were doomed from the start. ‘Doomed’ means to be consigned to death. The relationship was doomed, not only from the moment the lovers met, but prior to their meeting, . This is both the result of the background and environment in which Romeo and Juliet are “thrown into”, and the strong traits of the central characters which only adds to the troubled foundations of their relationship. The characters’ decisions throughout the play affected the relationship of Romeo and Juliet, however, they could not have been made any other way because they are bound to those choices. The concept of fate plays an important part in the play, because Shakespeare wants to emphasise that their tragic death was inevitable.
“A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.” The environment and time in history both place great difficulty and pressure upon the continuation of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. The feud between their families, the Montague’s and Capulets, has been handed down from generations -“From ancient grudge break to new mutiny… .” This vendetta is not considered a petty one. In fact, the families involved take it very seriously. Even at the slightest hint of disrespect, a bloody brawl in the streets is the result -.”.. quench the fire of your pernicious rage/ with purple fountains issuing from your veins!” Not once throughout the play does the audience witness any form of verbal resolution between the two families.
despite the efforts of the Prince. Indeed, even at the end of the play, when the families finally call a truce, it is only after the most tragic outcome. The courting of Romeo and Juliet is dangerous because every conflict between heir families is resolved with violence. Both of their lives are immediately at stake. When Romeo scales the walls of the Capulet house, Juliet says: “If they do see thee, they will murder thee.” Romeo and Juliet’s tragic outcome is partly caused by the time at which the play was set, because some of the decisions made were held true only to that particular time. In medieval times, people were not married on the basis of love.
Rather, they were married according to the benefits such a match would provide for the two families. If Romeo and Juliet was instead set in modern times, marriage would not have as strong an emphasis. For example, when Paris expresses his interest in wedding Juliet to Capulet. Today, Paris would not speak to Juliet’s father for approval, and Capulet would not get a say as to when his daughter is to be married. In the play Juliet is merely told without asking her opinion; “The County Paris…
shall happily make thee there a joyful bride.” If it were the case of the former, Juliet would not have felt the need to take the potion which led to disaster. The time in which Romeo and Juliet takes place was a very violent one where disputes could freely be settled violently without concern for the consequences in terms of law and order. Whereas today, if a violent brawl occurred with the same magnitude of that which occurred in Act 1 Scene 1, all of those that took part would immediately be arrested. There would be no warnings, such as those the Prince gave: “If ever you disturb our streets again, / your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.” If a firmer hand of justice had been used, such as that of our time, the feud would have ceased long ago. Therefore, Romeo and Juliet would be free to continue their relationship and no longer be doomed. However, this cannot happen.
Thus, Romeo and Juliet were doomed as a result of the environment in which their relationship blossomed. sweltering heat in Verona The personalities of the characters greatly impacts the wellbeing of Romeo and Juliet, in that their personalities are the cause of many rash decisions. The overall cause of Romeo and Juliet’s death is a result of the choices the two make throughout the duration of the play and the impact other characters have on them. For example, if Romeo did not try to be the peacemaker in splitting up the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio, he would not have caused Mercutio’s death, and he would not feel the need to take vengeance and kill Tybalt.
This led to an insurmountable climax in the feud, which led to Capulet deciding that now would be an appropriate time for Juliet to marry Paris. Ulitmately this led to Romeo and Juliet’s death. Only one choice caused so much damage. What made Romeo make this choice? It is said that a person’s true character is revealed by the choices he or she makes when under pressure. Romeo’s impetuosity, and loyalty to his friends are obvious in this scene:” Alive in triumph, and Mercutio slain! …
Fire eyed fury be my conduct now!” is what causes Romeo to make the decision, which shapes who he is as a person. Romeo could not have made the decision any other way because his characteristics bound him to the choice. This is the same with every other significant decision made my the characters in the play. Romeo and Juliet were doomed from the start because the many choices they made could not have been made differently because of the people they are. Emotions also affect the ill-fated choices the characters make, particularly the two qualities that constantly delude Romeo and Juliet’s choices: love and hate. These qualities ironically go hand in hand in this play, because they are the principle emotions which take place, and they are also the two feelings that have the greatest impact over the characters’ choices.
Love substantially changes the choices of Romeo and Juliet for the worst and it leads to their inevitable death. It is known to be one of the main causes of “stupid” behaviour. The sacrifices and ridiculous choices they both make for one another cause the audience to see how much the two are in love. This could not be avoided because love is not something that can simply be turned on and off. When Romeo scaled the walls of the Capulet house, regardless of the risks of death, he says: “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls. For stony limits cannot hold love out.” Hate plays an important role in the choices made by those partaking in the feud, such as Tybalt and, at times, Romeo.
It is paradoxically similar to the effects of love, in that hate also causes foolish decisions and it is not something that can be turned on and off. When Romeo kills Tybalt in a flight of hatred and rage, he does not think about the consequences. He reflects only after his actions, or when the hate dies down, about the effect they will have: “O, I am fortune’s fool!” Of course, Mercutio throws an unpredictable “spanner in the works” as a result of his erratic emotions. Thus, Mercutio’s emotional vacillation and the emotions of love and hate that pervade the play only serve to hinder Romeo and Juliet’s attempt at a relationship and leads to their untimely death. The environment in which Romeo and Juliet are placed, which includes the ongoing feud between their families and the time in which the play was set, causes Romeo and Juliet’s tragic demise.
The characters’ decisions throughout the play also affected every aspect of their being, however, they could not have been made any other way because it is in their personality to make such choices. The emotions of the characters also affected the characters ” inability to make wise decisions in situations. This could not be avoided because emotion is something integral to the mind’s decision-making process. Due to all these factors, Romeo and Juliet were doomed from the start..