Catastrophes That Plagued Characters In Romeo And

Juliet Essay, Research Paper

Catastrophes that Plagued Characters in Romeo and Juliet

Many characters in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet invite the

catastrophes they experience. These characters are Mercutio, Romeo, and Friar

Laurence. Mercutio because he never thinks before he acts. He has a very big

mouth and will say anything to create a joke. Romeo because of this fight with

Tybalt. If this fight never occurred then the outcome of the story could have

been better for Romeo and Juliet. Maybe there families could have set aside

their differences for there children and live the rest of there lives in harmony.

Friar Lawrence because I do not think he thought about the plan to unite Romeo

and Juliet long enough. He should have gotten a reliable messenger to inform

Romeo of the situation.

Romeo’s friend Mercutio was a very witty energetic man. If he held his

tongue and thought about what he said before acting on them he would not have

gotten into so many fights. His jokes were probably taken lightly be his

friends Romeo and Benvolio because they were accustomed to hearing Mercutio’s

voice constantly. Mercutio should not have tried to tease Tybalt because of the

rivalry between Tybalt’s family and Romeo’s family.

While avenging Mercutio, Romeo should have thought about the

consequences of slaying Tybalt. On one hand he filled the urge to kill the man

who had killed his friend. On the other hand he killed his wife’s cousin. How

can one justify killing a member of their wife’s family? Another consequence he

should have taken into consideration was the punishment he was going to receive

from Price Escalus. In act one scene one Prince Escalus already warned everyone

in Verona that if anyone was caught fighting again the would pay for it with

there lives. If Romeo had not gotten into the duel with Tybalt Romeo would not

have been banished from Verona. When Prince Escalus exiled Romeo, that was the

point in the play which was the biggest catastrophe. This is because once Romeo

was exiled he could not see Juliet ever again and Juliet could never see Romeo

again. Friar Lawrence would have never had to devise a plan to put Juliet into

a coma and Romeo would not have needed to take his own life thinking Juliet was

dead.

Friar Laurence’s plan to put Juliet into a coma until Romeo rescued her

was not safe nor smart. The only person that knew of the truth was Friar

Laurence. First of all he should have thought about some alternatives rather

than to deliberately put Juliet into a deep sleep. If the poison was too strong

it could have killed Juliet instantly. Another problem about Friar Laurence’s

plan was getting the information about it to Romeo. He should have found a

better way to deliver the letter in time.

In conclusion the person that I believe invited the worst catastrophe

was Romeo. This is because when Romeo killed Tybalt everything in his life

crumbled. He was exiled and could never see Juliet ever again. Mercutio should

have kept his mouth shut when a serious conversation like the grudge between the

two families was being discussed. Friar Laurence should have provided a better

alternative plan to Juliet instead of the poison.