romeo and juliet lack of communication essay pdf

How Lack of Communication Impacted Romeo and Juliet (Essay Sample)

Good communication is vital in most parts of life. When there is a lack of it, the consequences can be catastrophic. There are many things that can create a lack of communication. In the play Romeo and Juliet, the lack of communication is at the root of all the problems. The three things that created the lack of communication are, the fate of the two lovers, the speed of the story, and the feud between the two families. The fate of the star-crossed lovers created a lack of communication, thus leading to their deaths. The speed of the story prompted everyone to act before they thought, thus leading to their deaths. Finally, the feud between the two households and the poor family dynamics stopped Romeo and Juliet from turning to their families, which created a lot of bad communication, thus leading to their deaths. Evidently, there are a lot of things that created a lack of communication that led to the deaths of the star-crossed lovers. 

Fate is a tricky thing to change. The fate of Romeo and Juliet is their untimely deaths. But said fate also created lots of bad communication, which led to the tragedy. For example, when Romeo went to Juliet’s tomb, he found her dead. He then proceeded to kill himself, but what he didn't know was that Juliet was not dead. Romeo states, “Thou art not conquer’d, beauty’s ensign yet, Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, And death’s pale flag is not advanced there.” (Romeo and Juliet, V, iii, 94-96) This quote has dramatic irony. Because he says how her lips are still warm, but he doesn't know why. The audience knows that this is because Juliet is not really dead. And she wakes up not long after. Romeo, believes his fate is to commit suicide beside Juliet, but because of this belief, he just missed Juliet and didn't get to talk to her and clear everything out. Another example of how fate created a lack of communication is when Friar John could not send Friar Laurence’s letter to Romeo. Fate had it that Friar John caught the plague and could not send the letter. We see this when he returns to Friar Laurence, and says. “I could not send it—here it is again—Nor get a messenger to bring it thee, so fearful were they of infection.” (V, ii, 14-16) But, because of this, no one communicated the plan to Romeo, therefore killing Romeo, Juliet, and Paris.

Another thing that created a lack of communication is the speed of the whole play. Romeo and Juliet meet on Sunday and die on Thursday. Because of this, there were many times when the play was moving so fast that communication lacked. For example, Friar Laurence has very limited time to come up with a plan to save Juliet, and the plan he opted for has many holes, and was very rushed. His plan relied a lot on Friar John, which shows a lot when he says, “I’ll send a friar with speed To Mantua with my letters to thy lord.” (IV, i, 123-124) But because Friar John only had one day to send the letter, he could not accomplish the very important task. Creating a lack of communication when no one informed Romeo of the plan. Which later killed Romeo and his Juliet. Also, when Juliet woke up in her tomb, Friar Laurence tried to convince her to leave. “I hear some noise.—Lady, come from that nest Of death, contagion, and unnatural sleep. A greater power than we can contradict Hath thwarted our intentions. Come, come away.” (V, iii, 151-154) This quote shows that since they could already hear footsteps, Friar Laurence lacked time to convince Juliet. If he had more time to convince her to stay, the play may have had a different ending. But because he did have enough time, she stayed and killed herself. In short, the speed of the play created a lot of bad communication, which led to the deaths of the young lovers.

Finally, the Montague and Capulet feud and the poor family dynamics created the most lack of communication. Juliet used her Nurse as her counsel instead of her parents. This was shown when she comments, “O God! O nurse, how shall this be prevented?” (III, v, 205) She said this right after she got into a fight with her parents. And instead of turning to them for advice, she turns to her nurse. The nurse gives her bad advice when she tells her to marry Paris. So, Juliet goes to the Friar and devises a plan that kills both her and Romeo. If Juliet could have had better communication with her parents, it could've maybe prevented the tragic ending. Furthermore, Romeo couldn't tell Tybalt that they are cousins because of his love for Juliet, who is a Capulet. The feud between the families prevents him from telling Tybalt because of the backlash it would cause to his marriage. This is evident when Romeo says, “I do protest I never injured thee But love thee better than thou canst devise Till thou shalt know the reason of my love. And so, good Capulet, which name I tender As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.” (III, i, 65-69) He tells Tybalt that he doesn't want to fight because he loves him since they are now cousins. But Tybalt does not have this information, and the feud prevents Romeo from telling him. Hence, killing Tybalt and Mercutio. In addition, Romeo and Juliet couldn't even speak to each other. This is evident when just after they meet Juliet declares, “Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, By one that I’ll procure to come to thee, Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite” (II, ii, 144-146) Even if they have known each other for only a couple of hours they are already talking about sending letters to each other as a way of communication. This creates all sorts of problems, whether it be the death of Romeo, Juliet, Lady Montague, Tybalt, Mercutio, or even Paris.

