Romeo and Juliet

The play Romeo and Juliet is about two young lovers, who's love was destined to be broken because of the hatred between the Capulets and Montagues. Set in Verona, Romeo, a Montague, meets Juliet, a Capulet. They fall in love and marry although their families hate each other. Most of the themes in Romeo and Juliet relate to youth today and carry over into the modern society. One theme is, Teenagers don't think before they act and the consequences can be severe. In the quote by Juliet, "Well, do not swear, although I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contract to-night: it is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden....This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flower when we next meet", she is certain that she loves Romeo but she is cautious because as in the quote, her love seems "too rash, too unadvised, too sudden." So, while Juliet is a very passionate girl, she is also very smart and she realizes that her love can be dangerous. In the quote, "What if this mixture do not work at all? Shall I be married then to-morrow morning? No, no: this shall forbid it: lie thou there. Laying down her dagger What if it be a poison, which the friar Subtly hath minister's to have me dead, Lest in this marriage he should be dishonored, Because he married me before to Romeo?", she did not take careful consideration of the chances that things will not turn out the way the Friar expected. There were many decisions in the story that led to the downfall and deaths of many different characters of the novel. No one can comprehend what fate has in store for us and neither did Romeo and Juliet. Since the beginning of our lives, or the beginning of time itself, fate has already sealed all the actions from there. Romeo and Juliet suffered the consequences of this. In the quote, " . . . Some consequence yet hanging in the stars Shall bitterly begin this fearful date With this night's revels, and expire the term Of a despised life closed in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death", Romeo heads to the Capulet party, he is reminded that his warning will ensure death, yet he went anyways. Even through deathly warnings, teenagers such as Romeo, do not think of the severe consequences before they act. In the quote by Romeo, "love, whose view is muffled still, should without eyes, see pathways to his will", Romeo is obsessed with the idea of love, and is convinced that love controls you. He ends up getting confused and makes statements about how love is “heavy and light”, “bright and dark”, “hot and cold,” which shows that show that Romeo is crazy about the idea of love, even though he hasn’t even really experienced true love yet considering he is only a teenager. Teenagers fall in love very quickly and do not make the right choices when it comes to love because they are blinded by it. Romeo and Juliet have met and fallen in love within a day. Juliet says, “…if thou wilt not, be but sworn by my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet." The desire for love has already gotten to the point of pure obsession. Romeo and Juliet already want to get married even though they have just met. This shows that they do not know of true love, but they are just strongly attracted to one another. In act 3, Juliet’s desire for Romeo intensifies, and she beings to go against the people she truly loves the most – like her mother, father, and the Nurse. She confuses true love with obsessivness and chooses to be with Romeo instead of making the right choice and listening to her parents as Juliet said in the quote " “myself have power to die." Juliet believes that killing herself would be better than being apart from Romeo, but honestly she doesn't see the reality on things. I think everyone has the potential to understand what choices lead to “light” and what choices keep them in the “dark”. The purpose of the light/dark motif in Romeo and Juliet is to show how Romeo and Juliet are unable to tell light from dark, or good from bad. Romeo and Juliet had that potential but I dont think they wanted to know about that, since nothing else mattered to them but their love. By ignoring their responsibilities and ignoring the darkness that was coming upon them, Romeo and Juliet allow tragedy to happen to them both. In happiness, Romeo says, "Oh, let us hence. I stand on sudden haste", Romeo again adds more emphasis to his inexperience. Without thinking about the consequences of his actions, he lives in the moment and does what he feels like doing. This youthful rashness is a characteristic of Romeo and Juliet. It also will turn out to be their downfall. Impulsive behavior is something people can do everyday which can affect them for the next few days or the rest of their life. Impulsive behavior can begin with a small action, and soon result in a huge catastrophe. Throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet make some wrondg decisions which soon resulted in unnecessary consequences. On one occasion, Romeo sneaks into the Capulet Ball where he meets Juliet and quickly forgets about his first true love, Rosaline. In the quote,“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night”, Romeo decides he has fallen in love all over again, which reflects his hasty character.