Romeo and Juliet Essay “Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, and vice sometime by action dignified” (2.3 27-28). This is a quote by Friar Laurence, a character in William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, and it means that good intentions may lead to bad consequences. This captures the essence of this tragedy, as the good intentions of flawed characters lead to the demise of the play’s main characters, Romeo and Juliet. Three characters best exemplify this observation – Juliet’s nurse, the Friar, and Romeo. From the beginning, the nurse secretly helps Romeo and Juliet’s relationship grow by connecting the two lovers by bringing a ladder which allows them to complete their vows of marriage (3.2 32-36). Her intentions for doing this are clearly good because she wants …show more content…
The Nurse in her simple-minded helps Romeo and Juliet continue their relationship, but betrays their love by telling Juliet to forget about Romeo and marry Paris. The Friar takes advantage of Romeo and Juliet’s love to start a peace between their two families, but as the feud worsens, his plot to unite Romeo and Juliet in life actually leads to their death. Finally, Romeo loves Juliet to the point of death. This sacrificial love may be pure and passionate. But, this love may also point to his selfishness and vanity, that he is willing to die to get what he wants rather consider what Juliet would want and what would be the best course of action for their love to survive given the feud that exists between their families. Did he really love her or love himself? No matter what man’s intentions may be, given his limitations, he may not have any control over their