Romeo and Juliet essay: rash decisions

Why do people make rash decision? A rash decision is an action that is done without putting a lot of thought into the decision. Sometimes no thought is put into the idea. This could also be known as impetuous. People are always making these types of decisions. Something happens that makes someone make a decision that surprises others. People can argue why things happen but there is always a reason. Everyone makes mistakes and there are usually reasons why behind it, but they are not always right. In the play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, people are always making rash decisions. It was rash for Romeo and Juliet to get married, it was impetuous of Romeo to kill Tybalt and it was rash of Romeo and Juliet to kill themselves over each other.  

In Romeo and Juliet one of the biggest decisions they make is to get married. They barley know each other, for about two days and yet they are ready to get married right away. People could say it is love at first sight and they were meant to be, but how were they so willing to make such a big life decision so quickly? They don’t even really know anything about each other, little fun facts about the person that you are committed to is important to know. There could be other reasons why they would get married to early. What if Romeo is trying to get over Rosaline? He could have pushed himself to find someone. In act 1 scene 5 lines 59-60, Romeo says, “Foreswear it sight, for I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” Even though they never spoke and he has only seen her for a short amount of time, he is saying she is the prettiest girl ever. Not that he doesn’t love Juliet but he could possibly want to just love someone else. This all goes back to the point that he is making a rash decision. And Juliet with Paris, what if she was also looking for an excuse to love someone? Even if Romeo and Juliet do love each other, marriage is a huge deal. Some people date for years and still don’t get married. Some people never get married. Not only that but Juliet is not even fourteen she is way too young. In act 1 scene 3 line 71. Lady Capulet asks her daughter about what she  thinks of marriage and she replies “It is an honor I dream not of.” That shows Juliet didn’t even want to get married in the first place. So why would she automatically get married to Romeo when she meets him? Marriage is a theme in Romeo and Juliet, but it all goes back to the theme of people making rash decisions.

Also is Romeo and Juliet it was a decision that was extremely rash when Romeo killed Tybalt. Sure Romeo was beyond angry with Tybalt for killing his best friend Mercutio. But killing Tybalt was not the right answer. He even surprised himself when he did it. He never intended to do it, but if he had spent more time thinking then he wouldn’t have gone into battle with Tybalt and they whole mess would have never happened. He didn’t give himself any time to be sad over Mercutio and calm down. He just went straight into a fight with Tybalt. He was being rash and irresponsible. He wasn’t thinking about the consequences and they ended up being really bad. This was very impetuous because he didn’t think twice about his decision. People need to think before doing something. In act 3 science 1 line 137 When Romeo was about to kill Tybalt he said, “ This shall determine that.” That means he was going to fight him. He was already extremely mad and he should have given a second thought to fighting someone. Especially someone like Tybalt which he knew wouldn’t end well. Also in act 3 scene 1 lines 127-129 before Romeo killed Tybalt he said “ Alive in triumph and Mercutio slain! Away in heaven, respective lenity, and fire-eyed fury be my conduct now” This shows that Romeo was extremely outraged. He was sad that Mercutio was slain and he didn’t know how else to deal with his death. Romeo knew better yet he made a very rash decision to fight and kill Tybalt. He should have spent more time mourning over Mercutio and he would have been able to calm down. Then the whole thing might not have happened and the whole story could have turned out to be different, maybe even happy.

In Romeo and Juliet it was an impetuous and rash decision that Romeo and Juliet committed suicide. Apparently Romeo and Juliet’s love was like nothing before. It was extremely powerful and nothing could pull them away from each other. And even if that is why they killed themselves the truth of the matter is that, they knew each other for two days. It was a rash decision to kill themselves, they just went for it because they thought they were so in love and all they wanted to do was be with each other. They didn’t think about their decision, they just did it. When Romeo is dying in act 5 scene 3 line 120, he says “thy drugs are quick, thus with a kiss I die.” Romeo wasn’t afraid of dying. Saying something like “I die” is pretty scary and the fact he was brave enough so say that shows that he is someone who isn’t afraid of dying, he just thinks he will be with Juliet forever. But if you think about it, maybe they killed themselves for other reasons. Not only the fact that they were in love was an issue with everyone else but themselves, but their lives basically sucked. Their parents didn’t really care about them, there was the fact that Romeo was banished, Tybalt is dead, there is way too much fighting, and they just wanted to get out of all of the insaneness. But the thing is, no one knows what happens after you die. What if they killed themselves to be with each other but that didn’t happen? They never thought about that so therefore, it was rash.

In conclusion, everyone makes a rash decision, especially in the play Romeo and Juliet. Some characters like Romeo and Juliet make decisions without thinking about what could happen, like marrying, killing, and committing suicide. Romeo and Juliet barely even talk to each other, they don’t know each other really and yet they are willing to get married and then kill themselves. Not only that but Romeo gets way too intense with fighting anf doesn’t think about it before killing Tybalt. People make rash decisions it’s just part of life. In real life when people are handed a contract they just sign it without reading sometimes, and that is very rash of them. What would have happened if Romeo and Juliet hadn’t made those decisions? How would the play be different? In a away it was an interesting choice the author (Shakespear) made. The play wouldn’t be as exciting with out it. So yes rash decisions are bad, but they are a part of life.