The Destruction Of Family In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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The play, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic love story involving two families in a long-standing dispute. The daughter of Lord Capulet, Juliet, and son of Lord Montague, Romeo, fall in love, yet their love is forbidden. They marry in secret and follow through with a plan that unfortunately and unintentionally results in their deaths. Juliet stays loyal and devoted to Romeo throughout the entire play. This adds to the storyline, as loyalty is a large factor within the play. Even after Romeo kills her cousin, she stands by his side and forgives him. Juliet defied society, betrayed her parents, risked her life, and even took her own life for Romeo. No matter what events occur between Romeo and Juliet, Juliet stays faithful …show more content…
Instead, she stays loyal to him, and forgives him for his hurtful mistake. Romeo arrives to a scene in which his best friend, Mercutio, was fighting Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt Capulet. Romeo attempts to cease the fight due to the fact that he too, was now cousins with Tybalt. Romeo had just returned from his secret wedding, the bride being Juliet, in which he was now cousins with Tybalt by marriage. Mercutio and Tybalt continue to fight, until Mercutio dies under Romeo’s arm. Romeo acts out of impulse, and Tybalt is slain due to Romeo’s desire for revenge. Juliet hears this tragic news from her Nurse, and learns it was Romeo who killed her cousin. Romeo is banished from Verona for killing Tybalt, and Juliet is more upset about the fact that her husband has been banished than the death of her cousin. When Juliet’s anger starts to fade, her nurse questions her quickness to forgive Romeo, and she responds by saying, “Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name, when I, thy three hour’s wife, have mangled it? But wherefore, villain, didst thou …show more content…
Romeo had not yet received the message that Juliet had faked her death when his friend, Balthazar, arrived in Mantua- where Romeo had been banished to for killing Tybalt. Balthazar was unaware of the plan, as was Romeo, so he truly believed Juliet was dead. He delivered this tragic, yet false, news to Romeo. Romeo was so distraught that he drove to Verona, said his goodbyes to Juliet, and drank poison to kill himself. Juliet woke up shocked to find the love of her life, dead by her side. She notices it was poison that took him away from her, and kisses him, hoping to steal some of the poison from him lips. She sees a dagger by Romeo, and decides to take her life with by stabbing herself in the chest. Prior to doing so, she says, “O happy dagger, this is thy sheath. There rust and let me die” (5.3 169-170). Juliet is saying that her body will be the sheath for the dagger, and it will rust inside her. She is so distressed that she instinctively decides to stab herself, without considering the real cost. She would rather die than live a life without Romeo in it. This tragedy demonstrates the extent that Juliet will go to stay faithful to Romeo. Taking her life was an act of loyalty and love, that she did not have to follow through with, yet she was so devoted to Romeo that she chose to

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