and JulietCatastrophes that Plagued Characters in Romeo and JulietMany characters in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet invite the catastrophesthey experience.
These characters are Mercutio, Romeo, and Friar Laurence. Mercutiobecause he never thinks before he acts. He has a very big mouth and will say anything tocreate a joke. Romeo because of this fight with Tybalt. If this fight never occurred thenthe outcome of the story could have been better for Romeo and Juliet. Maybe therefamilies could have set aside their differences for there children and live the rest of therelives in harmony.
Friar Lawrence because I do not think he thought about the plan tounite Romeo and Juliet long enough. He should have gotten a reliable messenger toinform Romeo of the situation. Romeo’s friend Mercutio was a very witty energetic man. If he held his tongueand thought about what he said before acting on them he would not have gotten into somany fights. His jokes were probably taken lightly be his friends Romeo and Benvoliobecause they were accustomed to hearing Mercutio’s voice constantly. Mercutio shouldnot have tried to tease Tybalt because of the rivalry between Tybalt’s family and Romeo’sfamily.
While avenging Mercutio, Romeo should have thought about the consequences ofslaying 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 oftheir wife’s family? Another consequence he should have taken into consideration was thepunishment he was going to receive from Price Escalus.
In act one scene one PrinceEscalus already warned everyone in Verona that if anyone was caught fighting again thewould pay for it with there lives. If Romeo had not gotten into the duel with TybaltRomeo 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 onceRomeo was exiled he could not see Juliet ever again and Juliet could never see Romeoagain. Friar Lawrence would have never had to devise a plan to put Juliet into a coma andRomeo 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 notsafe nor smart.
The only person that knew of the truth was Friar Laurence. First of all heshould have thought about some alternatives rather than to deliberately put Juliet into adeep sleep. If the poison was too strong it could have killed Juliet instantly. Anotherproblem about Friar Laurence’s plan was getting the information about it to Romeo.
Heshould 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 exiledand could never see Juliet ever again. Mercutio should have kept his mouth shut when aserious conversation like the grudge between the two families was being discussed. FriarLaurence should have provided a better alternative plan to Juliet instead of the poison.Category: Shakespeare