In conclusion, lack of communication created all the problems in Romeo and Juliet. It caused all the sorrow, all the banishments, and all the deaths. Every single thing that goes wrong could have been avoided if there was better communication. But, a lot of things caused the bad communication. Fate caused bad communication because Romeo and Juliet were meant to die. Everything that could go wrong always did go wrong. The speed of the play also created bad communication. None of the characters had time to think about what they were really doing. For example, Friar Laurence did not have the time to think clearly about his plan. Lastly, the feud and the poor family dynamic made sure that the teenagers could not speak to their parents, each other, or other members of the opposite families. Romeo and Juliet is a very interesting story with a tragic ending. But as was stated, the tragic ending was the fault of bad communication.

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Romeo and Juliet

How does the lack of communication contributed to romeo and juliets death.

Romantic love and passion seem to cancel out any communication in this play. Romeo and Juliet get married in secret. Most of other characters seem to orbit around this secret unaware of the union. They go about life, their family feud, their petty grievances without actually talking about anything substantial. Even outr two protagonists fail to communicate about anything beyond love and sexual innuendo. Even the Friar is unable to communicate his plan effectively so things go wrong.

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Romeo and Juliet

Synopsis and plot overview of shakespeare's romeo and juliet.

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TL;DR (may contain spoilers): The classic story of boy meets girl; girl's family hates boy's family; boy's family hates girl's family; boy kills girl's cousin; boy and girl kill themselves.

Romeo and Juliet Summary

An age-old vendetta between two powerful families erupts into bloodshed. A group of masked Montagues risk further conflict by gatecrashing a Capulet party. A young lovesick Romeo Montague falls instantly in love with Juliet Capulet, who is due to marry her father’s choice, the County Paris. With the help of Juliet’s nurse, the women arrange for the couple to marry the next day, but Romeo’s attempt to halt a street fight leads to the death of Juliet’s own cousin, Tybalt, for which Romeo is banished. In a desperate attempt to be reunited with Romeo, Juliet follows the Friar’s plot and fakes her own death. The message fails to reach Romeo, and believing Juliet dead, he takes his life in her tomb. Juliet wakes to find Romeo’s corpse beside her and kills herself. The grieving family agree to end their feud.

• Read our  Romeo and Juliet Character Summaries . 

More detail: 2 minute read

Romeo and Juliet begins as the Chorus introduces two feuding families of Verona: the Capulets and the Montagues. On a hot summer's day, the young men of each faction fight until the Prince of Verona intercedes and threatens to banish them. Soon after, the head of the Capulet family plans a feast. His goal is to introduce his daughter Juliet to a Count named Paris who seeks to marry Juliet. 

Montague's son Romeo and his friends (Benvolio and Mercutio) hear of the party and resolve to go in disguise. Romeo hopes to see his beloved Rosaline at the party. Instead, while there, he meets Juliet and falls instantly in love with her. Juliet's cousin Tybalt recognises the Montague boys and forces them to leave just as Romeo and Juliet discover one another. 

Romeo lingers near the Capulet house to talk with Juliet when she appears in her window. The pair declare their love for one another and intend to marry the next day. With the help of Juliet's Nurse, the lovers arrange to marry when Juliet goes for confession at the cell of Friar Laurence. There, they are secretly married (talk about a short engagement). 

Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow — Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2

Following the secret marriage, Juliet's cousin Tybalt sends a challenge to Romeo. Romeo refuses to fight, which angers his friend Mercutio who then fights with Tybalt. Mercutio is accidentally killed as Romeo intervenes to stop the fight. In anger, Romeo pursues Tybalt, kills him, and is banished by the Prince. 

Juliet is anxious when Romeo is late to meet her and learns of the brawl, Tybalt's death, and Romeo's banishment. Friar Laurence arranges for Romeo to spend the night with Juliet before he leaves for Mantua. Meanwhile, the Capulet family grieves for Tybalt, so Lord Capulet moves Juliet's marriage to Paris to the next day. Juliet’s parents are angry when Juliet doesn't want to marry Paris, but they don't know about her secret marriage to Romeo.

A pair of star-crossed lovers — Romeo and Juliet, Prologue

Friar Laurence helps Juliet by providing a sleeping draught that will make her seem dead. When the wedding party arrives to greet Juliet the next day, they believe she is dead. The Friar sends a messenger to warn Romeo of Juliet's plan and bids him to come to the Capulet family monument to rescue his sleeping wife. 

