Tragedy In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

How could a measly feeling like love possibly hurt someone’s life? The characters in the dramatic play Romeo and Juliet commit outrageous acts that ultimately ruin their lives, all in the name of love. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, impulsive passionate love leads to tragedy, which proves that love can drastically and negatively destroy people’s lives.

In the play, Romeo and Juliet’s secret love for each other causes suffering and death in each other as the lives of characters careen out of control in unexpected ways. Soon after Romeo and Juliet marry, Juliet’s fate changes when her parents threaten to forcefully marry her off to Paris. Worried, she seeks advice from the Friar. Juliet, who suspects he already knows, says to the

This is shown when Juliet’s parents tell her that there is no reason not to like Paris and that she will marry him tomorrow. Juliet, after feeling overwhelmed by her parent’s decisions, seeks advice from the Friar and is told that “if [she] darest, [he will] give [her] thee remedy” to put her in a “like death” state (4.1.77 and 104). It is quite risky for Juliet to “undertake / A thing like death” like the dangerous mixture (4.1.74-75). Because Juliet deeply loves Romeo, she carelessly risks her own life and takes the mixture. Juliet’s strong love makes her act quickly without thinking and she does risky actions for Romeo. After hearing of Juliet’s death, Romeo travels to where Juliet lays death-like. On the way he is confronted by Paris who exclaims that Romeo “must die” (5.3.57) and that he will “apprehend [Romeo] for a felon” (5.3.69). Romeo tells him to “tempt not a desperate man” (5.3.59) because he wants to “put not another sin upon [his] head” (5.3.62). But Paris provokes Romeo and they fight until Romeo kills Paris. Romeo’s love for Juliet makes him desperate to see her; but when Paris will not let him do what his heart desires and see Juliet, he has no choice to do what is necessary, killing Paris. This scene shows us that passionate lovers, like Romeo and Juliet, will do whatever they need to do to be close to the person they love,