Romeo and Juliet essay, Topic: How far is haste responsible for the death of the teenagers

Essay by el88High School, 11th gradeA+, September 2004

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Eloise B

Romeo and Juliet Essay

In the play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, two only children from feuding families, fall desperately in love, and after a cruel sequence of events, take their own lives. There is no single cause for the tragic loss of teenagers Romeo and Juliet, but the haste displayed by some of the characters sets some immense things in motion. These cannot be undone, and so play a part in the devastating suicides of Romeo and Juliet.

Early in the play, Romeo is quite desperately in love with Rosaline, a member of the Verona community. But at first sight of Capulet's, only daughter, Juliet, Rosaline is immediately cast out of the picture and quickly proclaims his love for Juliet. He tells the Friar "I have forgot that name and that name's woe" (A2S3L44). Romeo is then again hasty as he asks for Juliet's hand in marriage, the very day after they first meet.

He begs Friar to wed them that day "But this I pray, That thou consent to marry us today" (A2S3L61-62). Romeo is extremely hasty to marry Juliet because he has never before had anyone return his affections, and if they get married quickly there is less chance of anyone ruining their plans. Even against the cautious warning of the Friar "Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast" (A2S3L94). Had Romeo not so quickly fallen in love, and waited to wed Juliet, and not set the basis of this tragic play, they may still have lived.

Capulet, Juliet's father, too show hastiness in this play. When he proposes his daughter to wed County Paris. The wedding is originally set to Thursday, after being proposed on the Tuesday. However after refusing to wed Paris, and soon afterward devising a plan,