Romeo And Juliet Haste Quotes

The Impact of Impulse and Haste in Romeo and Juliet

When split-second decisions are made as a result of impulsiveness and haste, the trajectory of lives can be drastically altered. William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet puts forth the idea that when impulsive decisions are made and move too quickly, it unravels former problems in a deeper sense. This results in the alteration of characters’ relationships and the downfall of both the lives of others as well as oneself. This is exemplified through Lord Capulet allowing his intense emotions to get the best of him and lashing out impulsively at his loved ones as well as Tybalt, Mercutio and Romeo's reckless acts of violence. Additionally, there are many instances involving Romeo's rash decisions

This is exemplary when Lord Capulet is yelling hostilely at Juliet because she disobeys him and is determined to not follow through with his plan for her to marry Count Paris. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, Lord Capulet loses his cool, and states, “And you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend;/ And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets,/ For by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee, / Nor what is mine shall never do thee good” (3.5.191-194). Lord Capulet does not think before he speaks, instead, acts too quickly upon Juliet and does not take into consideration how Juliet may feel and the reasoning behind her refusing to marry the Count. Furthermore, Lord Capulet doesn't stop there, he loses his temper once again when he finds out about Juliet's “death”. He vents his profound anger and sorrow to his family, directed at fate. “Uncomfortable time, why cam’st thou now/ To murder, murder our solemnity?... Alack, my child is dead, / And with my child my joys are buried” (4.5.60-61, 63-64). This is a demonstration of how Capulet’s emotions are too strong for him to control and although he is very upset and angry by Juliet’s “death” and blames fate for taking his daughter from him, most of his emotions stem from his concern for his family's reputation and his desire to maintain control over their lives, which overall

Romeo is the most impulsive in the relationship, although he usually makes hurried decisions, once he falls in love with Juliet, he finds his impulsiveness has doubled. This is illustrated when he rushes into secretly marrying her after they find out about Paris and Juliet’s wedding. “Then hie you hence to friar Lawrence’ cell, / There stays a husband to make you a wife” (2. 5. 67-68). He is extremely impulsive that he does not even consult his own family or think about the obstacles that could come with this. He only follows his heart and burning love for Juliet. Likewise, another instance where this is revealed is when Romeo receives word of Juliet's "death" from Balthasar, he rushes to see her without seeking more details. He returns to Verona to be by Juliet's lifeless body, just to be by her side. This rash action drives him to desperate means, which finally leads to his demise. “Well Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. / Let’s see for means. O mischief, thou art swift / To enter in the thoughts of desperate men” (5. 1. 34-36). These impulsive decisions reflect how much Romeo is driven by romance and passion and that he will do anything for it, he acts first and has to deal with the consequences later, which eventually lead to tragic