| Introduction | In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the play ends with the two star-crossed lovers taking their lives in disastrous circumstances. Throughout the play, different characters act in an inconsiderate, speedy and dangerous fashion that leads to Romeo and Juliet’s suicide. Shakespeare’s play shows the consequences of this type of behaviour. |
| Topic Sentence for first paragraph | Romeo and Juliet both act in an irrational and excessive manner that contributes to their deaths. |
| First paragraph (1st point) | Romeo’s immoderate behaviour can be seen all throughout the play. However it is his behaviour prior to meeting Juliet that leads to their deaths. His behaviour when he got rejected by Rosaline was excessive. He was mopey, sad, and dramatic and was often found under a tree all night. Benvolio tells Romeo to forget about Rosaline but he refuses and is stubborn. This shows that he doesn’t think rationally and therefore doesn’t act in a moderate manner. |
| First paragraph (2nd point) | Another part of the play that shows this abnormal behaviour is when Romeo kills Tybalt in a fit of anger. It was unusual of Romeo to act this way as he doesn’t normally act with violence. |
| First paragraph (3rd point) | QUOTE: “Beauty’s ensign yetIs crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, And death’s pale flag is not advanced there.”Romeo says this when he sees Juliet in her tomb and he assumes that she is dead. He still thinks that she is beautiful and mentions her rosy cheeks and lips. His irrational feelings means he cannot think in a rational manner and see that she is still alive because of her colour in her cheeks. Romeo thinks that Juliet is dead and kills himself. When Juliet wakes up from her deep sleep because of the potion, she sees Romeo dead and kills herself as well. |
| Ending of first paragraph | It is because of this immoderate behaviour that leads to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. |
| Topic sentence for second paragraph | Romeo and Juliet demonstrates the catastrophic effects that a sense of urgency and irrational thinking can cause. |
| Second paragraph (1st point) | The obvious example of haste in the play is when Romeo and Juliet agree to marry each other. They had only met the night before and they believed that they truly loved each other when it was really just a physical attraction for each other. Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet however the Friar thinks that their relationship is foolish. |
| Second paragraph (2nd point) | QUOTE:”Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast” The Friar says this which shows his disapproval of this marriage. Despite not liking the idea of the marriage, when Romeo gets banished from Verona, the Friar manages to come up with a whole plan to reunite Romeo and Juliet quickly. |
| Second paragraph (3rd point) | QUOTE: “O’ Thursday let it be.—O’ Thursday, tell her,She shall be married to this noble earl.— Will you be ready? Do you like this haste?”Lord Capulet tries to rush the marriage of Paris and Juliet because he thinks that the best thing for Juliet is to bring her joy after Tybalt’s death through this marriage. Juliet refuses to marry Paris and therefore she goes to the Friar for help and he tells her the plan. |
| Ending of second paragraph | The consequences of this hastiness is misunderstandings and mistrust and eventually the death of R+J. |
| Topic sentence for third paragraph | Various characters in Romeo and Juliet act with no sense of care which ultimately lead to devastating circumstances. |
| Third paragraph (1st point) | Romeo is reckless from the moment he meets Juliet. He makes the decision to climb the wall to get to her balcony and risks his life for her. They exchange vows and decide to marry the next day. R+J then get married without any consideration of the fact that her family will kill him if they know he is pursuing her. |
| Third paragraph (2nd point) | QUOTE:”but this I pray: That thou consent to marry us today.” Friar Lawrence is another character that shows recklessness. He knew about the feud that had been going on between the two families and he knew what the consequences of the marriage would’ve been. Despite knowing all of this, he still goes ahead with marrying Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is someone that trusts the Friar and he could’ve easily talked Romeo out of marrying Juliet but he didn’t. He is someone that is meant to be wise and make smart decisions. |
| Third paragraph (3rd point) | The very last and and major act of recklessness is the feud between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. This feud is the main reason behind the death’s of Romeo and Juliet. The only reason the two young lovers couldn’t be together was because of an ancient grudge. The dispute between the two families had been going on for so long that they don’t even remember why they began fighting in the first place. |
| Conclusion | In the play Romeo and Juliet, the deaths of Romeo and Juliet is caused by the immoderate behaviour, hastiness and recklessness of some characters. Although there are negative consequences such as death, there are also positive consequences such as the two families deciding to stop the feud. |
English – Romeo and Juliet Text Analysis
September 8, 2019