Rational Decisions In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

The main message of Romeo and Juliet is that decisions that are made solely on emotions can have tragic results and that thinking rationally before making decisions can result in better outcomes. The play shows that impulsiveness can lead to tragedy. The decisions made by characters that think rationally usually have better outcomes. The play also shows that emotions can cloud the characters’ judgment forcing them to make bad decisions. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare shows that making decisions based on emotion alone can have tragic results, showing the importance of thinking rationally before making a decision.

The play, Romeo and Juliet, shows how impulsiveness can lead to tragedy. Throughout the play, characters often

An example of a character that makes rational decisions is Friar Laurence, who usually makes plans that have a lot of thought put into them. Friar Laurence’s plan to reunite both Romeo and Juliet was well thought out. Instead of just accepting their separation, he devised a plan to get them both reunited. He decides to give Juliet a potion that makes her appear dead for 42 hours and after she takes it, she will be transported to the tomb. (IV.i.Lines 68-76) He then will send a letter to Romeo telling him to come and help Juliet get out of the tomb after she wakes up and take her away with him to Mantua. (IV.i.Lines 114-120) Although the plan failed in the end, it was due to the actions of Romeo. Romeo got news from Balthasar that Juliet was dead before getting the letter from Friar Laurence, causing him to come to Verona and die with her. (V.iii.Lines 119-120) After she wakes up, she sees Romeo’s corpse and kills herself. (V.iii.Lines 169-170) Friar Laurence’s plan was well thought out and it was the actions/decisions of the other characters that ruined his plan to reunite both Romeo and Juliet. Lord Capulet's decision to postpone Juliet’s marriage was thought out carefully and rationally. In Act 1, Paris asks Lord Capulet if he can marry Juliet. Lord Capulet says that Juliet is too young and he should wait 2 more years until she is ready to marry. (I.ii.Lines 5-11) By postponing the marriage, Lord Capulet gives Juliet time to grow up and mature. He is considering the fact that Juliet is still too young and might not be ready for the responsibilities that come with being a wife or even a mother. Delaying the marriage also shows that he isn’t hungry for power and status. He knows that by marrying both Paris and Juliet, he’ll gain both power and status since Paris is related to the Prince. He also tells Paris to make her fall in love with him,