Merriam-Webster defines irrational as “not governed by or according to reason.” in Shakespeare’s Elizabethan drama Romeo and Juliet, two teenagers from fighting families fall in love and get married secretly soon after they meet. The young lovers are caught in chaos as their hidden marriage results in banishment, secret plans, and death. In this play, Juliet, Friar Lawrence, and the families are all to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s untimely deaths, ultimately exemplifying the consequences of irrational behavior. Juliet can be blamed for both her and Romeo’s deaths; however, she holds the least amount of blame. She is very irrational and does not think of what could result from her plans. When the friar is explaining to the Capulets and Montagues …show more content…
When Juliet wants to take her own life, he says he has a solution “That cop’st with death himself to scrape from it; and, if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy” (4.1.75-76). He does not stop to console Juliet or help her calm down; instead, he hastily thinks of an elaborate plan. The friar gives Juliet a potion to make her seem dead. While death is a very somber and serious event, Friar Lawrence does not consider any other option than Juliet faking the end of her life. He decides to convey the dark message to Romeo with a letter and when Romeo does not receive it, the friar is very distressed and says, “The letter was not nice but full of charge of dear import, and the neglecting it may do much danger” (5.2.18-20). His plan goes seriously wrong, resulting in Romeo thinking Juliet is dead. In the same way Juliet wants to kill herself when Romeo is exiled, Romeo kills himself because he thinks his bride is really dead. His death leads to Juliet’s suicide as well. Friar Lawrence could have prevented both of the young lovers’ deaths if he had simply stopped to think about a more logical solution to Juliet’s immediate reaction to her husband’s