Living In The Present

2 Pages 571 Words

William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, has multiple levels of understanding and interpretation. Romeo is son of Montague and Lady Montague. The play is centered upon the fact that the Montague family is engaged in a blood feud with the Capulets. At the beginning of the play Romeo is in “love” but really just lusting for a girl named Rosaline. Juliet is Romeo’s true love, which causes problems because she is a Capulet. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “impetuous” as: “characterized by sudden and forceful energy or emotion; impulsive and passionate; having or marked by violent force.” Romeo is an extremely impetuous young adult; he is given to impulsive and sometimes violent acts.
Romeo is impulsive which causes chaos for him throughout the play. For example, Romeo wants to go to Capulet’s party to find his most recent lust, Rosaline (1.3.69-108). As soon as Romeo finds out that Rosaline is going to be present, he decides to go without giving any thought to the fact that there was a fight earlier that day with the Capulets. He decides to go in hopes that he can find someone there and forget about Rosaline. The next day Romeo tells the Nurse that he wants to marry Juliet and that he wants Juliet to meet him at Friar Lawrence’s cell to be wed that afternoon (2.4.184-186). Romeo has completely forgotten about Rosaline and moved on to Juliet leaving whatever lust for Rosaline he might have had behind. After knowing Juliet for less than a day, he has asked her to marry him leaving much to be found out about each other after they have been married. Romeo does not ever give any look into the future except when he decides to spend the rest of his life with Juliet.
Because of Romeo’s impulsiveness -he doesn’t think before he acts-, he occasionally gives in to his violent rage. Avenging Mercutio’s death, Romeo slays Tybalt (3.1.135-141). Romeo is thrown into a violent rage because Tybalt s...