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The vital message to Romeo doesn't arrive in time because the plague is in town (so the messenger cannot leave Verona). Hearing from his servant that Juliet is dead, Romeo buys poison from an Apothecary in Mantua. He returns to Verona and goes to the tomb where he surprises and kills the mourning Paris. Romeo takes his poison and dies, while Juliet awakens from her drugged coma. She learns what has happened from Friar Laurence, but she refuses to leave the tomb and stabs herself. The Friar returns with the Prince, the Capulets, and Romeo's lately widowed father. The deaths of their children lead the families to make peace, and they promise to erect a monument in Romeo and Juliet's memory.

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Romeo and Juliet

In Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" poor communication and bad advice do often lead to misunderstanding and disaster. I am going write about three occasions, all of which contribute, to the tragic ending of the play.

Michelle Pennington

In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” poor communication and bad advice do often lead to misunderstanding and disaster. I am going write about three occasions, all of which contribute, to the tragic ending of the play, one for each Romeo and Juliet and one, which affects both and leads to the tragic ending of the play.

     Shakespeare used dramatic tension often in “Romeo and Juliet”. He created it by using dramatic irony. This is where the reader/audience knows something the characters do not and this causes them to have a different understanding of the situation. Hence the dramatic tension between the reader/audience and the characters, who do not possess all the facts.

     An example of dramatic tension in the play is the first meeting of Romeo and Juliet at the masquers ball neither of them realises who the other is. Juliet sends the Nurse to find out who he is. In the Nurses absence she says to herself if he is married her wedding bed is going to be her deathbed.

      “My grave is like to be my wedding bed.”

  This shows that she was already in love with him. (Love at first sight).

  When the Nurse returns and tells her who he is, she says to herself

      “My only love sprung from my only hate”.  

     Tragedy is a literary term and is not linked to real people; though in reality a tragedy is a tragic occurrence.

      Sophocles, a literacy critic, said:

   “We are not interested in what happens but how it happens. The drama comes from watching someone fighting against fate.”

 In this quote the key word is FATE, fate is something that is meant to be and cannot be changed no matter how hard you try.

     From the beginning, by the chorus, we know Romeo and Juliet is destined to be a tragedy. The play is about “ a pair of star crossed lovers” whose tragic deaths are caused by fate and misunderstandings.

Therefore by the end of the play we feel a great sense of loss and pity.

         The first scene where poor communication and bad advice lead to misunderstandings, which I am going to write about is Act three Scene One, for Romeo. Act three Scene one is a big turning point in the play, where it all begins to go wrong for Romeo and Juliet. In this scene the fight between Romeo and Tybalt takes place. It begins with Benvolio and Mercutio joking, when Benvolio says

   “ I pray thee, good Mercutio, lets retire:

      The day is hot, the Capels are abroad,

    And if we meet we shall not scrape a brawl

    For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring”

Tybalt is out looking for a quarrel with Romeo, to get revenge for the masquers ball.          

“I will withdraw but this intrusion shall now seeming sweet, covert to the bitterest gall.”

When he meets Mercutio and Benvoilio, they begin to quarrel. Romeo then arrives and Tybalt says,

This is a preview of the whole essay

“Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford

No better term than this; thou art a villain.”

Then, to Tybalt and Mercutio’s amazement, Romeo replies,

“Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee

Doth much excuse the appertaining rage

To such a greeting, villain I am none;

Therefore, farewell, I see thou know’st me not.”

Dramatic tension is created here because, we, the audience, know that Romeo and Juliet have just got married, whereas Mercutio, Benvolio and Tybalt do not, so it is created by dramatic irony.

Mercutio thinks Romeo is being a coward by letting Tybalt win by refusing to fight, and says he will instead.

“O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!

“Alla stoccata” carries it away.

Tybalt, you rat catcher, will you walk?”

Mercutio has been spoiling for a fight but the real reasons Romeo will not fight Tybalt is that they are now kinsmen, due to Romeo’s marriage to Juliet.

     Romeo steps in between Mercutio and Tybalt to stop the fight. Tybalt lunges under Romeo’s arm and wounds Mercutio badly. Then he runs off. Romeo feels he has to avenge his kinsman’s death, so Romeo goes looking for Tybalt and when he finds him, they duel and Romeo kills him. Benvoili tells Romeo to go quickly, as the prince will arrive soon. Romeo replies, “O, I am fortune’s fool.”    

