Essay/Term paper: Catastrophes that plagued the characters in romeo and juliet

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Romeo and Juliet

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.