Topic > Essay on Impulsiveness in Romeo and Juliet - 1074

“We met, we courted, and we exchanged vows, I'll tell you as we pass; but I beg you to agree to marry us today. (Shakespeare II.III.60). Romeo's impulsiveness is clearly shown through this quote he states. The reason for Romeo's impulsiveness is because he has recently met Juliet and decides to marry her very quickly. This quote also reveals Romeo's hamartia to the audience. Because he is too fast and reckless, it will inevitably lead him to fatal death; and through this quote you can see where Romeo went wrong and how it will greatly affect him. Furthermore, Romeo makes the audience believe that he is simply infatuated with Juliet's appearance; due to the fact that he was strongly in love with Rosaline and then suddenly falls in love with Juliet and forgets about Rosaline who he claimed to be his one and only love. “The love of young people therefore is not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” (II.III.65). This quote that Friar Lawrence states planted in the minds of the readers that Romeo may not be truly in love but rather infatuated. This tragic comedy takes place in beautiful Verona where a quarrel occurs between two families due to an ancient grudge. Both families, Montague and Capulet, hate each other with great passion. Two lovers named Romeo and Juliet both come from two opposite families and they love each other and get married in secret without their families knowing. Due to their impulsiveness and rash decisions, it leads them to die a tragic death. Foil characters help increase or highlight an attribute in another character that furthers the plot. Romeo is intensified and influenced by secondary characters who ultimately highlight his hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnorisis. These characters... in the middle of the paper... explain the mistake he had made. Mercutio's death was the cause of Romeo killing Tybalt and it was Tybalt's fault for killing Mercutio. Therefore Tybalt provokes Romeo to reveal his anagorisis to him. Furthermore, the moment Romeo realizes his tragic act is when he kills Tybalt. After Romeo kills Tybalt, he claims to be a "fool of fortune" (III.I. 99). In this regard Romeo states that he has terrible bad luck and fate is against him because it was fate that brought Romeo to this unfortunate situation. Through this quote we see that Romeo feels remorse, which then confirms that he understands that he has committed a regretful act. This therefore proves that Romeo is a tragic hero because he had accomplished his fatal act (anagorisis). Since Tybalt reminds the audience of Romeo's mistakes and foolish actions, Tybalt inevitably acts as a complementary character who accentuates Romeo's anagorisis..