         When he says this, he means he is only a toy in the hands of fate. Tybalt’s death is when it all starts in the play. This is where the spiral starts to go down rapidly. The expected outcome is that Romeo will be executed, because we know that the Prince said if any Capulet or Montague were caught “brawling”, they would pay with their life. The Prince is lenient because the law would have sentenced Tybalt to death anyway. Therefore, the Prince can only bring himself to banish Romeo.

This is a crucial moment in the play because it is where everything seems to go wrong, resulting in the tragic chain of events, leading to the deaths of the lovers.

The breakdowns in communication between Juliet and her parents become obvious in act 3, scene 5. This is a crucial point in the play as Juliet cannot tell her parents why she will not marry Paris.

Romeo and Juliet part after spending their wedding night together. This upsets Juliet, and, when her mother comes to see her, Lady Capulet misunderstands why Juliet is upset. She believes Juliet is grieving for Tybalt.

Juliet's conversation with her mother is full of double meanings.

“God pardon him; I do with all my heart; and yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.” Juliet is referring to Romeo. Due to dramatic irony, the audience know that Juliet is grieving for Romeo, not angry at him for murdering Tybalt, as her mother, lady Capulet, thinks. This is a prime example of the breakdowns in communication between Juliet and her parents.

   And yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.”

Dramatic tension is created again because we, the audience, know what she really means.

   When Juliet refuses to marry Paris on Thursday, her mother doesn’t understand.

    “Fie, fie, what, are you mad!”

She thinks Juliet is still upset about Tybalt and that she’s mad for saying no.

 Her mother doesn’t understand that she would be betraying Romeo if she married Paris. Her Father is angry with Juliet because she was disobeying him and it just was not done then, he doesn’t understand why she’s refusing either.

    “How, how! How, how! Choplogic! What is this?”

He misjudges the reasons for Juliet’s refusal and she wont reveal the real reason. This also leads to dramatic tension again through dramatic irony.

     Juliet pleads with them to delay the wedding.

  “O sweet my mother cast me not away

    Delay this marriage for a month, a week!”

Yet her mother refuses to help her.

     “Talk not to me, for ill not speak a word

       Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee”

The nurse doesn’t sympathise either she says marry Paris, Romeo is not here and he is a “dishclout” compared to him.

     This is a crucial moment in the play, Juliet could either reveal her reasons for her refusal or she has one last option, to go to Friar Lawrence. If she revealed her reasons for refusing this would have made the course of events and the ending of the play very different. Yet she chooses not to, she chooses to go to Friar Lawrence for help, this resulting in the tragic ending of the play. This is where the climax of the play starts.

     The final scene I am going to right about is Act five and this is for Romeo and Juliet. Act five is where any hope of it all working out is completely destroyed by Friar Lawrence’s letter not being delivered to Romeo in Mantua.

     It all starts to go tragically wrong when, Balthasar, Romeo’s manservant goes to Mantua and tells Romeo of Juliet’s ‘death’. Romeo, without hesitation, goes to see an Apothecary and buys poison, and then sets off to Verona to be with Juliet, defying his banishment. This scene is a very good example of poor communication and bad advice and the consequences.

Meanwhile, Friar John returns and tells Friar Lawrence that he has not delivered the letter. To which the Friar says, “The letter was not nice but full of charge, of dear important and neglecting it may do much danger.

He realises the danger that Romeo may kill himself or Juliet may, when she awakens and finds Romeo is not there,

This is where any hope of a happy ending is destroyed.

The Friar realises how disastrously wrong his plan could go. So he rushes to the vault but he is too late.    

Romeo arrives at the Capulet vault and begins to force it open, when Paris comes to lay flowers and challenges Romeo because he thinks Romeo is going to desecrate Juliet’s tomb. Romeo kills Paris but before he dies, he begs to be placed with Juliet. Romeo feels sorry for Paris and lays his body next to Juliet.

He then goes to Juliet and says:

“Death, that hath attacked the honey of thy breath

Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty

Thou art not conquered; beauty’s ensign yet

Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks.”

This means that Juliet’s poison has not made her pale; she looks as though she is still alive. Romeo then turns to Tybalt’s corpse and says he will favour him by killing himself and asks for his forgiveness, he then looks at Juliet one last time and gives her one last kiss, then he takes the poison.

Shortly after, Juliet awakens and looks around for her Romeo. When the Friar enters, he tells her to come quickly as the prince will arrive soon. Juliet, however, refuses to leave with the friar when she sees Romeo dead. She reaches out and tales his dagger and says

“O happy dagger!

This is thy sheath;

There rust and let me die.”

