Constructing and Portraying The Apothecary’s Character in Romeo and Juliet

"The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection," states the British author, George Orwell. Every individual grows to understand that perfection is unachievable, therefore, human beings embody dramatic flaws. Many people tend to be unkempt or have poor manners, while others have behavioral difficulties such as quick temperament, dishonesty, or intentional rudeness. These perplexities can bring about hardships throughout an individual's life. William Shakespeare demonstrates some of these hardships in his puissant drama about The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, that portrays a protagonist, Romeo, who acquires the unfortunate flaw of rashness which later develops into the major downfall of his death.

Romeo is an extremely impulsive individual. Throughout the drama, Romeo makes decisions without considering the consequences. His mistakes bring about several complications that eventually lead to his untimely death. From the beginning of the novel, Romeo continuously falls in love with different people. The first Act of the play portrays an ardent love for the gorgeous Rosaline who refuses to love him. Romeo's maudlin behavior is a concern to his friends, who decide to take him to the Capulet's masquerade party. Here, Juliet's beauty strikes Romeo and his previous love for Rosaline instantaneously diminishes. After the party, Romeo encounters Juliet and makes the impulsive decision of promising to marry her.

Romeo recounts the story of his newfound love and the desire to marry her, to his adviser, Friar Lawrence, and seeks his advice. The Friar explains that, "Young men's love then lies/ not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes" (89). The Friar tries to convince Romeo that his love is not true, for he hastily changes his mind about the love of his life. But Romeo does not change his mind and is wed with Juliet. Romeo is also quite brash in his decision to slay Tybalt. If Romeo considered the consequences of murdering his enemy, he could have prevented his banishment from Verona. Romeo fails to consider that there is no need to slay Tybalt because Tybalt is already headed for assassination due to the fact that he started a fray and murdered Mecrutio.

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Unfortunately, his impulsiveness overpowers him and Romeo fights Tybalt. If only Romeo had thought rationally, he would not be separated from his dear, sweet Juliet. His banishment causes Romeo to cry out with extreme anguish to the Friar, "Hence 'banished" is "banished from the world,' / And worlds exile is death. Then banished' / Is death mistermed. Calling death 'banished (141). This havoc is unbearable for Romeo, for he feels being banished from the city of Verona is worse than death. He is so rash that he does not how happy he should be for not being killed. The friar advises Romeo, "Ha banishment? Be merciful, say 'death'/" (141). Romeo could have prevented is leave from Verona if he would have deliberated and thought about the consequences.

Romeo's rash behavior causes his lamentable death. Once Romeo discovers that his dear love Juliet is "dead", he immediately decides to go to Verona. He informs his servant, Balthazar, "Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight" (213). Before he returns, however Romeo decides to purchase poison from an apothecary to kill himself. The hasty decision Romeo makes to return to Verona and kill himself proves his thought was week and poor. His impulsiveness did not give him time to contemplate about the aftereffects. If Romeo thought about visiting the Friar, he would have discovered that Juliet's death was staged, and that Juliet would soon awaken. Unfortunately, Romeo's rashness defeats him and drinks the poison and immediately dies, minutes before Juliet's awakening.

Romeo and Juliet's tragic death could have been prevented if Romeo would have thought more rationally. The impulsive behavior Romeo obtains leads him to make problematic decisions, which later brings about the hapless ending. An individual must always consider the consequences before making any important decisions. One must also understand the flaws within themselves, which can help them improve themselves and prevent future problems.

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