Romeo and Juliet Essay

People have the choice to be whoever they want to be. We have the ability to make our own decisions and create our own opinions. However, many people in this world conform to society and lose sight of their free will. In Romeo and Juliet Montagues conform to the Montague way and Capulets conform to the Capulet way. The feud between the families has gone on forever and no one has challenged this tradition. A major theme in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is the lack of free will in society.

Through out Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet the Montague and Capulet families have an ancient grudge. They fight, insult and disgrace each other from the very start of the play. “I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as / they list. (1.1.36)-37” Gregory says to Sampson while messing with Abraham a Capulet. The hate is not uncommon in the story; it is widely know the Capulets and the Montagues hate each other however what’s not known is why they hate each other. Not once in the story do they mention why they hate each other however even with the questioning root the characters still condemn to the family hatred. Tybalt, Abraham, Sampson, Gregory, and Benvolio all follow this hatred and hardly follow their own beliefs or even create their own beliefs.  By lacking the ability to create or follow their own opinions, these characters also lose site of their free will.

            It may seem that Romeo and Juliet attain free will by breaking away from their hateful family beliefs however they are replacing the control of their families with the control of fate and love. Romeo and Juliet are known as rebels in the play; they break away from their hateful family tradition and become lovers instead. Juliet says, “'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;/Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. (2.2.39-40)”After meeting Romeo she realizes the stupidity in all the family feud. She realizes even though Romeo’s a Montague and she’s a Capulet it doesn’t change how they feel. Romeo feels the same way. Immediately after meeting her he realizes that she is a Capulet but it doesn’t change his thoughts of her. Some people may think that these two characters, Romeo and Juliet, do indeed have complete free will however I believe differently. Unlike Tybalt, Sampson, Gregory, Abraham and many other characters that are known to conform to their name, Romeo and Juliet lack free will because every move they make is forced by love. An example is when Juliet was forced to take the Friars potion; in the scheme of things she wasn’t forced at all, what I mean however is that she had no other choice; it was either marry Paris or fake her own death. Through out the whole story love and fate are controlling Romeo and Juliet.

            The only character that obtains free will and independence is Mercutio. In the story Mercutio chooses to be neutral, he is neither Capulet nor Montague. At the moment Tybalt stabs Mercutio he screams “a plague on both your houses. (3.1 88)” What he meant is that even though Tybalt, a Capulet, stabbed him that didn’t stop the fact that the Montague’s were also murderers. This moment brings reality into the play; at this moment you realize its not that the Montagues are good or the Capulets are bad, instead it’s an ancient unforgotten grudge. Mercutio is one of the only characters to go beyond that grudge and realize his death is result of hatred across the board. Mercutio is the only rational character in the play: he makes his own decisions, opinions and actions without any influence of anyone else or any power. This includes dreaming too when Romeo says he dreamed a dream last night Mercutio responds “ and I did too (1.4. 53)” followed by “That dreamers often lie (1.4 55)” what he’s saying is that he doesn’t care what Romeo or he dreamed about because it doesn’t change what’s happening in the real life.

            Shakespeare’s characters in Romeo and Juliet lack independence and free will. They are influenced by hatful family standards and forced by ruling fateful love. They become so blinded with hate and love that they forget to rationalize decisions and opinions.