She then stabs herself in the heart.

Then the watch enters and arrests the Friar and Balthasar, the Prince and the Captain of the watch enter with the Capulets.

Montague and Capulet enter the tomb and Montague tells everyone lady Montague has died if grief due to Romeo’s banishment.

When Montague and Capulet see Romeo, Juliet and Paris all dead, Friar Lawrence explains everything with the help of Balthasar and Paris’ Page.

Capulet and Montague end their feud and decide to put up golden statues of Romeo and Juliet; after the Prince says

“All are punished.”

The Prince sums up the whole play with a rhyming caplet.

“For never was a story of more woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo”

There are a lot of misunderstandings in this scene. This is where all of the Friar’s bad advice begins to become apparent and all the misunderstanding that have taken place. Everything that could possibly go wrong in this scene does. Dramatic tension is creates a lot in this scene through dramatic irony.

Shakespeare successfully wrote a tragedy according to Sophocles definition of it; at the end of the play you feel a great sense of loss and pity for all involved. The couple are quite clearly doomed by fate quite early on in the play, and despite their best efforts, they lose their desperate fight against fate.

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Conclusion: Romeo + Juliet

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• Ian Frederick Moulton  

Part of the book series: Early Modern Cultural Studies ((EMCSS))

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T he four books that form the focus of this study all demonstrate the extent to which culturally elite ideas about romantic love were spreading to a broader reading public throughout the sixteenth century. Conduct books, philosophical treatises, letter-writing manuals, and medical texts were all appearing in the vernacular, and their specialized knowledge was being made even more accessible through editorial apparatus such as indices, detailed tables of contents, and printed marginal annotations.

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On the play’s popularity on stage see William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet , The Oxford Shakespeare, ed. Jill. L. Levenson (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 69–70.

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The Capulets are one of the only households Shakespeare stages in which a child has both parents living. And Juliet’s mother and father are not necessarily a model of wedded bliss. See Sasha Roberts, William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (Plymouth, UK: Northcote House, 1998), 28–31.

Matteo Bandello, Novelle , ed. Luigi Russo and Ettore Mazzali (Milan: Rizzoli, 1990), 315: “… con particolar dolore dei Montecchi e Capelletti e general di tutta la città, furono fatte l’essequie con pompa gradissima; e volle il signore che in quello stesso avello gli amanti restarono sepolti. Il che fu cagione che tra i Montecchi e I Capelletti si fece la pace, ben che non molto dopo durassi.”

Plato, Symposium , ed. Kenneth Dover, Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980), 204c.

Unless otherwise indicated, all references to the works of Plato are to The Collected Dialogues of Plato , ed. Edith Hamilton and Huntington Cairns (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1961).

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Moulton, I.F. (2014). Conclusion: Romeo + Juliet. In: Love in Print in the Sixteenth Century. Early Modern Cultural Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137405050_6

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The prologue of Romeo and Juliet calls the title characters “star-crossed lovers”—and the stars do seem to conspire against these young lovers.

Romeo is a Montague, and Juliet a Capulet. Their families are enmeshed in a feud, but the moment they meet—when Romeo and his friends attend a party at Juliet’s house in disguise—the two fall in love and quickly decide that they want to be married.

A friar secretly marries them, hoping to end the feud. Romeo and his companions almost immediately encounter Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, who challenges Romeo. When Romeo refuses to fight, Romeo’s friend Mercutio accepts the challenge and is killed. Romeo then kills Tybalt and is banished. He spends that night with Juliet and then leaves for Mantua.

Juliet’s father forces her into a marriage with Count Paris. To avoid this marriage, Juliet takes a potion, given her by the friar, that makes her appear dead. The friar will send Romeo word to be at her family tomb when she awakes. The plan goes awry, and Romeo learns instead that she is dead. In the tomb, Romeo kills himself. Juliet wakes, sees his body, and commits suicide. Their deaths appear finally to end the feud.

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The Reality Behind American Marriages: Understanding the Statistics of Divorce

This essay about the reality behind American marriages explores the complexities hidden beneath the surface of matrimonial bliss. It into societal norms, changing gender roles, communication challenges, financial stress, and the normalization of divorce culture. Despite daunting divorce statistics, the essay offers hope, emphasizing the importance of trust, communication, and mutual support in building enduring partnerships. It advocates for premarital counseling and marriage enrichment programs to equip couples with the necessary tools for navigating the ups and downs of married life.

How it works

In the tapestry of American life, marriage stands as one of its most intricate threads. It’s woven into the fabric of society, representing commitment, partnership, and the promise of forever. Yet, beneath the surface of matrimonial bliss lies a complex reality that often goes unnoticed: the staggering statistics of divorce.

