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Mercutio's Impulsive Actions

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In history, romance was the root of several tragedies. For example, one of the most well-known plays, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, is a romantic tragedy written by William Shakespeare. In the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare portrays multiple characters responsible for the tragic deaths and ending. Mercutio’s stubborn behavior, Lord Capulet’s persistent demands, and Friar Lawrence’s impulsive actions clearly plays a role in the outcome of the play. The stubborn behavior of Mercutio is one factor that leads to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. For example, when Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio are heading towards the Capulet Ball, Romeo believes it is not smart to enter the ball because he had a dream that something will go terribly wrong. …show more content…

The first thing Friar Lawrence does is secretly marry the two lovers. He does not think about the consequences his actions may have and what could result. In Overview of Romeo and Juliet, the author states “...for the monk does not endorse Romeo and Juliet’s impulsive behavior, but rather cautions them to ‘love moderately’” (2). The friar agrees to marry the two because it may resolve the feud between the Capulets and Montagues, but he never gives Romeo and Juliet any useful advice. Friar Lawrence also conceives a plan for Juliet without thinking it through. His plan is for Juliet to take a sleeping potion so she’ll appear dead and get out of her arranged marriage with Paris. Friar Lawrence and Romeo would then take Juliet out of her tomb so Romeo and Juliet can run away together. This plan has many flaws, but Juliet agrees anyway because she is willing to kill herself to get out of the marriage. Friar Lawrence claims that “If, rather than to marry County Paris, thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, then is it likely thou wilt undertake a thing like death to chide away this shame...” (Rom. 4.1.72-75). One of the mistakes that goes wrong with the plan is that Romeo never receives the information that Juliet is not really dead. Friar Lawrence gives Friar John a letter with this crucial information, but fails to tell Friar John the significance of the …show more content…

The demise of Romeo and Juliet can be traced back to many people. The three characters who are undeniably responsible are Mercutio, Lord Capulet, and Friar Lawrence. Mercutio’s stubborn behavior, Lord Capulet’s persistent demands, and Friar Lawrence’s impulsive actions are significant to the ending of the play. In romantic tragedies, like Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, romance can be seen as the origin of several

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