Passion’s
Plight in Romeo and Juliet
by Ashley Swanson, Freshman, 5/28/03 (posted with permission)
Romeo and Juliet is considered a romantic tragedy about two lovers who died together, unable to bear life without one another. Passion rules these lovers’ hearts and also their heads as well, which leads them to their own destruction. From the beginning to end, this play is torn apart by passionate people who regret how their actions solve the current problem yet begets into more problem pitfalls. Now let’s begin this passion blinded play of Romeo and Juliet.
As the play opens up we can already see there will be problems for our passionate lead character, Romeo, who is Passion’s puppet, led around by his heart stings which pine for Rosaline. He’s depressed and hiding, licking the wounds in his ego and heart from his relentless chasing of a woman he can’t have. Determined to see Rosaline again, he makes up this daft plan to sneak into his enemy’s house, who would gladly serve his head on a plate, just to see a women who has no interest in him. Thus appears another passionate man, Tybalt, who almost lets his anger take him in a blind rage at seeing his hated enemy at the party. Quick and long burning anger is a fault in his character; Tybalt takes it as a personal insult, letting his anger smolder, as their family’s enmity runs deep. In a sense, it’s Romeo’s passionate desire to see Rosaline that started the whole chain of events, just like dominoes falling.
Now Juliet is portrayed as a clear-minded girl, unfortunately passion is highly contagious, clouding her mind as well when she meets her Romeo. Falling for a guy you just met isn’t the smartest thing around to do, especially when she doesn’t find out his name until after he leaves. Juliet tries to keep her head, unlike Romeo, who often follows his emotions and not his head. For example Romeo decides that on the same night of being seen at the Capulet’s party to visit Juliet at her window, deep in enemy territory. Unfortunately Juliet gets caught up in the romance of the moment and decides, “Hey, I want to get married in the morning!” So in less than twelve hours from meeting each other, our passionate couple elopes, drawing in Friar Lawrence and the Nurse to this downward spiral of love. The marriage bell rings for our doomed passionate couple.
You’d think the passion would lose its hold by the middle of the play, but another passionate player comes and takes center stage, Mercutio. A real jester, he sometimes gets too caught up in the joke or moment. This is what leads him to his death, which he jokes about even in his last breath. Mercutio pushes the envelope, not clearly seeing the situation of bating Tybalt verbally. So now there is a dead Mercutio and a pretty stricken Romeo, who once again lets his anger cloud his judgment, charging in on the already on-the-edge Tybalt. One, two, three, we have another body on the street. Romeo realizes what he has done and Romeo says, “O, I am fortune’s fool!” This has to be the best quote that accurately describes how Romeo is during the whole play, just a love struck fool of his passions. Well, there’s Romeo on the floor of the friar’s cell crying his eyes out. Juliet is the same stricken with grief over all the mistakes made from judgment clouded by emotions.
Juliet
and Romeo, both caught in Passion’s snare, did not pause to think how simple a
passionate kiss could have led to their own death. Not only did their actions unwittingly lead to
their suicides, they also dragged others into Death’s embrace, as well as
condemning others that were called the couples friends, and involving the whole
city of