In the land of opportunity and dreams, where love stories are immortalized in Hollywood movies and fairy tales, the harsh truth of marital dissolution paints a different picture. The United States boasts one of the highest divorce rates in the world, a fact that begs a deeper understanding of the intricacies and challenges that underlie the institution of marriage.

At first glance, the numbers may appear daunting. According to the American Psychological Association, nearly 40-50% of marriages in the United States end in divorce. This statistic, while alarming, only scratches the surface of a multifaceted issue. To truly comprehend the reality behind American marriages, one must delve into the myriad factors that contribute to this phenomenon.

One significant aspect is the evolution of societal norms and values. In the past century, the concept of marriage has undergone a profound transformation. Gone are the days when matrimony was primarily viewed as a lifelong union ordained by religion or tradition. Today, individuals are empowered to seek personal fulfillment and happiness in their relationships, leading to greater expectations and demands within marriages.

Moreover, the changing roles of men and women in society have redefined the dynamics of marriage. With women increasingly participating in the workforce and asserting their independence, traditional gender roles have become blurred. While this shift has brought about greater equality and opportunity, it has also introduced new challenges in navigating shared responsibilities and expectations within marriages.

Communication, or the lack thereof, also plays a pivotal role in the success or failure of marriages. In a fast-paced world dominated by technology and social media, genuine connection and meaningful dialogue can often take a backseat. Miscommunication, unresolved conflicts, and emotional disconnects can gradually erode the foundation of even the strongest marriages, leading to dissatisfaction and ultimately, divorce.

Financial stress is another significant factor that strains marital relationships. In a society where material wealth and success are often equated with happiness, economic instability can exert immense pressure on couples. Whether it’s mounting debt, job insecurity, or differing spending habits, financial woes can exacerbate existing tensions and drive a wedge between partners.

Furthermore, the prevalence of divorce culture has normalized the idea of marital dissolution as a viable solution to marital problems. With divorce becoming more socially acceptable and accessible, couples may be quicker to resort to separation rather than investing the time and effort required to work through their issues. The rise of no-fault divorce laws has further streamlined the process, making it easier for couples to dissolve their unions without assigning blame.

However, amidst the grim statistics and sobering realities, there exists a glimmer of hope. Despite the challenges and obstacles that couples face, many marriages endure and thrive. Countless individuals navigate the complexities of married life with grace, resilience, and unwavering commitment.

Successful marriages are built on a foundation of trust, respect, and mutual support. Couples who prioritize open communication, active listening, and empathy are better equipped to weather the storms that inevitably arise. By fostering a culture of understanding and compromise, spouses can cultivate strong, enduring bonds that withstand the test of time.

Moreover, investing in premarital counseling and marriage enrichment programs can equip couples with the tools and skills necessary to navigate the ups and downs of married life. By addressing potential issues and establishing healthy communication patterns early on, couples can lay the groundwork for a fulfilling and enduring partnership.

In conclusion, the reality behind American marriages is a complex tapestry woven with myriad threads of love, commitment, and challenge. While divorce statistics may paint a grim picture, they only scratch the surface of a multifaceted issue. By understanding the factors that contribute to marital dissolution and prioritizing open communication, mutual respect, and shared values, couples can forge strong, enduring bonds that defy the odds. In the end, the true measure of a successful marriage lies not in its longevity, but in the depth of connection and mutual growth it fosters between two individuals.

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PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Reality Behind American Marriages: Understanding the Statistics of Divorce . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-reality-behind-american-marriages-understanding-the-statistics-of-divorce/ [Accessed: 3 Jun. 2024]

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"The Reality Behind American Marriages: Understanding the Statistics of Divorce," PapersOwl.com , 01-Jun-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-reality-behind-american-marriages-understanding-the-statistics-of-divorce/. [Accessed: 3-Jun-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Reality Behind American Marriages: Understanding the Statistics of Divorce . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-reality-behind-american-marriages-understanding-the-statistics-of-divorce/ [Accessed: 3-Jun-2024]

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Romeo and Juliet lack communication and bad advice Essay

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In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” poor communication and bad advice do often lead to misunderstanding and disaster. I am going write about three occasions, all of which contribute, to the tragic ending of the play, one for each Romeo and Juliet and one, which affects both and leads to the tragic ending of the play.

