Theme Of Haste In Romeo And Juliet

678 Words3 Pages

The curtain is drawn on the famous play, Romeo and Juliet, as the family's hatred for one another causes the demise of the ones they love most, their children. The six deaths in the play were not only driven by hate but also by haste. Everything from eloping to the marriage being bumped up a day to premature judging all contributed to the mass eruption of death and sorrow. All of these examples can be linked back to Friar Lawrence, but his ideas and plans aren’t as bad if played back at half the speed. Thus, haste drives the ending of Romeo and Juliet up to the tragedy it is; it also has a detrimental role in our lives. In act two, Romeo finds Juliet on her balcony. Here they confess their love for one another and then decide to get married the next day. Wait a minute… because they didn’t. Even though Juliet said, “It’s too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,/ Too like the lightning that doth cease to be,” (2.2.118-9) knowing that you shouldn't get married that early, she proceeds to go against her word and gets married the next day. This proves that not only is the decision too rash but it is also given to immature children with puny pre-frontal …show more content…

In the span of an hour, three people die: Paris, Romeo and Juliet. These deaths were set up like dominoes; one killed oneself or another in response to the last expiration. If there had been time between them so that they could process it, the lovers would still be alive. Furthermore, if the characters had had the time to learn about ways to deal with their grief other than homicide and suicide, everyone would have been alive. Juliet says, “Oh happy dagger,”(5.3.171) displaying that she hasn’t thought of the anguish her family will feel after she has passed. Furthermore, she is too young to begin thinking of others during stressful times. Grief causes the emotions, but the response to those emotions is caused by haste: a haste that plagues all