothing about Juliet. Their quick infatuation for each other progressed further into marriage within hours of their first meeting. The spontaneity of it, coupled with waxed words of romance and mutual infatuation erased any and all sort of doubts and conceptions that he may have of Juliet. Propelled by his emotions, Romeo jumps head first into any situation without thought. For instance, his intervention on Mercutio and Tybalt’s duel had led his friend’s death. Although the blame was on Romeo, the one who held the sword was Tybalt, making him the perpetrator of Mercutio’s death. Initially, Romeo did not wish to fight Tybalt as he shared the same name as Romeo’s beloved [Juliet], however, after Mercutio’s sudden death—Romeo was blinded by rage and grief. He killed Tybalt in an avenger’s high, his hand in Tybalt’s blood brought on his banishment. His banishment, as a result of his actions, became the catalyst that led to the events that occurs in the final act. In the afterward, he tells Friar Lawrence, “’Tis torture and not mercy. Heaven is here / Where Juliet lives, and every cat and dog / And little mouse, every unworthy thing, / Live here in heave and may look on her.