Romeo and Juliet: They Did it to ThemselvesThe fall of Romeo and Juliet is a culmination of many factors. Acontrolling father, an ongoing feud and a gullible friar all contribute to thiscatastrophe, but, for the most part, it was Romeo and Juliet themselves thatlent a hand to their own doom. The two lovers were fated to meet and die, butthis never could’ve happened without their help. Had they been patient andrational, perhaps the situation would’ve worked itself out, but what can oneexpect from a couple of thirteen year olds who insist that they are in love?The first instance of Romeo’s immaturity occurs when he first encountersthe lovely Juliet. He know that the party is hosted by the Capulets, and yet hestill chooses to attend anyway. As a teenager, he loves to party and is surethat there will be pretty girls there in which to flirt with. Instead of beingrational and realizing that this party was a bad idea for a Montague, he and hisfriends enter without fear.
Once the party is over, Romeo hears Juliet on her balcony talking of howshe loves Romeo and together they speak of their impending marriage. What? Itseems that they are obsessed, not in love. How could they love each other whenin fact they have just met hours earlier? They are children who have crushes andplenty of melodrama to enhance it.
Romeo demonstrates his immaturity again when he slays the Capulet, Tybalt.
Being an idealist, he does not think about the consequences of his actions. Heknows that Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin, and that injuring him would wreck anychance of them getting together legitimately, yet he does it anyway. Instead ofpausing a moment and thinking about the situation in an adult manner, Romeoallows “fireey’d fury be his conduct” and instantly kills Tybalt.
Although a bit more realistic than Romeo, Juliet has instances of emotionaldrama and impatience that symbolize a thirteen year old girl with a terribleinfatuation. True, her father is insisting that she marry Paris, but Julietnever lets her feeling for Romeo be known to her parents. Instead of telling thetruth about her marriage to Romeo, she leads her parents to believe that it isTybalt she is mourning for. When Lady Capulet tries to comfort Juliet, Juliettells of how she will “venge her cousin’s death” (1082) instead of how it isreally Romeo she is crying for. Her parents may have still forced her to marryParis, but maybe they would’ve reconsidered had they known how strongly Julietfelt for Romeo. Of course the hate solidified when Romeo killed Tybalt, anotherinstance of rash behavior.
Juliet is very rash and impractical also. Though more realistic than Romeo,she has a tendency to incorporate melodrama into her actions. She goes to thefriar desperately for some of his wisdom, and before he even has a chance tothink she threatens suicide with a knife. How impatient she is! She accepts thefriar’s potion without any reservations and drinks it down without consideringthe ramifications. The poison could be what “the friar hath minist’red to haveher dead”(1085) so that he won’t get in trouble for marrying the two younglovers. Juliet could die and yet she doesn’t care because her Romeo has beenbanished. Sounds a little too dramatic, Juliet is but a child.
Upon seeing Juliet “dead” in her tomb, Romeo again acts rashly kills Paris.
At this point, his actions have made it nearly impossible for the Capulets toaccept him. Not only has he killed Tybalt but also the famous Paris, the matefrom a higher social class. Romeo has no choice now but to end his own life andso “with a kiss he dies”(1091) by drinking poison (but not the short-actingkind).
Perhaps the love shared between Romeo and Juliet was true and fated, butthey were just children! One can remember the intensity that love brought whilea teenager. The feelings of immortality and tragedy are so intense when love isa new experience to relish in. This was the case with Romeo and Juliet. Theywere young and inexperienced and died as a result of their hasty decisions. Hadthey been a bit more mature and reasonable, perhaps things would have beendifferent for the pair.
