Romeo and Juliet

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"Never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo," is a fitting phrase to the conclusion of the play. It is fitting because the text is truly about woe, which occurs when the characters allow their feelings to take over reason. Romeo, for example, constantly shows this nature in the play, just like the older and fiery-tempered Capulet. Capulet's daughter, Juliet, though younger than Romeo, is at times much more mature than Romeo, but also allows her feels to cloud her judgement; and so does her cousin, Tybalt, who is vengeful and loathes all Montague's. These characters are mere pawns in the tragedy, used by Shakespeare to display the dire consequences of allowing emotion to dominate over reason; and as a result, much woe is felt by all characters.

Romeo, an impulsive youth, is the epitome of allowing emotion to dominate over reason, and in the play, Shakespeare makes this very clear. Such examples are when Romeo climbs over the Capulet walls in order to catch another glimpse of his love, Juliet. Enough though "the orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art, if any of my [Juliet's] kinsmen find thee here." None the less he stays, and in the following days Romeo and Juliet become man and wife. In their secret marriage Romeo is obviously obligated to love his fellow in-laws, the Capulets. And he states:

Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee

Doth much excuse the appertaining rage...

I do protest I never injured thee,

But love thee better than thou cants devise,

Till thou shalt know the reason of my love;

And so, good Capulet, which name I tender

As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.

Romeo's statement is logical and responsible, but it is als...

... middle of paper ...

...ould not have occurred. However, Tybalt is driven by honour and family pride, like Capulet, and suffers death because he allows his emotion to dominate over reason.

The play Rome and Juliet is certainly a tragedy about the dire consequences of allowing emotion to dominate over reason. The misguided youth in Rome and Juliet, all meet the ultimate of dire consequences - death. This is due to the over-emotion reactions that all of the youths display in the play, which is further enhanced by the enduring feud between the Capulets and Montagues. And Capulet is left to abide the burden of sending a brace of kinsmen to their deaths because he allows his emotion, being family pride and hatred for the Montagues, to obscure his judgement. And as a result, "the sun for sorrow will not show his head... for never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

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