Disobedience almost always has consequences, whether it’s in the form of not turning in homework and losing a few points, or breaking the law and serving jail time. In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, the punishment of disobedience results in the loss of loved ones, and even death itself. An important theme in the story is that disobeying authority can be very costly. This can be seen mainly through the actions of the characters Romeo, Juliet, and Juliet’s parents, Lord and Lady Capulet. Their actions irreversibly affect their lives and the lives of those around them. Ultimately, these characters’ disobedience to established authority results in their grief and suffering. Perhaps the two most rebellious characters in the play are Romeo …show more content…
Their constant rebelliousness leads them to suffer the most pain of all. Romeo shows his defiance from early on in the story. He first breaks a rule when he goes to the Capulet party, even after being given a clear warning that people from his family are not allowed to attend. This is where he meets Juliet. The two fall in love, but their relationship is implied to be forbidden by their parents, as it is kept a secret. Romeo ignores Friar Laurence’s advice about relationships, and hastily marries Juliet, causing complications in their futures. After the wedding, Romeo kills his new cousin-in-law, and is banished, leaving Juliet with the problem of an arranged marriage. Juliet disobeys her parents to stay faithful to Romeo, and forms a plan to save her from her tragic fate. The plan ends in tragic misery. After hearing that Juliet had died, Romeo disregards his sentence to banishment and rides to the Capulet tomb, where he kills Count Paris. He then enters the chamber to find Juliet dead, and in his despair, drinks poison and commits suicide next to her body.