Shakespeare used dramatic tension often in “Romeo and Juliet”. He created it by using dramatic irony. This is where the reader/audience knows something the characters do not and this causes them to have a different understanding of the situation. Hence the dramatic tension between the reader/audience and the characters, who do not possess all the facts.

An example of dramatic tension in the play is the first meeting of Romeo and Juliet at the masquers ball neither of them realises who the other is. Juliet sends the Nurse to find out who he is. In the Nurses absence she says to herself if he is married her wedding bed is going to be her deathbed.

“My grave is like to be my wedding bed.”

This shows that she was already in love with him. (Love at first sight).

When the Nurse returns and tells her who he is, she says to herself

“My only love sprung from my only hate”.

Tragedy is a literary term and is not linked to real people; though in reality a tragedy is a tragic occurrence.

Sophocles, a literacy critic, said:

“We are not interested in what happens but how it happens. The drama comes from watching someone fighting against fate.”

In this quote the key word is FATE, fate is something that is meant to be and cannot be changed no matter how hard you try.

From the beginning, by the chorus, we know Romeo and Juliet is destined to be a tragedy. The play is about ” a pair of star crossed lovers” whose tragic deaths are caused by fate and misunderstandings.

Therefore by the end of the play we feel a great sense of loss and pity.

The first scene where poor communication and bad advice lead to misunderstandings, which I am going to write about is Act three Scene One, for Romeo. Act three Scene one is a big turning point in the play, where it all begins to go wrong for Romeo and Juliet. In this scene the fight between Romeo and Tybalt takes place. It begins with Benvolio and Mercutio joking, when Benvolio says

” I pray thee, good Mercutio, lets retire: The day is hot, the Capels are abroad, And if we meet we shall not scrape a brawl For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring”

Tybalt is out looking for a quarrel with Romeo, to get revenge for the masquers ball.

“I will withdraw but this intrusion shall now seeming sweet, covert to the bitterest gall.”

When he meets Mercutio and Benvoilio, they begin to quarrel. Romeo then arrives and Tybalt says,

“Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford No better term than this; thou art a villain.”

Then, to Tybalt and Mercutio’s amazement, Romeo replies,

“Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee Doth much excuse the appertaining rage To such a greeting, villain I am none; Therefore, farewell, I see thou know’st me not.”

Dramatic tension is created here because, we, the audience, know that Romeo and Juliet have just got married, whereas Mercutio, Benvolio and Tybalt do not, so it is created by dramatic irony.

Mercutio thinks Romeo is being a coward by letting Tybalt win by refusing to fight, and says he will instead.

“O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! “Alla stoccata” carries it away. Tybalt, you rat catcher, will you walk?”

Mercutio has been spoiling for a fight but the real reasons Romeo will not fight Tybalt is that they are now kinsmen, due to Romeo’s marriage to Juliet.

Romeo steps in between Mercutio and Tybalt to stop the fight. Tybalt lunges under Romeo’s arm and wounds Mercutio badly. Then he runs off. Romeo feels he has to avenge his kinsman’s death, so Romeo goes looking for Tybalt and when he finds him, they duel and Romeo kills him. Benvoili tells Romeo to go quickly, as the prince will arrive soon. Romeo replies, “O, I am fortune’s fool.”

When he says this, he means he is only a toy in the hands of fate. Tybalt’s death is when it all starts in the play. This is where the spiral starts to go down rapidly. The expected outcome is that Romeo will be executed, because we know that the Prince said if any Capulet or Montague were caught “brawling”, they would pay with their life. The Prince is lenient because the law would have sentenced Tybalt to death anyway. Therefore, the Prince can only bring himself to banish Romeo.

This is a crucial moment in the play because it is where everything seems to go wrong, resulting in the tragic chain of events, leading to the deaths of the lovers.

The breakdowns in communication between Juliet and her parents become obvious in act 3, scene 5. This is a crucial point in the play as Juliet cannot tell her parents why she will not marry Paris.

Romeo and Juliet part after spending their wedding night together. This upsets Juliet, and, when her mother comes to see her, Lady Capulet misunderstands why Juliet is upset. She believes Juliet is grieving for Tybalt.

Juliet’s conversation with her mother is full of double meanings.

“God pardon him; I do with all my heart; and yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.”

Juliet is referring to Romeo. Due to dramatic irony, the audience know that Juliet is grieving for Romeo, not angry at him for murdering Tybalt, as her mother, lady Capulet, thinks. This is a prime example of the breakdowns in communication between Juliet and her parents.

And yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.”

Dramatic tension is created again because we, the audience, know what she really means.

When Juliet refuses to marry Paris on Thursday, her mother doesn’t understand.

