The Impulsive Decisions In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Is your fate really set in stone? What if a few careless decisions could reroute the path to your end? Well, in Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet”, this is just what happens. Ultimately, Romeo and Juliet’s impulsive decisions, made with no thought of future consequences, are what lead to their demise.

Romeo, throughout the course of the play, is a character that makes decisions, solely based on what he’s feeling in the moment, thus acting purely on impulse. One of these careless decisions greatly contributes to his and Juliet’s ultimate demise. Romeo is in his most vulnerable state as Mercutio lay dead by his feet, after an intense fight between Mercutio, Tybalt, and himself. Romeo’s immediate grief for his friend overcomes him, and Romeo,

This impulsive choice by Romeo ultimately leads to his banishment, preventing him from being with Juliet. If Romeo had stopped and thought, he would have remembered that Tybalt wouldn’t get off free for killing his friend, and would end up banished or dead even without interference from Romeo. He even states immediately after that he is, “fortunes fool” (III.i.55). Romeo blames his actions on bad luck but really, it was his choice to act. Although this contributes to Juliet’s plan to not marry Paris, another one of his choices has even more drastic consequences. When Romeo learns of Juliet’s death, he rushes to her funeral, and the tomb she lay in. Romeo plans to go in and take his life to be with Juliet. Paris confronts Romeo and tells him he can’t enter, and even reminds him that it is dangerous for him to be there. Romeo takes this the wrong way, thinking Paris is “provok[ing]” him(IIIII.iii.17). Romeo, once again acts on his emotions and kills Paris. If Romeo had talked to Paris, or waited, Friar may have gotten to him in time to tell him Juliet is not really dead. This is the final thoughtless choice Romeo makes. When

Juliet’s plan to avoid marriage with Paris, is what starts the downward spiral towards their deaths. When Juliet is told she must marry Paris, she storms out, to find friar for “his remedy” and states that “if all else fail, myself have the power to die” (III.iiiii.74). Juliet is upset at her family and makes dramatic statements that she would rather die than marry Paris. Juliet’s choosing to go to Friar for remedy is impulsive by Juliet, especially considering that she hadn’t even stopped to consider other ways to avoid marriage, or perhaps talked to her family. This action results in Juliet sitting in her room, holding a potion that could save her from marrying Paris, or end terribly. In this scene it seems Juliet matures slightly, in the sense that she does stop to consider the consequences, wondering, “what if this mixture do not work at all?” (IIII.iii.8). Juliet has every reason to worry, because in the end her choice to ignore her head and think impulsively with her heart, leads to her death. The final act by Juliet that concludes the tragic ending, is her ultimate decision to take her own life. When Juliet wakes to see Romeo dead her emotions of sadness, confusion, and desperation take hold. Juliet has only known Romeo for a few days and still sees him as her “true love” when she wakes to find him dead (IIIII.iii.44). If Juliet considered the life ahead of her and the many opportunities she still