Virtue vs Vice in Romeo and Juliet
"Good intentions pave the road to hell." This quote means that even people who mean well can end up doing just the opposite. For instance, trust is a virtue that can cause trouble. If a man trusts everyone he knows, then someone could take advantage of that trust, thus turning the virtue into a vice. This quote applies to many of the characters in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Several examples of characters whose good intentions mistakenly turn corrupt are Romeo, Lord Capulet, and Juliet. Romeo's virtue gone bad is his passion for things. After Mercutio is killed by Tybalt, his fury takes over; "Away to heaven respective lenity,/ And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!" (III, I, 119-120). He draws his sword and kills Tybalt, and this crime leads to his banishment. Another instance when Romeo allows his passion to take over is when he hears the news that Juliet is dead. Balthazar tells him and Romeo immediately says "Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight" (V, I, 34), meaning that he is going to kill himself. He
Juliet is another character with a virtue, her impulsiveness, which turns corrupt. Only several hours after first meeting Romeo, she already wants to marry him. In the scene on her balcony after the party, Juliet says to Romeo, "By one that I'll procure to come to thee,/ Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite,/ And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay,/ And follow thee my lord my lord throughout the world" (II, ii, 144-147). If the two hadn't jumped into marriage right away, it might have been easier for their parents to accept it and the outcome would have been different. Another time when Juliet's impulsiveness is a vice is after Romeo is banished and Lord Capulet is forcing her to marry Paris. She goes to Friar Lawrence trying to find a way to be with Romeo and not marry Paris. She tells him, "Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble-/And I will do it without fear or doubt. To live an unstained wife to my sweet love" (IV, i, 87). The Friar gives her the potion and she goes ahead with the plan, thinking
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Approximate Word count = 694
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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