“Fie, fie, what, are you mad!”

She thinks Juliet is still upset about Tybalt and that she’s mad for saying no.

Her mother doesn’t understand that she would be betraying Romeo if she married Paris. Her Father is angry with Juliet because she was disobeying him and it just was not done then, he doesn’t understand why she’s refusing either.

“How, how! How, how! Choplogic! What is this?”

He misjudges the reasons for Juliet’s refusal and she wont reveal the real reason. This also leads to dramatic tension again through dramatic irony.

Juliet pleads with them to delay the wedding.

“O sweet my mother cast me not away Delay this marriage for a month, a week!” Yet her mother refuses to help her. “Talk not to me, for ill not speak a word Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee”

The nurse doesn’t sympathise either she says marry Paris, Romeo is not here and he is a “dishclout” compared to him.

This is a crucial moment in the play, Juliet could either reveal her reasons for her refusal or she has one last option, to go to Friar Lawrence. If she revealed her reasons for refusing this would have made the course of events and the ending of the play very different. Yet she chooses not to, she chooses to go to Friar Lawrence for help, this resulting in the tragic ending of the play. This is where the climax of the play starts.

The final scene I am going to right about is Act five and this is for Romeo and Juliet. Act five is where any hope of it all working out is completely destroyed by Friar Lawrence’s letter not being delivered to Romeo in Mantua.

It all starts to go tragically wrong when, Balthasar, Romeo’s manservant goes to Mantua and tells Romeo of Juliet’s ‘death’. Romeo, without hesitation, goes to see an Apothecary and buys poison, and then sets off to Verona to be with Juliet, defying his banishment. This scene is a very good example of poor communication and bad advice and the consequences.

Meanwhile, Friar John returns and tells Friar Lawrence that he has not delivered the letter. To which the Friar says, “The letter was not nice but full of charge, of dear important and neglecting it may do much danger.

He realises the danger that Romeo may kill himself or Juliet may, when she awakens and finds Romeo is not there,

This is where any hope of a happy ending is destroyed.

The Friar realises how disastrously wrong his plan could go. So he rushes to the vault but he is too late.

Romeo arrives at the Capulet vault and begins to force it open, when Paris comes to lay flowers and challenges Romeo because he thinks Romeo is going to desecrate Juliet’s tomb. Romeo kills Paris but before he dies, he begs to be placed with Juliet. Romeo feels sorry for Paris and lays his body next to Juliet.

He then goes to Juliet and says:

“Death, that hath attacked the honey of thy breath Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty Thou art not conquered; beauty’s ensign yet Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks.”

This means that Juliet’s poison has not made her pale; she looks as though she is still alive. Romeo then turns to Tybalt’s corpse and says he will favour him by killing himself and asks for his forgiveness, he then looks at Juliet one last time and gives her one last kiss, then he takes the poison.

Shortly after, Juliet awakens and looks around for her Romeo. When the Friar enters, he tells her to come quickly as the prince will arrive soon. Juliet, however, refuses to leave with the friar when she sees Romeo dead. She reaches out and tales his dagger and says

“O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; There rust and let me die.”

She then stabs herself in the heart.

Then the watch enters and arrests the Friar and Balthasar, the Prince and the Captain of the watch enter with the Capulets.

Montague and Capulet enter the tomb and Montague tells everyone lady Montague has died if grief due to Romeo’s banishment.

When Montague and Capulet see Romeo, Juliet and Paris all dead, Friar Lawrence explains everything with the help of Balthasar and Paris’ Page.

Capulet and Montague end their feud and decide to put up golden statues of Romeo and Juliet; after the Prince says

“All are punished.”

The Prince sums up the whole play with a rhyming caplet.

“For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo”

There are a lot of misunderstandings in this scene. This is where all of the Friar’s bad advice begins to become apparent and all the misunderstanding that have taken place. Everything that could possibly go wrong in this scene does. Dramatic tension is creates a lot in this scene through dramatic irony.

Shakespeare successfully wrote a tragedy according to Sophocles definition of it; at the end of the play you feel a great sense of loss and pity for all involved. The couple are quite clearly doomed by fate quite early on in the play, and despite their best efforts, they lose their desperate fight against fate.

This essay was written by a fellow student. You may use it as a guide or sample for writing your own paper, but remember to cite it correctly . Don’t submit it as your own as it will be considered plagiarism.

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Romeo and Juliet lack communication and bad advice Essay. (2017, Oct 29). Retrieved from https://artscolumbia.org/romeo-juliet-poor-communication-bad-advice-25073/

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